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Koala - Day 8: The story so far



Well, we have survived our first week at sea and are finally settling in to life on board. Food is starting to have an appeal again and I have also found the email address to send log entries to. Probably a long one today as there is a bit of catching up to do!

Progress has been pretty slow so far, but we are now finally past Cabo Verde, which is good. We have had a bit of everything so far. We had a couple of nights with about 3 knots of wind and 2m swell where we just took the sails down and sat there listening to stuff falling out of lockers rather than putting the rig through a beating as the sails slatted back and forth. It is amazing. I think the boat takes more of a beating in those conditions rather than in a gale. The whole thing quivers and shakes each time the main fills.

Two nights ago, we had some serious squalls. Not sure how windy as our tactic batteries (which are solar powered are not coping well with the short days, long nights, and lack of sun) were flat, but quite exciting. It is wierd, as you can't really see anything as it is pitch dark, but you are suddenly aware of a very tall black area of sky right behind you, and then it is a mad scramble to get sail off the boat and brace yourself! Shortly before the first squall hit, a large pod of dolphins came to play around the boat surrounding us with amazing trails of phosphorescence in the water. I'm not sure if they were keeping us company or waiting with interest to see what the boat looked like when lit up like a bulb by the first lightning strike!

We celebrated the end of our first week at sea yesterday with a cold beer and cashews for lunch, and a beautiful sunny day. It was also a great night last night, wafting slowly westward on calm seas with clear skies and a great display of stars, allowing the crew the opportunity to catch up on sleep.

Today we have decided to just head straight for St Lucia rather than chasing the elusive wind to various lattitudes and longitudes. The forecast for the next few days does not have anything resembling trade winds, so we shall just make the best distance with what we have got. On the plus side, our rather steady, Columbus like southerly route has kept us out of the worst of the horrors mentioned every day on the weather report of stuff going on to the west and in the middle of the Atlantic with everything from cut off storms to squall lines with 50-70 knot gusts, to people battling 30 knot headwinds.

Wildlife update: we saw a pod of whales this afternoon. Not sure what type as they were a way off, but there were about 5 or 6 individuals. Also, I'm not sure I believe all this stuff about people breakfasting off the flying fish they find on deck every morning. I have found two so far, one about two inches long and the other two and a half.

More soon. Koala out.

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