We are all looking a bit shell shocked after the last three or so days of 25-30knts on the beam with a big sea running. Brutalized is the word that comes to mind although the conditions haven't been brutal, tough yes but not brutal. I think it is the relentlessness of it and the need to acclimatize to the ever colder conditions that have ground us down. Watch handovers at the helm have had a hollow eyed and slightly glazed look about them as the off watch crew heads for yet more time in the bunk. That lovely warm little spot where one can drift away and have some respite before the next shout.

Today, for me, saw the start of the big grind to Melbourne. We have just about made 40 degrees south, Melbourne is under 5000NM away and we have our first position on Admiralty Chart 4070 which has the East Coast of South Africa on one side and the West Coast of Australia on the other. It's a long way and a huge open expanse that we face and I think we need to see some of the chart ticked off to ease the overwhelming sense of its scale. As ever the trick is to break it down and I have to say it is really nice that St Paul's Island is just about half way. What a treat that will be.

This morning has seen the weather break in that the wind has eased and gone aft so the motion is kinder, a better sleep has been had all round and there is energy to spare for things beyond the necessary; this blog for a start, changing the Communications system from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean Satellite to find a perfect signal. I'm not sure if the tracker has been playing up but if it has then this will have been the problem.

The sun has just started to glimpse through the grey that we have lived with these last days and it is a joy to see. Andy is having a bird bath and Eliot is chattering away across the cabin from me as I type. I am going to put the second solar panel on deck to give the batteries a boost and then put the kettle on. Things are feeling better as we start to bed into this new world where the simple things in life take a lot more effort. The spontaneity of the last leg has had a blanket of equipment thrown across it. Yesterday Dolphins were ignored by those below for they would have moved on by the time sleeping bags had been shed and foulies donned.

For all that Spirit of Mystery is as happy a little ship as ever with crew spirits and humour high. We are all reading, eating and working well as a team. Our routines have dropped into place, pancakes on Sunday Morning and our weekly highlight of a call home. You can change the environment but not the boat and I wouldn't be on any other.

Cheers Pete

A muffled 'feels like the trips just started' makes its way through my hood which is strapped down against the wind as I lash the mizzen to the deck. I know it's Mark for he is on the helm just by me and Andy is at the other end of the spar making good the sail. It's also followed by Mark's customary chuckle.

I think we would all agree with Marks sentiments for yesterday was a long and varied day. Much of it spent under the working lug with a reef and just the number two out on the bow sprit. The morning saw us clear the Agulhas Bank and immediately pick up some very steep waves as the renowned current met the rising SW wind head on. It took the end of my watch and all of Eliot's to feel that we had cleared its grip and as the waves settled so did the sense of anxiety that comes with its reputation. Like the Bay of Biscay a sailor is always fully alert here and keen to clear its clutches as soon as possible.

We did have some further confused periods as the day wore on and I wonder if they were caused by the odd offshoot of the Agulhas Current. To my mind, and this is only a personal milestone, we will be clear of South Africa and its influence once we have made 5,000NM to Melbourne. In other words we are well out into the Southern Ocean and have made 40 degrees south and the consistent westerly's that come with it. So it was a lumpy old night that beckoned with thirty knots from the SW making life heavy going. The temperature is starting to fall and feeling a bit chilled I have decided to dig out the second inner for my sleeping bag.

We have yet to fully find our sea legs so supper was a simple sauce poured over pasta thanks to Andy. Rather than eating at the helm Mark needed relieving and so all these little signs give a sense that this leg is going to be very different from the last. One thing for sure is that we are going to be a lot busier as we are influenced by a continuous procession of depressions as opposed to a stationary high. The wind eased through the night and at every watch change more sail was hoisted to welcome a grey dawn with the sail plan back to where we started 24 hours ago. Timing could not be better for it is Pancake Day and I am about to get the pans on the hob for Eliot's favorite. The forecast is for another 30 Knot wind by this afternoon. So the cycle has begun.

With the struggle to settle in and it being so busy it is hard to believe that Cape Town is already five days away. It certainly doesn't feel that long ago and this is perhaps thanks to the incredible welcome and our first thank you is going to go to Duncan and Amy Spence who have been so generous with their time, friendship and hospitality. I first met Duncan during the British Steel Challenge and we always seem to be meeting through one daft project or another. It was their flat that Mark and Gina stayed in and we moved into as a crew once the families had flown home. We had a lovely Christmas dinner at their home on Boxing Day and we had the most amazing visit to 'Rickety Bridge' their vineyard. Indeed we have a couple of boxes of their best on board. If all goes to plan they hope to make Melbourne and we looking forward to seeing them again.

Cheers Pete



Photo courtesy of Andy Nixon

Last night was interesting in that it was a very uninteresting night despite being illuminated by the brightest of moons. Its reflection off a calm and oily surface was the giveaway for we had a night of absolutely no wind at all. We dropped the lug and waited until this morning when a healthy breeze eventually blew in from the SSW. Spirit of Mystery loved it as much as we did, romping away in an easy sea and bright sunshine. For us it was a relief to be making progress towards Australia after such a slow start; three days out and only 150NM from Simons Town is not what we were hoping for.

Yesterday was a busy old day in that it was spent working on the deck for it is still letting in water thanks to opening up in this dry weather. It is a problem that has been working us hard for the last ten days, as soon as a seam has been dug out and resealed another opens up elsewhere. We thought we had it cracked by the time we slipped so it was very disappointing to find a few more leaks on our first night out. Yesterday was a farmer's repair with loads of Sika being spread about the place as well as putting a coat of Danish Oil over the whole deck. The forecast looks like we are to have wet decks in the next 24hrs so let's hope we have gained some ground. Melbourne's job list has started and a complete resealing of the decks is top of the list. We are also going to have a deck awning made to avoid a repeat of Cape Town.

I have always thought of Albatross as a solitary bird as they soar across the expanse of the Southern Ocean on their great wings. Perhaps I am wrong for 'Birds of a feather flock together' still seems to apply in that as the wind died away yesterday so they settled on the water in great groups of over a hundred birds. Humans are much the same and the instinct to be drawn to one another is heightened by the presence of empty expanses which brings me neatly round to Falcon GT.

Before departing Newlyn I received an email from John Gayford the driving force behind this great project. Five guys in a 46ft foot self made yacht sailing from New York to Melbourne via South Africa in aid of Cancer. We emailed back and forth and pledged to catch up in Cape Town so it was disappointing not to see them until we made Simons Town. Kindred spirits are rare and I have to say we all hit it off immediately and will keep an eye out for each other on this leg. They were planning to leave on Saturday and should be faster than us so the hope is to give them a wave or even better catch up for a Talisker in St Pauls if it works out. In the meantime it is a comfort to know that we are not the only ones out here. Do have a look at www.sv-falcongt.blogspot.com.

Cheers Pete

Last night was a very long night on the helm for all of us seem to be inordinately tired and I am not quite sure why. A combination of not much sleep in South Africa thanks to hard work and play, feeling a bit ill and trying to settle into the watch system I suspect. There is also the mental side of squaring away the scale of the next leg; 5,500NM in the Southern Ocean takes a couple of days to put into context such that it is broken down into the daily routine of here and now, bit by bit.

This morning, our second at sea, was the morning that I felt I had started to settle back into ships routine. For a start I didn't feel ill when I woke up. Two cups of coffee, four slices of toast and a morning constitutional before relieving Mark had me feeling human again. I was able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the ocean again rather than grind through the watch with a dull eyed fixation on the compass and my ever so slow watch. You have no idea of how long two hours can drag unless you have been ill and tired on the helm.

Suddenly it was lovely to be at sea again and as the influence of the land recedes over the horizon so the pleasure of the ocean and its simple routines takes over. The fresh milk has gone off; some of the bananas have had to be ditched despite being green when they came on board. The solar panels went up this morning to allow the sun to do its magic on our batteries. We are starting to be at one with nature and its rhythms again.

Progress is slow due to fickle winds which will be with us for a while as we struggle south in search of the westerly's that the Southern Ocean is renowned for. Once we have found them we will turn left and hopefully start to tick off the miles for Melbourne. One can but wonder how the original crew felt on setting out on this leg. My sense is that it was business as usual for it is much the same on board Spirit of Mystery. Eliot was saying as much over the dishes this morning. Leaving Newlyn was pretty mind blowing whereas this departure does not feel so alien to him. Just another indication of how far we have come as a crew.

In many ways it feels like a period in no-man's land as we work our way down to the front line of the Southern Ocean. That's when the business of Australia will be dealt with and we will start to earn our keep.

Cheers Pete



Picture courtesy of Paul Moody