Tuesday, 3rd November, 2015

Luna Quest
W. Eric Faber
Tue 3 Nov 2015 09:57
Noon Position: 27.38S 49.30E

Daily run: 162 logged miles

A stable fresh northerly breeze kept Luna Quest with two reefs in the mainsail on a course of 230 degrees towards a waypoint some 200 miles south of Madagascar. Not that we shall make that waypoint as we are expecting a cold front to hit us some time early this evening followed by strong southwesterlies. We have made south as much as possible to give us a reasonable angle to the wind on our way to Richards Bay. It will be a wet sail with much water cascading over the boat, while the swell and the waves are expected to be not less than 3 meters high. We spent all morning preparing the boat and ourselves. Julia has cooked a generous supply of chicken, while I secured the ATU as best I could (which had departed from its fastenings earlier in our crossing of the Indian Ocean) and changed the loo fittings which had been giving us some trouble. We also replaced the dorado vents by screw-on caps and stuffed the anchor chain hole with a cloth around the chain. All halyards and lines have been secured and once we hit the front, which in itself may not bring with it much wind and whatever it does bring is likely to be unstable, we shall put in the last reef in the mainsail and roll up the genoa depending on the wind strength and direction…

Eric