5 October 2010
Yesterday was tough. The big winds remained with us all day, force six gusting seven, the seas, bigger than ever. One wave came right over the boat again turning the cockpit into a splash pool. For a split second this mighty wall of water hovered above our stern quarter obliterating the sky, before it came thundering crashing down on top of us. There was nothing we could. It was savage and vengeful and I really do not know why Neptune is so angry with us. But Voyageur is a tough 'cookie' and comes fighting back. I had just finished folding a pile of laundry washed the day before and taking a full 24 hours to dry inside the cockpit, when the whole lot once more became a sodden dripping heap. We nearly lost our passarelle ladder into the ocean. It was washed from its bracket but fortunately we had it firmly secured with an additional warp. David retrieved it hanging vertically over the side receiving another bruise in the process. However the sun finally managed to break through and by late afternoon we had real blue skies. By evening the winds came down another notch and we had our first true starry night. But we cannot believe how cold it is. Even sheltered behind our cockpit screen I wrap myself in a fleece blanket to keep warm. For the first time in many days we were able to put Voyageur on a more southerly course as the wind veered to the south east and as I write this we are more or less sailing our rhumb line for Mauritius. The seas calmed, we calmed, Voyageur calmed, her motion less like the crazed mare of the past week. So the signs of a respite are all there. Hallaujah!
Susan Mackay
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