Beeline to Durban, but wish we had wings!
Fleck
Thu 22 Nov 2012 09:39
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Date Thursday, 22 November 2012 12.30 ships time,
9.30 GMT
Position: 29:55S 32:11E
No one has complained that we didn't blog
yesterday, so perhaps, as long suspected, there is no audience out there. We had
a busy night out here with a bit of weather passing through, very windy for
about three hours, and Geoff says he saw 56 Kts on the wind machine. He might
make a good fisherman! We ran off before it with the staysail reefed down like a
storm sail, and it was relatively comfortable, we even kept on our desired
course. It was a chance to try out my new 'foulies' and yes, I kept dry and warm
in the cockpit, which alternately filled with rain and spray of the wave crests.
Today it has all blown through, the boat is unscathed, but the crew a little
tired. We have 60 miles to go to Durban, so might be in my around midnight.
We could slow down and try to arrive in daylight tomorrow, but more wind is on
the way, and we will accept the difficulties of a night entrance. Our food has
been whittled down nicely, cereals gone, one apple left, that sort of thing, and
we are looking forward to hot showers and the chance to get to a launderette: I
sound like my middle daughter, Charlotte: these are things dear to her heart,
and they make her happy!
Our brush with the wind overnight could have been
unnerving, but our weathergirls have provided such helpful and accurate
forcasts, that we were confident that the weather would not become too
frightful, and that it would soon pass: thanks indeed! Vicky's advice today is
to make a beeline for Durban: would that we had a bee's wings, instead we
have the all too familiar scenario, of flapping sails and sloppy seas. Some very
big waves still around after last nights weather keep threatening to topple the
computer!
Richard and Geoff.
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