Well I never thought I would be in shorts and flat becalmed a week out of Simons Town but that is the state of play this afternoon. Poor old Spirit of Mystery is wallowing about in a confused and lumpy sea as we wait for the weather to sort itself out. It would appear that we are to have a further day of calm followed, of all things, by blow from the easterly sector so progress is on hold for a few days. Indeed we may well go backwards for a bit.

It's a bit of a shocker really as we had hoped, indeed, expected to be reeling the miles off for Melbourne. Still that's the lot of a sailor and there is nothing we can do about it but keep spirits up and deal with things as they come along. In the meantime we have been working through the job list and making good for some rough weather.

Now to Cape Town; a big thank you goes to Gavin and Denise Levy who I met during the British Steel Challenge. They are a lovely couple, indeed family now and it was their house that Tracey and I stayed in with the kids. Unfortunately we didn't manage to organize a family get together as Gavin and Denise were away up the coast at their beach house but I did get to see Gavin just before we left. We would also like to thank Stubbles and Mel for becoming such good friends and being so supportive. Stubbles runs the water taxi in Fowey so we will be seeing them on our return home. One of Stubbles hobbies is making lucky necklaces with million year old sharks teeth from his beach rambles. We are all wearing them. Tip of the day - whistle on his taxi and see what happens!

Today Eliot and I did an interview with BBCSW and Eliot managed to get completely tongue tied and has been squirming with embarrassment ever since. They are visiting his class to do an interview and his mates have been on his mind ever since. So to Miss Bell and Class 10BL he has asked me to send his best through the blog and that he is looking forward to seeing you all in May.

Cheers Pete

Whilst Pete and the crew were in Cape Town over Christmas they met a very interesting person - Andy Nixon. Andy is a photographer and graphic designer and we had been playing email-tennis with one another as she had taken pictures of Spirit of Mystery when she departed Cape Town to commence the second leg of the voyage to Australia - (http://pixoftheweek.blogspot.com). After we had passed a couple of messages to one another, Andy came back with the following information which I asked if I could share with you. Like myself, I am sure you will find it a very interesting read:

"It was really great meeting the boys - they are a lovely, entertaining and genuine bunch - and it was an honour being invited on board Spirit of Mystery; she really is a beautiful boat and I am grateful for the opportunity to photograph her, and wave them off on their second leg. It was my Dad who told me about their adventure - he was excited about it because our great, great, great grandfather was a brewer who owned the Star Inn where the idea for original voyage was conceived, and I believe he financed part of the decking. My Dad's great aunt was Cordelia Downing who lived at Vine Cottage until she died a few years ago at 103, and evidently the dining table around which the Mystery's voyage was planned is still there. And we know that at least one nugget of gold made it back from Australia - my grandmother had it mounted on a broach."

"Oh yes, after waving them off, we went and had a beer at the club, where my sister noticed that the beer labels show a rather abbreviated version of the story of Mystery: from the origins involving beer, a little boat with red sails going around South Africa, to get to the gold! We had a laugh about that!" The picture above is of the beer bottle label.

Amazing isn't it, how you can travel half way round the World and meet someone who for whatever reason is involved with the original voyage i.e. relative to the crew, or as in this case a decedent to the owner of the Star Inn at the actual time the idea was conceived? Excellent!


Mandy :-)

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