May 19th Position 22:56.06N 62:43.04W
Symatchmaker
Tue 19 May 2009 17:04
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At Sea Day 2...
From 12 noon yesterday to 12 noon today
the 19th May, we logged a distance of 160 miles - ( target 170 miles )...
given the very light winds from 10pm - 3am this morning we are quite pleased
with this performance. On the plus side Matchmaker has been very steady - we are
port healed by 10 degrees and charging through the water as if on rails. The
Ocean swell is now even and the wave trains have a 300 metre cycle making our
forward progress smooth and consistent - and as Mick described - "soporific"...(
long word for the 4 am watch crew...).
Nares Abyssal Plain is 5000 metes below us.
At 9pm - we saw a dim white and red light on the
horizon. As she appeared to get bigger over the horizon the radar MARPA alarm
sounded off.. peep peep peep..... then the trace "disappeared" - but still
came straight at us... most weird ??? However - we still had no radar trace
- then it started to become rather higher than the apparent horizon -
impossible! ( At this stage we all assumed it to be a ship...)
Search lights shone down on us - and it became an obvious aircraft ! - We were
circled by a four prop US Coastguard airplane - Night vision is a funny
thing...and your mind plays tricks with the limted information and conclusions
can be prematurely drawn from expectations rather than fact.
On VHF channel 16 - we were told that they were
looking out for a Drug Transit Yacht "Endurance 2" He circled twice 500
feet above us then headed off east.
As usual ship cocktails* were served on the poop
deck at 5pm - followed by supper... Pete`s Curry..
Chris commented romantically on the Bible Cover
Sunset...
There was a good turn out for early
evening dance class led by Jon
* Of course - the drinks were Non
Alcoholic
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