Day 302: La Reunion to South Africa – 04/11/10

What is going on?  I go to bed and all is calm but am woken up a few hours later by the crashing around of the boat, just minutes before Mike comes to get me for my watch.  It’s like a marine version of invasion of the body snatchers – who swapped the sea?  It is heaving.  Huge walls of water, almost as big as the ones on the way to Mauritius, slam into the boat.  Every single movement on your feet leaves you liable to be catapulted across the to the other side of the boat.  But hey, the sun is shining, not that you can sit in the cockpit!  I try once again to film how rough the sea is but it just doesn’t do it justice.

Photo:  The rising sun peaks over the large waves

When Mike gets up I marinate the chicken for lunch then unbelievably I get to sleep and don’t wake up until gone noon.  The sea has eased considerably but the wind is still strong – 25 to 30 knots most of the time and Jeannius flies through the water.

We continue to see commercial traffic coming close to us at times but do not have to alter course as they are far enough away not to worry.  I am so glad we have AIS.

Photo:  A tanker passes us about two miles away

Suddenly a rogue wave hits us and for the first time ever, water pours into the cockpit coming up the back steps and over the starboard side in a double whammy.  I am lying on the sofa at the time and the noise of the water rushing through the cockpit has me leaping to my feet.  The double doors to the salon are wide open but I manage to get one of them closed before the water gets near.  What really saves us though is the grill of death where we kill the fish.  The cockpit drops away into a trough and there are a row of large drainage holes under the grill.  Although a few splashes come through, we are saved from the deluge.

A few hours later, another one hits us just as Mike is finishing connecting to the internet to get our mail and the weather reports.  The wave hits the bucket on the table containing the satellite phone and knocks everything flying.  For a while Mike is concerned that the phone is broken but we are lucky, it’s OK.

Photo:  Our high tech set up – satellite phone in a bucket - moments before it goes flying

Showering is done sitting on the toilet seat with one foot braced up against the sink.  How glamorous!  No photos of that one!

 

Our position is:  28 deg 19 min S, 44 deg 51 min E

Distance so far:  17213 nautical miles