Day 4

Pearl of Persia
Andrew Lock
Fri 22 Nov 2013 12:58
Lat 25:27.1S Long 049:07.1E
Cruising chute by day, white sails and some motoring at night and still
making steady progress. Night watches are now much easier with Oliver
aboard. Still over 1000 miles to go. We can pick up weather forecasts by
satellite and the light northerly wind we have had for the past week, was
forecast to end. We had a few hours notice of the change and organised the
boat for heavier weather. The predicted band of rain and squalls passed
through this morning, the wind veering and backing wildly around the compass
until it settled down from the South and we tacked the boat. For the sailors
among you, astonishing as it may seem, that is the first time we have tacked
the boat since leaving Panama. We have sailed half way around the world, the
whole Pacific and Indian Oceans and not once have we had to turn the bow of
the boat through the wind and tack. We have seldom had the wind forward of
the beam but we are now close hauled, heeled over and making for our
waypoint 100 miles to the south of Madagascar. The advice is stay well clear
of the southern coast to avoid heavy seas as conflicting currents meet the
continental shelf. But we are in no hurry. We have to time our approach to
the coast of Africa, still a week away, to avoid crossing the notorious
Aghulas current in a southerly gale.
There are some wonderful cooking smells coming from the galley.....its roast
lamb and all the trimmings tonight.