Last fresh rations

As Jean-Luc van den Heede continues his passage south

Day 19. Position at 1300: 17°31’S / 36°28’W
Wind 15 knots from ENE. Slight sea.
Temperatures: day 28°C / night 16°C / sea 26°C
Distance covered in the last 24 hours: 253 miles.
To Cape Horn 2,714 miles.
Lead over Monnet: 2 days and 5 hours.

Hi there,

The days go by and nothing much changes in these fairly variable SE trade winds. I even got myself into a becalmed area yesterday just after a large cloud went by. But I am continuing to go down, and as dusk falls, I can listen to some local radio stations. Unfortunately, I cannot understand them... I’m looking forward to reaching Uruguay, as I find Spanish a little less difficult!

Today, I shall be eating my last piece of bread from Les Sables d'Olonne. After three weeks, it is a little tough, but still very good, and I regret not bringing more than six of them. I still have some fresh produce left: potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, grapefruit and especially, plenty of oranges.

I’ve finished reading Moon Valley, the Jack London novel and am just going to make a start on Eleven minutes, a book by the Brazilian, Paulo Coelho. The cover notes say that it begins in Rio De Janeiro... It’s just the right moment!

See you tomorrow,

JL VDH

A day with Michèle and Olivier’s two cuddly toys, which are hugging each other