Fresh bread and goosewings
Fleck
Fri 16 Nov 2012 09:06
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Friday, November 16 12.30 Reunion time
Position 29:12.5S 44:27.8E
Three days now of quite gentle winds, such that
last night we were almost drifting with the usual cacophony of slatting sails
and banging boom. No wonder I was up early to stow the main and gooswing the
forsails Immediately quieter, and now at midday we have reasonable wind as
well.
Geoff's face hasn't completely fallen off this
time, and Nurse Blunt is keeping it from the sun as best as can. Cook Blunt has
been at the dough and the bread is in the oven as I write: great smell.
Washerwoman Fisher has his knickers in a twist in a bucket of 'Dreft' in the
cockpit, and so it's a picture of domestic bliss. If you care to look at the
forecast you will see why we are getting these little things done
now!
Quite an excitement last night: Within a short
period of warning from our Seeme, a bulk carrier appeared in front of us,
bearing almost straight down on our bows. In these situations both boats should
turn to starboard. We did, he didn't move, but soon we were on his port side:ok.
Then, perhaps suddenly picking us up, he turned hard to port as well, putting us
back under his bows, so we turned to port, and in the event we missed by a safe
margin. But it is scary, these things are big, and fast! Since then we have
had two more calls on the Seeme, but no one has dared come close
again!
Goeff adds that acording to a little gizzmo that he
keeps hidden in his trouser pocket we are 700 miles from Durban, which is our
preferred destination, we may get blown back to a place callled Richards Bay,
which would be fine. One of the more 'worst case' scenarios would be to end up
in Moputu, Mozambique. But hey, any port in a storm.
R and G
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