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Monomotapa - 7th December



Monomotapa 7 December

Good winds at the moment which we hope will last for the next 24 hours before we reach the high pressure.
It has been hot, but it is the humidity has been the most uncomfortable especially during the night in the cabins. The windows can be left open on the lee side but there is always the risk that a rogue wave will crash over the boat and wet the interior, a wet bunk is most especially unwelcome.

This has so far been an unorthodox trip according to those who has done it before. We still haven't got any real trade winds after more than 12 days at sea. Our Swan performs best in winds around 20 to 25 knots. Those velocities we have only had for about two days, all other days have been slower winds. Mike went on a sea survival course this autumn and when the teacher heard that some of them would enter the ARC this year, he replied:
"-Good idea, we never know how long we still will have stable weather patterns to perform the ARC due to the changing world climate."

Mike didn't think that he meant it would be too late already this year!

We have had a lot of lightning during the night and also a number of big squalls. You begin to wonder what would happen if the boat was struck by lightning, we have avoided holding the mast and metal stays, just in case. For good luck in Italy they touch iron/metal, but we have reverted to the better tradition of touching wood for luck!
The night watches seam to grow longer and longer the closer to our target we get. The wind has been OK during the night with a wind speed around 20 kn. In the squalls, the wind has been anything between 7 knots up to 35. We hope that the wind continues or increases but the forecast says the opposite. We don't want to get stuck in the high pressure that is in front of us.

There is a timezone difference between Las Palmas and St Lucia of 5 hours. We have adjusted our local ship time with one hour every third day in order to arrive in the correct timezone. There is often an argument on board as to who's watch this should be done :-)

We have completed our thirteenth day on board Monomtapa and have sailed 2,282 nm, which leaves 477nm to the finish line.



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