Blog Day 74
Latitude 45 46.25S
Longitude 62 40.84E
Barometer 1011
Air Temp 11c
Local Time 2255 UTC +4
LIVE TRACKER
Hi all,
Well, while I might have gotten to bed early last night the winds were up and setting off the alarms, so I feel like I haven't had a whole lot of sleep. It also might have something to do with getting up at 5.30 to be interviewed on the phone using a Pivotel technology, for GWN 7 News in WA, and then again at 9am to talk to ABC in WA……… but who's counting. The little bleep of sunshine I had has run away and I am now sailing back in those dreary grey skies with misty rains typical of the Southern Ocean. There is a 6-metre swell around now, so things are also a little rollie in the 30 knots of wind.
The winds have actually been holding steady for the past two days, so I haven't need to do any sail changes or adjustments on deck at all…… so it is almost like a rest. I was sailing NE most of yesterday to get north a bit as Bob (metbob) has me sailing up close to the 45-degree south line to get in the right position for the incoming swells and also ocean currents that run across the top of the Iles Kerguelen that is a part of the French Southern Territories. The benefit of this tactic is that I am sailing into remarkably warmer climate and so my breath is no longer fogging inside the cabin……..at least at the moment.
Since rounding Cape Horn we have been sitting on the edge of the Antarctic Convergence line but mostly on the Antarctica side of that line. The Antarctic Convergence line is a moving line in the ocean that wraps like a ring around Antarctica and is where the cold Antarctic waters meet with the warm tropical waters. As the difference in temperature is so great, they don't blend but rather form a line in the water. On the north side of this line the temperature of the water is often 8-12 degrees, but to go on the southern side and the temperatures drop to less than 5 degrees. I have for the last several weeks been sailing on the southern edge of this line which has been giving me freezing temperatures on deck including a few snowstorms, sleet, and hail. Go on the northern edge of that line and suddenly the air temp is 10 degrees, and I don’t need to wear gloves on deck, and I can breathe the cold air in but it is not so cold that it causes a stabbing in my chest. I almost forgot was warm feels like. It might only be 10 degrees but compared to recently it is a little slice of heaven, and I am so enjoying it.
Today also marked the deployment of the next Bureau of Meteorology Weather drifter buoy. For this buoy, I decided to dedicate it to Jon Sanders. Jon is properly most well-known for when he sailed his yacht three times around the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted. The first leg was clockwise with the currents, then an anti-clockwise loop before the final clockwise loop. I was lent his book by my mother’s friend John in 2010 when I had only been sailing for less than 2 years. I was working still at the mall and dreaming of sailing more, so I absorbed all these books and sailing stories, many of which were solo sailors. The people on those pages were having grand adventures and became my hero's. Jon's book was one of the first that I read, and I became fascinated with the idea of sailing for such a long time with no human contact. With my limited knowledge I decided that if I was ever going to do a record, I would try for four times around the world... Racing around the world in the Clipper RTW Race dissuaded me of the notion, but still Jon has been an inspiration and sailing legend in my books for years.
Jon is also recognised as the only other person to have sailed solo, non-stop and unassisted around Antarctica apart from Fedor. It hadn't been his goal at the time however while completing his triple circumnavigation around the world he did complete a full circle in the Southern Ocean, making him the first to do so, Fedor being the second and me, hopefully becoming the third person in a matter of weeks. I also had the honour of getting to know Jon as he happened to be in Albany while I was completing the final preparations of Climate Action Now. We even dragged him into helping on the boat, so I am humbled to have met you Jon and I thank you for being an incredible inspiration to me all those years ago…. and now.
I have also received another social media question; this one is from Glenys.
“I farm with my family in the great southern of west Aust and check your blog each day. What an adventure. How wonderful for you. I am curious ...have u seen any rubbish, ie plastic on your trip so far...or anything else floating past u ...and i think it’s amazing that in that huge ocean u have only seen two boats? Where are they all. Stay safe... it will be land soon.
Actually, the only plastic that I have seen with my eyes was a plastic water bottle drifting past me on day one of the journey, just off the coast of Australia, which I didn't take to be a good omen. That doesn’t mean that it’s not out here. When sailing around the world with the Clipper Race we hand steered that yacht the whole way around the world, but we also had a crew of 16 people to do that with. When sailing solo, the auto pilot does the driving. Because it is so cold on deck, I spend 95 % of my time inside the boat, using the B & G system I can see the AIS, Radar, wind and all the other instruments from the comfort of the navigation station. I can also steer the boat from here using the auto pilot. Because of this I am not looking out at the ocean all day, so things like small bits of rubbish on the surface get missed. I have no doubt however that the micro plastic samples that I have been collecting will show a sad amount of plastic out here. As for the ships, yes, it is a wonder that I have only seen two ships so far but I am sailing in those risky waters of the Southern Ocean, so most of the other craft try to keep much further north in calmer, less stormy waters. It was expected to not have a lot of traffic down here. The recent fishing boat is only in this area as there are islands to hide behind if they need to in a bad storm, but in those open stretches of water there isn't really anyone silly enough to be down here at all…….. except for me of course.
For now however the winds are expected to keep at 25-35 knots from the WNW overnight, and then swing to the WSW tomorrow where I will need to put in a gybe. While I have this reprieve of contestant weather I am going to try to sleep bank a little, basically sleep as much as possible in preparation for the days I can’t. Before I go, I have a very special degree sponsor to thank.
Thank you to:
062 East - Frances Windolf, in memory of John Frederick Paul Windolf. Frances was one of the first people to support this project. She stumbled upon it in an article on the mysailing website. When I called her to thank her for her support, she was kind enough to tell me that her and her husband John would read my blogs every morning while I completed my first circumnavigation around Antarctica. Now that John had passed she just knew he would be wanting to support me. So, thank you Frances, for your amazing support. I am always touched to hear how my projects impact others. I am proud to share your degree today in honour of John Frederick Paul Windolf.
Thank you all and goodnight.
Good night, all.
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