9//2/08   15:00

Looking at our projected arrival time, we might be getting too close to potential ice before first light.  We need full visibility when we approach Deception so we knock a couple of hundred revs off the engine.  Current ice reports indicate there are no icebergs close to our track, the Clearpoint weather Service shows no ice near Deception, but we need to err on the side of caution.  Very occasionally the sun comes out and it’s really quite pleasant but most of the day has been pretty grey.

We run the watermaker as it will be sensible to arrive with full tanks.  When I purchased the Spectra Watermaker they assured me it would function in polar regions.  We have heard watermaker performance is heavily degraded in freezing temperatures, so it will be interesting to see how it performs.  We are carrying a couple of hundred extra litres just in case.  The luxury of hot showers would be the first to go if we have a problem.

Nik heard Paulo offering to make Steve a cup of tea and warned him that it was as reckless as an Englishman making an Italian  pasta. Steve promised not to watch and I think actually drank it.

21:30

Still motoring. Ugh. At least dinner was easy with the boat perfectly upright. Wind has just started to go  West which is a good sign.  There is plenty of wind 100 miles to the West of us.  The watermaker behaved perfectly normally and the tanks are full again.

10/2/08  5:00 AM

Cold clear night.  We’ve crossed the 60 degree latitude. The Southern Cross bright above us. Air temperature down to 3 C and the water temp to 4 C.  Amazingly The Fleet 33 Internet connection which I had expected to be long gone by now it still showing 5 bars which is maximum signal strength.  The wind has settled in NNW but there’s not yet enough.  Tomorrow morning it will be least 30 knots. We can only use about half the main until Paolo does the repair, so the motor chugs on.

6:30

We’re sailing, sort of, making 5 knots 15 degrees off course.  When the wind picks up later we will go much faster and will hopefully time everything to arrive to the Deception Island approach in good light.

12:00 Noon

The promised North Wind finally arrived at 9:30 this morning, with half a main and a poled out Yankee we’re doing almost 9 knots, so we’ll have to think about slowing down again.  Yesterday’s run was only 160 miles 18 ½ hours of which was under power.

156 miles to go.

I’m going to try to send some more Cape Horn snaps.  The one with Niko is the light house keeper.