Still bobbing in the Madagascar Basin
Misterx
Sat 16 Nov 2024 05:33
Saturday 16th Nov 24
9:00am
As we are hurtling along the Madagascar Basin at the dizzying speed of 2.5 knots, in 6 knots of wind, (approximately 5km/h and 11km/h in land speech), I am reminded of how fortunate are those with no time constraint, no deadline, no appointment. We know when we leave but never when we will arrive at our destination. And even then destination sometimes seems far fetched, the weather demanding that we reconsider our land fall and set a new course. The tyrany of time does not apply at sea, well not so much for us anyway, relying mainly on wind to obliterate the miles. The engine will only splutter into action when absolutely necessary when in the middle of nowhere, to avoid an obstacle or a squall for example. our mere 400 litres of fuel would only cover 100 hours of motoring, roughly 4 days plodding along at 5 knots. A drop in the ocean on a passage of 1,500 miles. We need the engine power to get us into port when the destination is within reach and the patience has long since run out.
The luxury of it !!! and the incongruity of it !! Revelling in the fact that time is actually immaterial and only the travelling of the sun in the sky during the day and the journey of the moon at night will punctuate your waking hours.
All this to say, we'll get there when we get there...
M