Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 3 July 2008
THURSDAY, 3 JULY 2008
6057 16740 glass green calm
The laptop is now set to UTC. Calm, glass green water, like looking at a pane of window glass end on with light coming through it. Still patchy overcast – small glimpse of blue sky way ahead earlier. About 10 knots, NE, just able to lay Nome without too much cranking. About 2 days at 4.5 knots – 220 to go. White petrels, guillemots, the occasional puffin, a seal. While the sun does appear to set (we haven’t seen it for a few days) it doesn’t get dark – early twilight conditions. We’re making freshly squeezed Bering sea with Lizzie whizzing to meet the power requirements and I’m trying to dry out my best gloves – el cheapo lined waterproof gardening gloves from Adak that got left out in the rain in Dutch. Better than anything else I have tried for keeping the hands warm and dry.
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POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 18:01
5918 16752 inside the fridge
As McQ says, the water temp is 3.2 deg C, and that is confirmed by the nethers, which were given an opportunity test and comment this morning. OOOhaaaah! was all they could manage. Other indicators – VoA = 1, solid and requires heating, outside air temp is 6.4, so it really is as if you were sitting in your fridge with some melted ice in the ice tray but without the beam sea, 25 knot spray, bleak overcast and occasional rather beautiful grey and white petrels. Too hard to get the book out Carla – sorry – maybe in Nome.
About 40 miles from Nunivak. We were overtaken earlier by the USCG cutter that was in Dutch when we left – would have been good to talk to him. Might see him in Nome and ask whether they took any photos.
Berri damp and cold inside, but sheltered from the wind and spray. Really glad we put in the insulation – condensation would be awful otherwise. Pete and I discovered in the Falklands that the place to buy specialised gear is where it gets used. I bought myself a full length Mustang survival suit plus a half length jacket in Dutch, as used by the USCG and fishos. Great gear, warm but bulky and hard to get in and out of in small boat – and, interestingly, it does not have face protection like any good yachting jacket. I’m going to contact Mustang when we get close to a usable internet link and ask them why not – there might be a special mask that goes with the suit, perhaps.
No ice yet, and unlikely with this wind, which will blow anything that might have been around way to the west.
Cold fingers. Will try to connect to iridium and send these.
Hi Katherine – I hope you’re home safe and happy – sorry I missed you on the phone. xx
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POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 00:09
McQ: The sea is 3.2 degrees and the LFP’s are hiding!!
My word, the sea is 3.2 degrees celsius, which I am guessing is about 37 degrees Farenheit for those who work like that. Either way, its cold, so very very chilly here in the Bering Sea!!! Colder even than the 4 degrees that I attempted to ‘swim’ in in Spitsbergen!! And some of the seas are quite beam on and any that break near us scatter gazillion blobettes of icy icy spray down ontop of us. It pays to keep your hood up!!! All else good- various shades of brightening grey as the day goes on- oh for blue sky!!! The wind has backed a touch but seems to be easing a little too and we are still stonking along above 6knots over the ground and eating away the miles to Nome!!! No sign of the flying penguins today. (Kimbra laughed at me when I said the sky was full of little flying penguins!!!! Apparently they are guilliemots. what would you rather be known as though? A little flying penguin or a ‘guilliemot’???)
Did I ever mention that we mended and re-waterproofed my boots!!! and, most importantly, its working!!! So it may be cold but at least the feet are remaining dry!!!!
Lots of love to all
McQueen
xxx
ps what is lat of plockers? and what is lat of muckle flugga too??? we are now at 58 55- certainly north of Glasgow my miles I think???
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POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 00:09
