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A Lady - Sailing around the World



MONDAY  29th  NOVEMBER   2010
 
The Barometer reading  1016
Distance to Cape Town............................. 285 n miles
Weather forecast....................................   Favourable winds for today, adverse light winds tomorrow. ( basically , it could mean anything )
 
06.00hrs,  skipper shook off last night and got the rib onto the derricks while the other two sleeping beauties did just that.

07.30hrs, Aileen made porridge , as we prepared the boat to go to sea once more. Sailing around the Cape is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the World, and the weather is totally unpredictable. We know from Dave & Sue on " Voyageur " that they got an afull hammering, and said it was the worst sailing they have ever had, Phew !
 
08.00hrs  We raised anchor and motored down the beautifull lagoon towards the entrance, known as the heads. We also had Larry & Mary Ann on their boat " Traversay 111" keeping us company, as they too are heading for Cape town. A beautifull clear morning, and the seas at the entrance were much less than when we arrived,
 
We both headed off out WSW into the deep blue sea and found conditions tolerable, uncomfortable seas, but the 20 knot
breeze was from the east, so right behind us, We set up a goosewing , but still kept the motor running as we needed to maintain 8 knots, as the weather will change at Cape Aghulas and we need to be as close to that point before it does. The distance to Cape Aghulas is 165 n miles, and we have a 1 knot current against us.
 
12.30hrs The barometer reading  1015 and falling.
 
15.00hrs  We are making good progress, The Rev Mother is knitting , while skipper and Neil are busy checking and rechecking the route and distances, plus what the book says about each bay we cross.
 
18.00hrs, We have travelled 70 miles, the weather is great and the seas have moderated, we are happy with everything. We even have a collection of Dolphins around us, lots of them , maybe 20 in all, and they remained with us untill well after dark.
Distance to destination................215 n miles.
 
20.00hrs  We had a curry prepared by skipper, We ate so much , that we could hardly get up when finished. Skipper had a nap in the cockpit, The night was clear and the stars were dancing in the sky. We had lots of shipping traffic, some ships were over 1,000 feet long, big boats and the bigest came within one mile of " A Lady "
 
So far , so good,
 
Thats all for now,
 
Signed :-  Stephen Hyde,  ( Skipper ) 

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