The whole 24 hours is dominated by the weather – good strong winds and big seas. Apparently there is a strong high pressure system south of Australia and this is producing strong trade winds, especially for those at the back of the fleet ie us. Guess who’s so bored she’s been reading the weather reports?
The current system brings showers, squalls and thunderstorms all day. There is particularly heavy rain early in the morning which helps to wash some of the salt off but this is quickly replaced by the waves breaking all around and over us.
Moving around the boat has us looking like people out of Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks – not the long-legged, goose-stepping John Cleese character (not enough room for than) but the woman who carries the tea in on a tray. Not moving is much the safest option, so I stay either in bed or on the sofa for pretty much the whole day. The bucket comes out in the morning and for a short while I sit in the cockpit with it on the table in front of me, close to using it, but Mike makes me feel better by giving me one of his chocolate covered muesli bars – one of his night watch treats. He has a pile of such things, along with Mars bars which he keeps in the freezer. I have no need of these night time stimulants and manage to leave them alone under normal circumstances. Anyway, he knows exactly how many there are so would know if I had pilfered the odd one en route.
There is a growing collection of flying fish on the trampoline and one which has managed to flap its way across the whole cockpit depositing black fish scales all the way. It comes to its death with its nose pressed up against Mike’s shoe under the cockpit table. That one does find itself having a sudden burial at sea! Ugh!
Our position is: 11 deg 03 min S, 109 deg 21 min E
Distance so far: 13256 nautical miles
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