Heading South from Durban - Day Three - 34 36.154S 022 48.014E

Aurora_b
Mike and Liz Downing
Tue 10 Dec 2013 15:36
We're still going! There are few stopping places along this coast and as you approach each one the decision has to be made whether or not to stop or press on. The weather is still looking good so having passed Knysna and Mossel Bay we're continuing. There's been no current to speak of over the last 24 hours and the winds have been lighter than forecast, so we've come back down to earth today with speeds of 4.5 to 6.5kts and a noon-to-noon run of 133.5 miles. Only 110.6 miles less than yesterday! But it's been very comfortable and easy sailing with the outer genoa poled to windward and the inner genoa sheeted normally. This gives good speed and good flexibility for wind shifts and any rapid increases in wind speed, especially at night. Speaking of which the phosphorescence last night was spectacular, if not awesome! It was as good as we've ever seen (rivalling what we saw in the Sargasso Sea on the way to Bermuda in 1996) with every break of the sea glowing with a scattering of sparkling diamonds. So every wave that broke was aglow, along with the bow wave of the boat, the slick from the hydrovane rudder, and especially the tow generator which was a brilliant sparkling glowing ball behind the boat. It's difficult to put in into words for those that have never seen it, but it really is spectacular when its like this. It will be interesting to see if it's the same tonight. We've also started to see gannets, seeing more and more of them flying in formation across the surface of the sea.

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