Skippers log #35
54 16s 62 29 at 20:00 GMT with Punta 1,200 miles away
After becoming a Cape Horner, I was becalmed for 2 hours. A front had come through, with rain, but when it passed, it was warm and beautiful. I could see the sun on the tall peaks of Cape Horn, but on the slopes closest to me, there was not one single tree. The only form of habitation was the light house. A ship altered course to have a closer look at me, and we spoke for a while. They were outward bound from Argentina for South Korea. When the officer asked me how many crew, and learnt that I was alone, he whistled and said, so far south, so big seas and alone? I could just imagine him shaking his head on the bridge. I felt so alive down at the Horn. I was sharing the waters with so much history that I had read about, and to think ships only passed through these waters for the last 350 or so years. Jesse Martin, the 17 year old on Lionheart passed here a week ago, in similar conditions. We speak every other day and he is progressing steadily. His web sit is www.venturebeyond.com.au which should prove very interesting. Neil Hunter is progressing steadily. When he and I spoke earlier today he had 630 miles to the Horn. I have closed my gap to Minuro more. A mere 54 miles separates us. Last night I had winds up to 35 knots on the nose. Three times the winds dropped away and I had to set the genoa. I had hoped to pass though the straights of Le Maire, but the wind direction was coming directly out of the straights so I headed for the eastern shores of Staten Island, which is now 40 miles astern of me. For Minuro and I it will remain a race to the very end. He too has damaged sails, so in certain conditions I should be faster. Punta is North of us and I hope I will be ashore in 10 days time. I am very frustrated at not having the phone working as I want to call Gwen and talk. During the knockdowns, water must have gotten into the antenna. Yesterday I looked up at the masthead, and noticed that the ariels and the wind indicator are badly bent. The interior is still a mess as I have not had the heart yet to clean it up. I am still hunting for gear.
*****************************************
Skippers log #36
52 39s 61 49w at 17:50 gmt with Punta 1,100 miles away
The light southerly wind is cold. I can feel it all the way to my bones. As each front moves through, my hip throbs. Last night it got to the point where I thought about taking a pain killer. I got up and pumped the bilges, moved around for a while till the circulation got going and then returned to bed. I am approaching the Falkland Islands and will be clear tomorrow. Not far to go to Punta. I managed to get a good line on Minuro this morning. He is about 50 miles east of me, and on the distance to the finish, leads me by 10 miles. I learnt that he has blown out his headsail and his #2 genoa. All the hanks on his staysail are broken. The only sails he has usable is #1 and the storm tri-sail. He has also damaged his windvane. So he is in bad shape. We spoke about him putting into the Falklands to get sorted out, but he thinks he can get himself to Punta with enough time to get ready. So I hope that he will be okay. By tomorrow I will have overtaken him. I have more wind to the west of him. I finally got around to sorting out the port cabin. I had wet clothing lying under a sail bag, covered in muck. So I got it on deck, tied it all onto a line, and dragged it over the side for a while to clean up. Now I have it hanging in the cockpit over the tiller and on the seats trying to dry it so that it can be bagged for laundry. Spoke with Jesse on Lionheart again. He has NE winds and is being pushed east. His winds are still fresh, but he is doing fine. Neil Hunter is 4 days from the Horn. We have become a small community back here, encouraging each other.
Skippers log #37
Dear Kelsey,
Thanks for your message. It is the second time on this leg that I crossed the line first. I just wish I had a faster boat to keep that up with. The reason you did not see much of me on ESPN, is that they tend to focus mostly on the big boats and class leaders. You will see that Neil Hunter and Minuro Saito too got very little coverage. Part of the problem also is that we get to port too late to get our on board footage to the producer. I enjoyed Auckland. It is my favorite stop over. Regards, Neal
Dear Evan, Josh and Matthew
Thanks for writing to me. Yes, I am enjoying the race, though at times it is no fun, like a few days ago when I had 77 knots of wind. But on the whole, yes, this is a great adventure. No, I do not like Oreos. They are too sweet. I like Cadbury chocolate, but its not found easily in America. I also love Belgium and Swiss Chocolate. I have not read Where the Fern Grows. I enjoy reading, and read a lot. One of my favorite authors is Mark Twain. I don't watch much TV at all. I find it makes me lazy and does not stimulate my mind. My favorite car is the Porsche 911, but also the Ferari Testerosa. I have driven both cars quite a bit years ago, but even if I had the money to own them, it is not how I would spend it.
Regards, Neal
Dear Alex
I am glad your brother is all right. Falling off bicycles can break bones. My girl friend had a great time in Singapore. She did a lot of exploring around. In Auckland the repairs to the boat cost about US$5,000, but I also bought some new gear. I do plan to build a new 60 foot boat, but first I need to find a sponsor who will invest US$2,000,000 in our Foundation. There is a lot of work involved, and I am still trying to make all the right contacts to secure funding. Hopefully by the next race I will be in a class 1 boat. Take care. Regards, Neal
Dear Kate, Yes, my favorite sport is sailing, but I also like scuba diving. I do plan to visit Singapore in the near future. My girlfriend had a great time there last month. My favorite colors are red and blue. I like steak. When I get to Punta next week I will have a big steak as my first meal. FOr breakfast I like meusli or cheese omelets. When I was a young boy, I too had a tree house which I built myself. It was fun. I have many places that I call home...America, South Africa and Ireland. I miss Ireland most of all as my best friends are there. I also like horses. In Punta I will go riding. My girlfriend rides everyday, and some day we will have stables. Keep up the hard work. Regards, Neal South Carolina State Ports Authority The Source Phillips Industrial Services News Printing Company, Inc. Prudential Financial and Insurance Services Passport Intl., Ltd. Fast Signs Common Sense Information Solutions St. Johns Parish Rotary, Netcare, Thompson Trucking & Construction, and KZ Marine.
