19/02/13 - Lord Nelson

Monday was a mix of sweet sailing under a warm sky. Letting the crew recover from a bumpy night. Excitement reigned when we passed from Atlantic to Indian Ocean south of Cape Aghulhas (which is further south than the Cape of Good Hope). The local wildlife were welcoming and we spotted Cape Fur seals, Common dolphins and Brydes whales with gannets diving bait balls (small congregating schools of fish herded up by predators) accompanied by petrels and skuas. Wildlife aboard is on the up, now people have gained their sea legs.

And now it’s Tuesday. Bad news for those at home – weather is fantastic, Force 5 breeze behind us and progress is so good that we’ve had to hand the Royals and t’gallant’s. We’ve just taken the temperature and it’s 25 degrees (centigrade that is.) The downside is the mass of white flesh, slowly turning pink draped upon the decks.

The air conditioning installation is progressing well and we don’t have to paddle through the puddles much anymore. Hopefully it’ll be finished by Antarctica, just when it’s needed.

It’s a privilege and a joy to have along so many South Africans, who bring a wealth of local knowledge both of coastal sailing conditions and wildlife. We’ve just heard that crew members Peter and Jay from Port Elizabeth (where we’ll be stopping) have invited us to visit their private game reserve for game drives, tea and supper.

Ted and Stu (our indispensable Bosun’s Mates) are currently hiding with us Bloggers on the Bridge from Jim the Bosun and say "Hello to Everyone Who Knows Us."

Lots of love from Forward Port, Robin, Tim, Lee, Terry, Alan G, Ali, Morgan, all ably led by Watch Leader Supremo, Alan P.