Skippers log #24
48 10s 100 37w at 11:00 GMT with Cape Horn 1,300 miles away
The miles are slowly coming down. Weather conditions stabilized enough for me to hoisted the mainsail with two reefs exposing the Phillips Industrial Services and the Netcare logos. I am in SSW winds about 20-25 knots and being on starboard tack, I am able to use my only working water ballast tank. Reaching along I am doing between 7 and 8 knots on a course directly for my waypoint off Cape Horn. I have now entered into a sector of ocean that I dread. Here the storms can come quickly and be violent. At least I am now within the protection area of the Chilean marine rescue center if there are problems, but I rather no count on it as 4 years ago, Harry Mitchell was on the edge of their zone and they failed to act immediately. The key is to keep out of trouble, keep the boat together, its pieces functioning and get around the Horn as quickly as possible. It is fall (autumn) down here. Winter is only weeks away. I hope I can be around the corner in less than 9 days time. It will be a relief not only to me, but to my family and friends too. This is the last sprint that will get me on a heading to easier sailing and warmer waters where I will be happier. I guess this is where I have to draw on my courage. The ripped genoa is not impeding my progress on this heading, and for now I am ignoring the noise it is making as I can do nothing about it. I got an e-mail from Mark Schrader, Race Director, last night informing the fleet that the Prize Giving ceremony has been shifted back a week to May 29. This is the US Memorial Day weekend, and in Charleston the annual Spelleto festival is under way. Charleston is where you want to be that weekend. The Prize Giving is going to be spectacular public affair with about 10,000 attendants. The Charleston Symphony will provide the atmosphere, and having had them do two previous receptions like this for our event, it is something experience. So make those air reservation now, and book your hotel accommodation ASAP as next month there will not be a hotel room available in Charleston. I plan to be on that platform getting the last piece of my childhood dream, and welcome you to join me in that scenic Southern City for May 29.
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Skippers log #25
49 41s 97 09w at 21:10 GMT with the Horn 1,135 miles away
We are into the single digit numbers of longitude. Conditions have freshened up out here as I push SE towards the Horn. Another gale developing. What a pain. I have 3 reefs in main, but probably in the next few hours will drop it as the seas build. It will not be easy going downwind with a damaged headsail. Tomorrow we will be under 1,000 miles from the Horn. I look forward to that. Shortly I am going to cook a meal. I had one of Gwen's curries last night as conditions allowed me to cook. The galley is still open, but just barely. Mark Schrader gave me a piece of advice in an e-mail a few weeks ago, about finding little pleasures each day on this leg. Well, last night I indulged, and will continue till I get to warmer waters. I took out a pair of special thermal booties, which I have called my slippers. I slip them on when I crawl into my sleeping bag, and sleep with warm feet. When I get up for the day, they get stuffed into my pillow till my next session in the bag. I am sleeping quite a bit on this leg as well. It is the only place warm and passes the hours quickly. I must be getting close to 10 hours sleep every 24 hours, and sometimes I am getting them in 3 hours long naps. The worst the weather, the more time in my sleeping bad once the boat is stabilized. Tomorrow, March 6, is Gwen's birthday. It is on special times like this that I wish I was ashore to give her a surprise, to see her smile. I miss her more on these days than other days. It will be the first birthday in 8 that I am not with her celebrating. 4 years ago we were sailing together to Punta on this day, in a gale, and could not celebrate. We did so in Max's restaurant. Will have to do it there again. Happy Birthday Gwen, my best and most loyal friend and the real energy behind my success!
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Skippers log #26
50 34s 92 45w at 21:35 GMT with Cape Horn 962 miles to go.
Many things have happened overnight. I broke the 1,000 mile barrier to the Horn and I am south of 50 degrees South. The old sailor called this area Godless country, as it is so bleak not even God himself wants to dwell here by choice. So I have left the roaring forties and will sail now to the Horn in the screaming fifties. And no doubt the winds will scream sooner or later. The barometer fell down to 998 millibars early this morning, but it has now risen up to 1008, and still climbing. Early this morning it looked like I was going to take the mainsail down, then the front came through and the winds switched from WNW to WSW, and todays little luxury was bestowed on me...blue skies. YES! What a nice feeling it is to see blue skies again. Forgot what that looked like and forgot what a little bit of heat felt like. So I sat in the cockpit for a while. This morning I took my electric bilge pump apart to try getting it to work, but it still won't pump water. So I have to hand pump, which is annoying as I cannot pump the bilge completely dry and have to listen to the continuous sloshing of water. I also took my heater apart. It was in a pitiful state, completely gummed up, full of unburnt fuel and was a total mess. No wander it was dead. So in a little while when the temperature drops off, I will try and get it started. Maybe I can keep it working longer than 20 minutes this time.
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Skippers log #27
50 59s 88 56w at 21:30 GMT with Cape Horn 823 miles to go.
Conditions have been light. It has been 24 hours that I have been sailing with a full mainsail and genoa. The winds are constantly shifting as the barometer rises for a few hours, then falls a bit and rises again. The swell throws us all over the place. There is blue sky with clouds, some of the clouds light and fluffy like dancing ballerinas. Now if only I was able to get the heater working, keep it working and dry out my bedding and the boat, life would not be too bad out here. I was able to close the gap with Minuro on Shuten Dohji to 150 miles last night. There is still a chance that he can pull away again, but I am making him work for his victories. Neil Hunter is 700 miles astern now. Minuro reported having too much wind and Neil complained about not having enough. I seem to have found the middle ground. The class leader is in port & I have 2,300 miles left to get there. There was a time that it was 5,900 miles, some 29 days ago. Soon, before the end of this month, Gwen and I will be together again.
