Monday 21st January, 2013
Struggled with emailing overnight (log report hadn't succeeded first time around so had to re-post it .... grrr!) and no contact with SAMM Net this morning - propagation clearly not helpful! Daytime emailing was far better.
Wind got up to F6-7 overnight and veered to WNW before backing slightly to W in the morning, as forecast. Gybed the mains'l and was able to keep heading E-ENE on port tack, goosewinged, but in fairly rough sea conditions. Had to check on things several times overnight, so definitely needed to catch up on sleep over today!
Very moist, almost foggy, overnight and morning - total grey overcast, all day long and a cold feel to the air and inside the boat... My hot, thick soup was welcome again! After overnight rough seas and the strengthened winds during the morning, conditions eased by late afternoon. By night-time, winds had become much lighter and our speed was down to 4-5 kt, trying to stay on course downwind, in seas still tossing us around frequently.
Failed to copy Graham, ZS2ABK, on the SAMM Net this morning - propagation clearly not being helpful again - could only hear something faintly in the far distance! But 8164kHz, the Patagonia Net, at 1200 GMT (10am local time), was reasonable and tonight , I had excellent contact on the same frequency with 'Curare' (Geoff & Linda) and also, unexpectedly, with Sam on 'Suvretta' - last seen in Ushuaia as I left for the Falklands nearly two years ago! He's just rounded the Horn and is on his way to the Falklands now - but becalmed tonight!
The last of the Vendée Globe racers, 'Team Plastique' (Alessandro Di Benedetto), was 460 ml to our WSW at 7pm GMT tonight - he should pass our latitude overnight, on his way N up the Atlantic.
Few birds seen again today - a solitary black-browed albatross and white-chinned petrel, as yesterday, with a glimpse of an Atlanic petrel early on.
24hr DMG at 9pm local time (2300GMT ): 129 n.ml. Cape Horn 1490 n.ml. away (SW). E. Falkland: 1099 n.ml. (SW), S. Georgia: 615 n.ml. (S). Cape Agulhas (southernmost Cape of Africa) 2450 n.ml.
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For my positions, see:
www.svnereida.com - 'Travels' - "Where is 'Nereida'?"
http://www.exactearth.com/media-centre/recent-ship-tracks/tracking-nereida/