Out of the Indian Ocean

Jean-Luc van den Heede gets a force seven send off

Day 90. Position at 1300: 34°46'S / 27°59'E
Wind 9 knots from SSE. Slight sea with heavy swell from SW.
Temperatures: day 25°C / night 16°C / sea 24°C
Distance covered in the last 24 h: 230 miles.
To the Cape of Good Hope 475 miles.
Lead over Monnet: 22 days and 6 hours.

Hi there,

The front that went over yesterday was pretty tough with a steady force 7. The Indian Ocean definitely wanted to give me a good sending off!

Adrien got through it well with the solent and the mainsail with two reefs, as usual. On the other hand, since sunrise, I've been becalmed with some winds that have been very variable in direction and strength. I hope that will sort itself out quickly, as besides that, yesterday's wind left behind it an enormous sou'westerly swell, which doesn't help our progress nor the state of my mainsail.

That hasn't stopped us eating away bit by bit at Philippe Monnet's time. I should remind you that he left from Brest in early January hoping to go far down south and pick up some favourable winds close to the Antarctic. He was stopped by the ice, which meant that he found himself off the Cape of Good Hope in early May, which is far from being the ideal period. He reached there the same time as a deep depression, which really slowed him down and forced him to shelter off Port Elisabeth for 25 hours.

So tonight as I pass by this port I'll get another 25 hours added to my lead, while I'm asleep!

I mean, being half-asleep, as with the oilrigs, the cargo ships, fishermen and whales, I have to keep one eye open!

See you tomorrow,

JL VDH

A day with the cuddly toy that's yellow all over from Celerant Consulting.