Out into the Unknown

Serendipity
David Caukill
Thu 16 Jan 2014 13:51

Thursday  January 16th,  2014

South Atlantic Ocean, a long way  off Namibia,  25 04.1S 07 42.0E 

Today's Blog by David (Time zone UTC +1.0)

 

Well, that’s it! We have now fallen off the end of our Chart Plotter and now have no electronic charts to tell us what we are about to hit.   It’s a bit troubling that the Navionic’s coverage should stop where it does, about 70 miles short of the Walvis Ridge – known for its fishing – and its abnormal waves!   Fortunately, we are carrying Navigation Charts 1.01 stored on a paper medium and have now dusted them off.

 

We are a little less than half way to St Helena, and after 36 hours of lighter winds we are now back at around 8 – 8.5 knots travelling in the right direction.  Landfall probably Tuesday AM.

 

Fishing has now been much improved by a visit to another tackle shop in Cape Town. The proprietor sold us some irresistible lures, ‘unbreakable’ line and showed us how to tie rock hard, ‘never come undone’ knots. And we have been fishing for fully three of the four days we have been at sea supervised by Rudi – who is a South African and ‘knows something’ about fishing. Quite what that knowledge might comprise  a matter of some conjecture since , apart from a derisory nibble yesterday, we have not had a sniff of a fish. We console ourselves that it is because we are travelling too quickly………

 

SO …Who you may ask is Rudi …. Indeed who are the crew for this leg? Well: here is the South Atlantic Team Photo.

 

 

Richard (back left) is an Old Campaigner on Serendipity having been there on the Day of Noah, and later sailed from Galapagos to the Marquesas Islands so he knows his way around the boat. So, too, does Peter (back centre) who it feels like has sailed with me for ever (or so he says!). Rudi is the youngster in the front who joined us in Cape Town and is signed up through to the Caribbean. He probably has more sailing experience per year of consciousness than the rest of us put together – although, in some ways perhaps sadly,  we have rather more years consciousness than he! 

 

Err ….the handsome guy one the right – who at the time of this photo was moving rapidly to the left (and whose smile is about to disappear as soon as he hits the davit behind) – is of course …….