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Exody - Days 360-361 : Fast start to St Helena



The 'enhanced' south easterly trade winds, as they are delicately described in forecast, arrived on cue at about three in the morning, requiring two reefs to be taken in the pitch dark before Exody settled down again to a steady speed and course. Our first 24 hour run from the Leg 15 start yesterday Wednesday 6th at 11.00 was 174 miles - a creditable 7.25 knots. We are now 130 miles off South Africa and have just over 1500 miles to run to St Helena. The conditions are fairly robust, gusting well over 30 knots from behind and with more forecast, but Exody is taking it all in her stride. Today we have sunshine and clear blue skies so the the whitecaps all around are bright against the deep blue sea. Hugur is sailing in parallel just 3 miles away with Allegro and Ayama within 10 miles.

For the first 12 hours out from Cape Town, we were close on the south westerly wind over very quiet seas taking the passage between Robben Island and the mainland. Views back to Table Mountain with her cloud 'tablecloth' and the low-lying sea fog were magical. We saw whales at a distance and hope for more. Ten of our fleet started, one having 'retired' and the other three hopefully leaving later in the week once their technical issues are sorted. We were lucky to be waved off by one of the several young families of my South Africa relatives, the McIntosh clan. Bill and the girls brought freshly picked lychees from their farm - an appreciated addition to our bulging fruit hammocks.

Our new crew David is settling in but is yet to gain his 'at sea' appetite! Like the several new crew members in the fleet, he'd probably rather a slightly gentler introduction to ocean crossings! For us it is good to be underway again and heading for a new continent after the two month South Africa stopover.

Peter (Skipper)


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