Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 21 April 2008

McQ: hmmmm

Just coming towards the end of a tedious and painful watch, which followed on from Alex’s equally grim sounding watch!! For the first 36 minutes it poured torrentially and every time I tried to olook forward to see what was happening ahead i woulod get blinded by rain, even if i could see past the rain it wouldn’t have made much difference, just murky gloom and the odd flash of orange lightning in the distance. We were motoring at this stage and the wind picked up to 14 knots then went back to zero. The rain finally died out and the wind fiolled in at around 10knots from the NW, random and somewhat unexpected direction so gave it 3minutes 21 seconds to make uop its mind that that was definitely the direction it wanted to blow from.
So set the sails and Kevvo and engine off, nice. We stonked along at 6.5 knots for about 6 and a half minutes then the wind died and kevvo went loop so stuck it out hand steering for a bit till wind was zero a nd boat speed zero. grrrrrr. Donk back on then off, then on etc etc and now the sky has gone crazy again- no moon in sight tonight!!! It looks as though, if the sky was a giant bit of paper then someone has gone mad scribbling all over it with charcol and realised they over did it so tried to rub it all out with a really squidgy eraser and has just left huge blobs of smudgy grey mess across the sky. Sea inky black too. not so nice. And the end of watch downpour is going on again so i might just stay down here, warm and dry, tucked behind the Cone of silence, seeing if I can talk enough drivelo to you guys to last till the end of the watch with out having to get soaking wet on deck again!!!!

Actually, should probably go check we’re ok up top, at least we are going in the right direction!!!

Oooh its someones birthday tomorrow, I wonder if there will be any presents????

Lots of love
McQ

POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 15:06

DTD 4545 so dmg 117 total dmg from start 1274 – almost 25% Prob at 25% thursday. Time for arrival time prediction contest. My prediction is June 3rd, late evening – only because that will be the third anniversary of our arrival in Falmouth last time. Any other takers? Prize to be decided depending on location of winner.

We’ve been going, stopping, motoring, flopping for the last couple of days. Hot and tedious and hard work. Water temperature 34.5 deg. Just been through a rain squall – a bath for free! Got it all off and rinsed the salt and accumulated boot room grime, scroff, parrot feathers and the rest from the bod and rinsed the clothes I’ve been wearing since Sydney. No knicker changes here – no knickers actually. Motoring/flopping at the mo. No wind, nasty chop, hoping for breakout into easterly airflow later tonight or tomoz. Cloudy, 8/8 low Cu with rain squalls – ITCZ stuff – very humid.

We’ve been followed by 4 gannet like birds – 4 ft ish wingspan, long thin body, tail pointy in flight but a tight fan when used as an airbrake. Mostly light brown/creamy grey, one much darker on top of wings, one lighter all over and speckeld over wings, beaks long and pointed, more or less the same colour. One looks to be a younger one, has darker stripe around chest. They have been with us since Chesterfield several days ago.

Still trying to get the Xsatusa satphone working. Speed will call them Monday, meantime, you should be able to leave SMS messages via iridium.com on the other phone, 00881621440078 if you want to. I’ll check it once a day. Again, a limit to how many we can receive at once.

I’m behind the Cone and sweaty. Need to break out for a bit. Kimbra, could you please send me your email address? Also Kris.

ta.

The Boot Room Rat

POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 10:17