Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 23 May 2008

FRIDAY, 23 MAY 2008

Answers on a postcard Fri 23/05/2008 15:07

Keith – thanks – please pass on my commiserations. I have at least some idea how he [Scott Parazynski] must be feeling. Hope he’s ok otherwise.

David W tks. Intend dumping some excess baggage on you for your trip home if ok.

PMcQ I’m 5ft 10ish old scale.

Carla – brewing it is easy – we’ve got a stainless plunger (and a plastic backup!)so as long as you can brace for loong enough to fill the thing, then pluuunge, easypeasy. Then you have to get it and mug out the door into the tempest – not so eastp. But the real problem is cleaning out the plunger afterwards – has to be dunked over the side and that’s a bit fraught in this stuff.

wooo big dunking wave just broke across the boat.

Fiona – nah! Nothing so pansy. This one’s the very latest Henri – lovely bit of kit, just wish

I’d bought a size larger. Must go check the horizon.

POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 15:21

Bloggage Fri 23/05/2008 14:44

I wish I could capture for you the splendour and magnificence of all this. From a black, menacing night with a glorious dino show glowing and sparkling and pulsating in the surge as Berri surfs through her gerzillionth wave to a grey night with soft fluffy, cotton ball clouds in huge swathes across the sky – really just elevated mist patches but with their own presence and attitude when silhouetted by the moon. And the moon – almost directly astern, sometimes just an illusory glow, sometimes a brilliant reflection as its light comes through a hole in the fluff and becomes a silver plate on the water, sometimes a grey disc with a halo of subdued iridescence and sometimes the moon itself in our own gap – the horizon goes black, the sk silvery grey, there might be a star or two and suddenly its all lovely soft/hard texture and dappled sea. And then it’s gone again.

I think what I’m describing is the developing centre of a small low we’re crossing but I’m not sure. Wind now WNW and we’re still on about 020, following cross sea, kevvo in charge and still stonking along, though a bit less enthusiastically as the wind has abated to about 20 kt. Improved by a cuppa and some dunking mcvities.

Speed has blipped the phone – must go gather your gems – excitingest part of the night.

Kimbra, I’ll try to call Dave today or tomoz if conditions allow.

Love yez

POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 14:50

Not having fun! Fri 23/05/2008 13:30

Too weary for long blog – possible change of plan – if more convenient wind and wx wise, we may try to go through Amchitka Pass at 180 deg W. Despite mcq’s enthusiasm, it’s not much fun out there just now. But the dinos put on a huge show for me earlier that helped too lift the spirits. Kimbra, could you please run Amchitka past Dave and Karl and Tom? Tks. Will see whether I can pull in Speedy’s latest.

PS I think the GPS in the SatC has died – not really surprising in these conditions – so, for Karl, we’re no longer trackable.

POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 14:05

McQ: Cape Cheerful and Annoy Rock rock!!

We had spag bol for dinner tonight, it was really very good- the first spag bol we’ve had, would you believe?? So now it has surpassed beef and coconut curry with cashews (and a good dollop of SC) as my fave meal so far, and before we had a beef curry my previous fave was Oirish Stew and creamed corn and some of our many potato supplies. No beef curry left, some spag bol and lots of oirish stew to keep us going, if i remember rightloy from the recent stocktake.

Interesting chat, huh??!! But thats tinned food aboard boat life!!

Currently still stonking north, we had some big SEasters and huge following seas this afternoon- 32/33 knotters for ages- Big Whitters even bunged the exhaust (that phrase means just that!!!)- the wind’s come round quite quick though and merely hours later we now have around 20 from the WNW, so it feels pretty feisty again!! Its amazing how chilled it all is going downwind, even with big ole seas!!

Did I mention Cape Cheerful ever??? Sorry if I have but it is fascinating me: approaching Dutch form the north we have to clear Cape Cheerful, which is just the most brillisnt name- I just keep wondering whether, with all the rocks and current and fog that appears to be the norm whether Cape C is perhaps ironic??? Will let you know when we are near!!!

I just had a look at some other names up north- Imagine naming your local rock Annoy Rock?? just bonkers really and hilarious but perfectly logical nonetheless!!! There is also Teapot Rock, i don’t think we’ll go near but I wonder if thats ironic too and it looks nothing like a teapot!!! Its so nutty, you could sit and look at the funny rock and place names on the chart and amuse yourself for hours (well I could, anyway!!!)

must be time to go get some sleep, perhaps!!

Lots of love everybody

Spag Bollinger McQueen

xxx

I just found another one- Bobrof Island, ‘Hello, I am the King of Bobrof Island’ hmmm no one’s going to take you seriously now are they??

Also, I swear Egg Pt is next to Banger Pt and Salt Pt… was someone having breakfast when they discovered???

POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 14:04

noon3710.10 17133.45 Fri 23/05/2008 04:45

This will probably morph into noon pos. (it did!) Now 0950. Berri is stomping along – hugely exhilarating, somewhat visceral, but a blast. Stbd tack, full main, right out till the head is touching the cap shroud, small furling jib, about half way between a #3 and #4 in old wardrobe terms, short steepish sea, 18 – 25 kts apparent over the stbd quarter, serial rain squalls and Kevvo in charge except when I was hand steering. Cracking 8’s and 9’s, occasional 10 off the waves, white surging water back past the cockpit – kevvo a bit erratic because he is essentially reactive, so smoother to hand steer and probably at least half a knot faster. We’re tracking about 020M, the intention being to get as far north as possible while we can and worry about the east later. Due for more northerlies in a couple of days, some slack in between Just as I typed that, Mcq stuck her head around the rain screen and said it’s time for a reef, so we’ve just put one in and rolled in the heady for balance. Still cracking 7’s and 8,s but still bucking a knot of current. Now 1030. 3702.40 17128.02

Post noon 3721 17142 put in the second, third reefs and then dropped the main, all together. unrolled about a third of the heady in 32 kt and now breaking following sea. Still honking at 6.5.

POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 08:43