Position 32 deg 00 S, 19 deg 13 W.

Left to right, Tom, Pierre, John and Andre.

Had a dark night on watch for the fist time. The moon is now down to about a third and with a cloudy overcast sky that only let patches of light through here and there the change was very noticeable. Varying sized patches of moonlight danced around first this side and then that of the yacht. A little eerie but very beautiful and peaceful.

Another noticeable change is that we are all wearing some sort of wind-breaker at night now. It was no shirt by day and tee shirt at night. Very balmy sailing but now the Southern Ocean is making itself felt. Winds are from Arctic origins and make themselves felt. The South Atlantic high pressure system that tends to govern our sailing routes is maintaining itself in a very southerly position. We need to get more south so as to have a favourable approach to Cape Town but the slamming of the boat on the swells is not enjoyable so we are following the wind and sailing more eastwards at present.

The swell pattern has also changed and we are getting a wave pattern from the South West. This allows us to almost "go with the flow" and have a nice little lift every now and again. The boat lifts to the swell and almost surfs for a bit. A good feeling. Lets go surfing instead of rocking and rolling!!

A traditional dish in South America is black beans cooked with beef in a sort of stew. On a previous visit to Brazil I was able to get the meal complete in a can. Very convenient for just heating on a yacht. Regrettably there was none available when we went shopping so bags of the raw blackbeans were purchased. Last night we had a black bean and beef stew cooked in the traditional way and served with freshly baked bread. Now it has been asserted that Camilla is not on board but who cooked the "traditional meal" and who took the photo? Here in the Southern Ocean we are sailing further away from the radio stations that allow our SSB connections for these comunique's. Hopefully with diligence and patience with the connections we can continue to have you sailing along this delightful voyage.

Cheers.
Tom.
...........................................................................................

Alles gaan goed. Ons beweeg stadig teen 4 tot 5 knope oos. Wag vir wind wat ons sal toelaat om nog 2 grade verder suid te kan seil. Water temperatuur nou 24.3 grade, in die nag kom die lug temperatuur af na 22 grade.

Sonja, hiers nog baie baby marrows en hulle is nog baie gesond. Stuur my asb n resep vir baby marrow sop.

Groete aan almal.
Pierre
......................................................................................................

Hello to all,

No sign yet of the mysterious Captain Jack Sparrow and his favoured boat, the Black Pearl. I have a sneaking suspicion that he will come nearer for a closer inspection of us when he is hidden by the empty moon in about a week's time. Let me try to wax lyrical for a moment. Bear with me!
During the day and night, the ever changing clouds above changes constantly as if a child is playing with his play dough and continually forming new and interesting shapes and figures. I used to stare up a lot and try to makeout different figures when I was still young and care free. I guess in away the clouds are nature's ink blotches as used by psychiatrists! The magnificent sunsets are impossible to describe and trying to do so will be futile, but I will try a little. We appreciate every sunset here on the boat, the slow fading of the light blue into a brilliant golden orange and the joyful reflection of the last sunrays on the clouds on the horizon.

At night the brilliance of the billions of stars and galaxies looks down on us, glittering in all their glory. The placement of the stars all seems very random, but then somehow it also doesn't. It is as if God used his own fingers, dipped in His stardust paint, and painted every single star in its rightful place for us to so amazedly look up to at night. There is nothing more daring and enduring than the heavens above, the stars, the galaxies in which they roam and what lies beyond. In the infamous words of Captain Kirk of the Star Trek Enterprise, "Space, the next frontier".

While is this mood I also thought back to my niece's birth last year. She was conceived from a single strong sperm and an eager and awaiting egg which is so small that with the naked eye you can't see anything. The fertilization of the egg culminated into a little miracle about nine months later, on 30 June to be exact. How can you look up at the stars shining in their vast playground and then into a new born baby's starry eyes and somehow still not believe in God?

I should probably stop here and start my watch to see if I can find the elusive Captain Sparrow.

Until we read again. If you have anything to share regarding what I wrote above or anything else unrelated, you are welcome to write a little something back. Just delete this original email when you reply or start a new email.

Tchau,
Andre
.................................................................................................................

I know I have mentioned how much I am gaining and leaning out here, not just about sailing, but about myself as a person. So to all of those who are allowing me to be here.... Thank you for giveing me a glimpse of what it truly means to live LIFE....I know I know a little bit deep, but hey I'm here in the deep blue.. :-) All is Goo.....No all is Great!

ByeBye
John
...................................................................................................................

What can I say today? Andre has waxed lyrical and expressed once again the beauty of being here. There is not much to add as even the days chores do not seem like work when you're having fun.
Cheers
Tom