Tuesday 8th January, 2013 - I'm still on a 'high'!!!
4pm: All very relaxed, ambling along in bright sun, downwind in WSW wind of F4-5, possibly around 18-20kt mostly, sometimes less. In the sun, it feels almost warm!! ....and with the sun shining on the tank, the butane is gassing off now. Still enjoying Ann's Christmas cake and Gayle's biscotti - and still lots left!!! In a celebratory mood all day! Can't believe the weather is so benign!
A Wandering albatross flying around us now - such big, yet graceful, birds, mostly soaring on fixed wings, with just the occasional wing beats. A solitary Southern Royal this morning, together with 3 Cape Petrels (handsome black-and-white birds), a tiny, white-rumped storm petrel (trying to make me dizzy again, it circled around so fast!) , a pair of black-browed albatross and a white-chinned petrel .... All around at the same time, early this morning.
Still thinking about the excitement of rounding the Horn last night - it never really gets dark - so much light in the sky... and there was a bright crescent moon hanging above the big streak of daylight over the S horizon well after midnight ...!
6.30pm Nearing sunset... but will not make much difference to light in sky for several hours! Cooked a cheese omelette while the sun was still heating the butane tank a short while ago. Three black-browed albatross circling the boat... Still very relaxed sailing, although VERY rolly and often getting knocked about quite violently by the occasional bigger wave. Waiting for the wind to veer a little bit more so I can gybe onto port tack - nearly there but not quite...
I'll need to catch up on sleep - didn't get too much last night!
24hr DMG at 7pm local time (Chile time!) (2300GMT ): 140 n.ml. Cape Horn 129 n.ml. away (WNW) and my next waypoint, keeping well clear and to SE of the Burdwood Bank, is 331 n.ml. away. Isla de los Estados 135 n.ml. nearly due N W. Falkland: 314 n.ml. (023T), E. Falkland: 327 n.ml. (031T), S. Georgia: 893 n.ml. (due E). Land is no longer showing on my AIS screen - the islands around Cape Horn, are now too far away.
.................................................................................
For my positions, see:
www.svnereida.com - 'Travels' - "Where is 'Nereida'?"
http://www.exactearth.com/media-centre/recent-ship-tracks/tracking-nereida/
http://oceantracker.net?event=nereida