Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 7 May 2008
WEDNESDAY, 7 MAY 2008
McQ: little us
Crikey folks, its tomorrow already- where do the days go??? It has been a typical ‘Simpsons’ sky all day today- light baby blue with blobs of white cloud all over and it stayed like that for most of the day. Another magnificent sunset, presided over by the merest fingernail sliver of a moon way up above. The sky fully glowed bright bright orange for ages and the sea was lit up, flickering blue, then green then pinky red all the way from us to the horizon. Magic!!
Earlier we saw this big dolphin leap out of the water a bit ahead of us and went right across from starboard to port gliding through the air, landed and did it again, a bit away to port, literally flew through through the air at afair rate of knots!! We wondered if something was chasing it??? Which makes you stop and think: here we are quite happily trundling along across the sea, occasional fish, flying or otherwise, some debris on the surface but completely disregarding the fact that not one metre below, and then miles below that, a whole ocean world is vibrantly thriving!! Its good to be reminded of that once in a while, as we traipse across the roof of someone’s home!!! Just to remind us how small and insignificant we still are out here!!
Love to all Bol xxx
POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 19:44
Noon 1106.14 16414.36 May 7th
We crossed 11N @ 1032 sydney time at 16414.55 E. Tried to call Pascal but perhaps too late. So we drank his health, as the brains behind all this. Also tried Leroy, likewise. Will try both again over next day or so.
For Kimbra to consider first, then maybe ask Tom
Thanks to both. Tom, no plan as yet for a particular pass – thought we’d leave that as a decision that may be made for us. Would there be any advantage in going through say to the east of Seguam @ 172 E and then NE along the chain to Dutch or even much further SW at 180 degrees and east of Semisopochnoi? That would seem to get us across the Aleutian current the most efficient way. Would there be wind on the other side, or a nasty lee shore? Or should we just time the tides at Unalaska? I have rough tidal times in my digital charts but no directional flows. I assume the ebb flows SE from the Bering into the Pacific and v.v. the flood. Also some limited Argos tidal stream info. The Aleutian current seems very similar to the East Australian Current – largely coriolis induced, flowing along the continental shelf – good to know it’s there.
Tom, if ok, I will try to contact you by satphone when we get closer if there is anything else we need to know. But I think we can work it out.
K – could you please contact Brian Shilland on (number sent via email-ed) to decide whether you could carry a new sail up with you as excess perhaps. I spoke to him on the satphone this am and agreed we don’t need a new one unless things go pearshaped between here and dutch in which case he’d make one and try to get it to you…
POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 08:26
