Day 82 at sea

Doug S watching Monday's Solar Eclipse using the Sextant
picture by Doug G.

Daily Log for Thursday
Day: 82 at sea (Day 13 from Cape Town)
Date: January 29th 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 8355 nm bearing 291
Distance from New York: 8061 nm bearing 290
Distance from Cape Town: 1275 nm bearing 285
Distance from Melbourne: 4352 nm bearing 126
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 138 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 145 n.m.
Latitude: 42 45.209 S
Longitude: 043 24.124 E
Boat Speed: 6 - 15 knots
Boat Heading: 090 E on port tack, went 140 SE for 45 miles overnight Wednesday, while wind shifted
Boat Sails: #2 jib #4 reef main
Barometer: 1028.6
Beaufort Scale: 6
Sea State: 4 - 8ft. rolly ride
Weather Conditions: partly sunny
Wind Direction/Speed: NW 15 - 20 kts
Temp: Air: 12 C
Cloud Cover: 80% but thin, sun peeking through

From Doug S Thursday Morning:

Still on the rock and roll highway. Not much has changed since Wednesday. Waves have calmed down a bit, but still rocky. Winds are still around 20 kts. but are forecast to decrease.

I have mentioned before that we use Melbourne time as our boat clock, just to have a standard. But we are affected by local sun time for sleeping and eating. There will be 9 time zones to cross on this leg, and we just switched to UTC +3. ( 8 hours ahead of Ontario ). We started on Cape Town time which was UTC +2. Last night the sun set at 18:30 Cape Town time, then we moved the local time clock forward. Now it sets at 19:30. A few other places in this time zone are, Nairobi, Tbilisi, Baghdad, Kuwait, Riyadh, and Moscow. ( See our clocks and time zone map on right side of page ).

My night shift was a cool one. Very clear with lots of stars. The wind was shifting so we had to turn towards the SE in order not to " gybe ". That means if we would have continued East the wind would have passed from the rear right of the boat over to the rear left. It would have pushed the Main from one side of the boat to the other. This takes some work so we waited until sunrise so then two people could do it. I was headed SE with winds in the 20's. The auto helm was steering a very straight course so I didn't have to worry about an accidental gybe. The Southern Cross was right overhead and Orion is getting lower on the horizon. At least the wind was from the rear so no wind chill factor.

This morning as I was asleep the boys gybed over, we are heading East again. Lots of " ya-hooing " as they were surfing down big waves this morning. A new record of 15.3 knots was achieved by John and again by Doug G, this with only the #2 jib and #4 reef main.
Sailing the southern ocean, rocking and rolling with good speed! Cheers, Doug.

"Li'l Al doing a quick landing for a piece of Tuna"
picture by John
Stuart and John having fun surfing
picture by Doug G.

------------From John G. Thursday Afternoon 1400 UTC----

Subject: Day 82 (day13 from SA) at sea on board FGT Thu 29 Jan 09
Position 42 36S 044 42E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 14 -22 knots SW.
Sea state 4' to 8'.rough Boat speed av 8.0 kts.
Av boat direction 90 -East on the highway.
Barometer 1028.2
cloud cover varies 0 - 80% Air temp 12C 1400utc

Greetings from the record breakers on FGT,
And the speed record goes to the Simrad Autopilot for 16.3 knots! And the water tight record goes to the Radford 14 Pilot house for withstanding a 3' green water wave over the bow and hitting the fron t pilothouse windows!
We are in 16 to 24 knots of wind from the aft port quarter ( NW for you purists) with NW waves. Perfect for surfin'. And we did, and we are still doing it.
Absolutely fantastic sailing. The SM took to standing on the helm seat whooping at the 20' holes in front of the boat as we started surfing. On course, right speeds.
Now for the naturalists - the whale has been id'd - very rare -
Olive Andrews (IFAW Samoa)this little fella is a quite plump Pygmy Right whale - Caperea marginata.(sounds like something belonging to the SM)
They're range is 31S to 55S, pretty much exactly in the kind of tack your mate was travelling between Sth Africa & Melbourne. He's quite a rare critter. Smallest and least known of all the baleen whales (5.5m - 6.5m). Nothing known of his population status.
Mouth too curved to be a Minke.

Thanks Olive(Samoa) - and Sharon Shaw, (Coffs Harbour) and Andrew Carroll National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University (Coffs Harbour)for this.

Long may the winds continue.
Cheers
Your crew

Day 81 at sea

Doug S. during a cold Morning Shift on the Southern Atlantic
photo. by John

Daily Log for Wednesday
Day: 81 at sea (Day 12 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 28th 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 8212 nm bearing 293
Distance from New York: 7917 nm bearing 291
Distance from Simon's Town: 1128 nm bearing 287
Distance from Melbourne: 4488 nm bearing 127
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 145 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 150 n.m.
Latitude: 42 08.252 S
Longitude: 040 14.412 E
Boat Speed: 4 - 12 knots
Boat Heading: 090 E
Boat Sails: staysail, #4 reef main
Barometer: 1024.9
Beaufort Scale: 5 - 7
Sea State: 5 - 15 ft very short choppy wind driven
Weather Conditions: sunny, cool
Wind Direction/Speed: SW 18 - 30 kts
Temp: Air: 10 C 50 F 07:00 UTC
Cloud Cover: 5 - 20%

From Doug S Wednesday Morning:

A little premature there yesterday. The barometer did continue to fall to about 1009.5. The winds did come back but never more than 30 kts. The front passed us while Brendan steered North with the wind shift.

As I was heading out to start my shift, the order was given, do a chicken gybe with Brendan. So the two junior sailors of the group got to work. I had to go up to the mast to check some lines, as the wind came up to 30 and the waves increased. I was standing braced on the cabin and hand rail as the side went under. Water past my knees. Yes I was tethered on, but never felt unsafe, or unbalanced. That stainless steal hand rail makes this boat so safe. This happened twice more. All went well though. No lines crossed, until we had to tighten the slack running back stays. Reminder to self...Never get a boat with running backs. They are always in the way. First the main was caught on it. Brendan had to steer into the wind a bit to take the pressure off and finally got it untangled. Then the running back got caught on the top spreader. We'd had enough, left it there. It's there about half the time anyway. All in all not bad for the 2 junior guys.

My shift was the sunset shift, started to rain as it got dark. The foul weather gear is great though and with the hood up the rain didn't even get on my face or glasses. Cool out but I had enough layers on. Wind was up to 30, mostly mid to high 20's and from the rear quarter. Big waves to surf down. Very enjoyable steer, but couldn't see anything. Pitch dark. Just the boom and instruments visible and the mast if I looked way up. Best bet was just steer by the magnetic compass.
The gps was bouncing all over from 70 to 120 degrees. It doesn't show which way the boat is pointed like the magnetic compass. It shows which way you travel. So you may be pointed East, but as a wave pushes you, you may go further North or South. You are always over correcting. Sometimes though if the waves are making you bounce then the magnetic compass jumps all around as if you have shaken it. Always a learning experience. Feet got a bit cold just standing and steering, and the cabin got down to 14 C (57 F) so took awhile for them to warm up in the sleeping bag.

This morning's shift was about the same except you could see the big waves. This is what I had imagined the Southern ocean to be like. Nice sunny, cool days with big following winds and waves. Again very enjoyable. The Wondering Albatrosses were putting on a very graceful airshow in the higher winds. Big swooping wingovers up to almost 90 degrees, and never having to flap. They have a wingspan of up to 130 inches. Flying to them must be like standing to us. Very little effort needed.

Lots of moisture in the cabin last night with everybody's foul weather gear soaked after shifts. All gone this morning with the bright sunshine warming and drying the cabin. Sure feels better than yesterday, even though it is colder out. That rainy wet weather was not pleasant. Yes, it is better than -16 C ( 3 F ) back in Ontario. Thank you I know what I'm missing.

Long blog here so just a short note on cooking. Made a Tuna casserole yesterday. With the heeling and rocking, all started with me getting doused with water, spilled half the uncooked noodles all over the stove and floor, and dropped a powdered soup all down my leg. A few swear words and a lot of laughing. The joys of cooking at sea!
------------From John Wednesday Afternoon----------
-- Subject: Day 81 (day 12 from SA) at sea on board FGT Wed 28 Jan 09
Position 42 12S 041 25E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 14 -22 knots SW.
Sea state 4' to 8'.rough
Boat speed av 7.0 kts.
Av boat direction 90 -East on the highway.
Barometer 1029.0
cloud cover varies 0 - 80% Air temp 16C

Greetings from rockin' and rollin' FGT,

The winds are doing their thing -NE then West then SW. The seas are rough - quite lumpy - mainly wind driven so no huge swells today. Amazing when the seas roll up behind well above the radar arch, one thinks help help what's going to happen now - but the wave gets under the stern and disappears from ones motion sensor - very weird. Down below it is quiet, and way less motion than appears to be on deck.

With the wind at 20+ knots and these waves these are the conditions the Volvo Ocean racers hit 25 knots consistently - does this mean this voyage is a race between the Falcon GT and a Volvo?
One thing's for sure - they don't have an HH on Volvos!

For the naturalists - today we had a black Albatross visit us - quite unique.
We are on the highway and rolling.
Cheers
Your crew

Cherrios
Pete Goss, Andy, Eliot, Mark
The Bacon family
Vic and Nancy Clegg
Barb and Dave Butler
Caroline , Steve and Stevey
Lee and Luanne

Day 80 at sea

Daily Log for Tuesday
Day: 80 at sea (Day 11 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 27th 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 8076 nm bearing 294
Distance from New York: 7780 nm bearing 293
Distance from Simon's Town: 990 nm bearing 292
Distance from Melbourne: 4600 nm bearing 130
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 140 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 138 n.m.
Latitude: 42 03.471 S
Longitude: 036 54.073 E
Boat Speed: 6 - 10 knots
Boat Heading: 100 ESE
Boat Sails: #2 jib #4 reef main overnight, #2 jib down staysail up in morning
Barometer: 1013.8
Beaufort Scale: 5 - 7
Sea State: 2 - 5 ft very choppy
Weather Conditions: cool, cloudy, showers
Wind Direction/Speed: building overnight from 16 kts now up to 30 kts
Temp: Air: 13 C
Cloud Cover: 100%

From Doug S Tuesday Morning:

Well today finds us at lat. 42 S, and just looking at the chart plotter, that corresponds to Windsor Ontario, at 42N, where I grew up, and my family still lives. Not quite the same weather here in the summer as at home. I remember my high school days of mid 30's C (90`s F for you mom) all summer. Not down here in the middle of the Southern Ocean. With no land masses around, the temps don`t come up much. I don`t want to be here in the winter! Today when we ran the engine to charge the battery we turned on the heater for the first time. Wasn`t too cold in the cabin, but it took the chill and dampness out.

Our low pressure system is approaching. We are close reaching, which means the wind is mostly in front of us again. Nice flat seas though, so no jumping off waves. Occasionally some water flies over the boat and gives it a good wash along with a little splash for the helmsman.

Last night just as Stui was handing over the helm to Doug G a whale popped up right beside the boat and took a breath. Both guys saw it`s back and the phosphorescent glow from the splash as it swam beside the boat for about five minutes. It was a smaller one but too dark to tell any type.

Got up for my Noon - 15:00 shift in the dark, but the eastern sky was getting brighter, and saw a bit of brightness there through the clouds as the sun came up. No one has really gotten used to being on Melbourne time yet with sunrise at 2:00 in the afternoon but it will all come together as we move East. It was a nice steer with just the right amount of pressure on the helm. Winds were 16 to 20 kts and the boat was averaging over 7 with peeks over 10 kts.

Everyone else asleep so the boat heeling way over didn`t bother anyone. John came up and let out the Main a bit which did decrease the heel but didn`t really slow us down. A lesson I need to learn. Overpowering the boat doesn't make it go faster. A nice sail compared to the rocking we`ve put up with the last few days. The barometer looks to be on the rise and the winds seem to have steadied. If that`s the first storm of the Southern ocean, thank you for a mild one! (I hope it`s over!)

.....From John TUESDAY Afternoon 15:00 utc


Greetings from the mini-Rocket Ship FGT,

The winds are with us - last night we reefed to #4 mainsail and hung with the Jib2. The wind started slowly building from the NE then as the night came got up to the mid teens giving us great boat speeds - 7 to 9's - until this morning the SM - again - had the leeward deck looking like Niagara Falls. So we dumped J2 and hoisted the staysail - off at decent speeds and that was ages ago.

We are on the Roaring Forties Highway in the Falcon GT - you'd reckon they could have made the road a bit less bumpy.

It's the old Bass Strait weather - grey lumpy seas, and a grey sky - not exactly conducive to sunbathing. Stop whining - the CO made a delicious tuna casserole for lunch. What more do you want - you've got wind, boat speed, right heading and if you want a beer help yourself.

Cheers
Your crew

Day 79 at sea

MONDAY JANUARY 26th HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY !

Jan 25th the sun sets over the Southern Ocean
picture by Doug S.


Picture by Brendan
The next morning Monday Jan. 26th....
no that's not the moon.....
read on for details about another exciting day on board Falcon Gt
----------

Daily Log for Monday
Day: 79 at sea (Day 10 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 26th 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7937 nm bearing 296
Distance from New York: 7641 nm bearing 295
Distance from Simon's Town: 850 nm bearing 294
Distance from Melbourne: 4734 nm bearing 131
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 127 n.m.
Latitude: 41 07.585 S
Longitude: 034 05.814 E
Boat Speed: 3 - 11 knots
Boat Heading: 100 ESE
Boat Sails: #2 jib #4 reef main then full main
Barometer: 1025.2
Beaufort Scale: 1 - 4
Sea State: 5 - 12 ft Some big wind driven waves
Weather Conditions: sunny
Wind Direction/Speed: N 2 - 10 kts
Temp: Air: 15 C
Cloud Cover: 0%
From Doug S Monday Morning:

Fast sailing yesterday, and what fun unfortunately it didn't last. Winds died overnight and it got sloppy. Boat rolling back and forth, back and forth. Hard to sleep for some. On my watch, I was lucky because the clouds moved out and I got to star gaze. Checking out the bright stars of the southern hemisphere with binoculars, I saw a satellite go by, and an aircraft`s strobe lights. Must have been on the great circle route from Africa to Australia. Clouded up just as John came on watch.

Winds really low this morning. The rocking got so bad with the sails slapping back and forth that the main was dropped and we motored with just the no.2 jib.

Picture by Brendan

Big news of the morning was it was clear! No clouds to block the Solar Eclipse . Hoping we were in the right spot for a full one. Brendan came up with his big Sony SLR. With the aid of filters and a 1/8000 shutter speed he captured the shots you see.

Picture by Brendan

Because of the light winds we didn`t get far enough East to be in the full shadow but still got about 80-90% coverage. During the eclipse the daylight became funny. Like looking through a strong tinted window. Still couldn`t look directly at the sun. We had a sextant that has filters and used a pin hole with paper to view it.

Doug G using a pin hole over paper to view the solar eclipse
picture by Doug S.

Finali of the Eclipse
Picture by Brendan

Later in the day the spinnaker was put up at the beginning of my day shift and for the first 2 hours I was going faster than the wind, surfing down some big waves. Made for a lot of flapping from the spinnaker. The wind picked up to over 10 knts for the last hour and I had nice ride, although I think the passengers downstairs got a rocky ride. After a big wave pushed me way over, John came up for his shift and said that was enough of the spinnaker. Surprised me, I thought he wanted some more fun like yesterday, but he said it was set up for light winds so better take it down. Also we were heading a bit too far South with it. When we put back the #2 jib we could head East again. Wondering what the weather low following us will bring. I guess we're ready!
....MORE FROM JOHN:----------
From John Monday Afternoon 16:00 UTC
Subject: Day 79 (day 10 from SA) at sea on board FGT Mon 26 Jan 09
Position 41 26S 035 00E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind: 8 -12 knots NE.
Sea state: 4' to 8'.
Boat speed: av 5.0 kts.
Av boat direction: 90 -East on the highway.
Barometer: 1023.9
cloud cover: varies 0 - 80% Air temp 18C

Greetings from the wanna-be Rocket Ship FGT,
Happy Birthday Australia

Hangover - that's the word from the SM for todays not so brilliant sailing
Last night the wind deserted us after our record breaking run leaving us with a rolly headachey feeling - back to the same old same old - what's worse waiting for wind in the Atlantic or the Southern Ocean? - it's all the same - anyway that's what happens between weather systems as right now another beauty is due later tonight with 20 to 30 knot North winds. Giddyup.

While on watch following HH the SM was surveying the ocean from his newly discovered vantage point of standing on the rear cockpit seat hanging onto the rear rollover bar (was the bimini bar in sunnier climes). A magnificent scene of wind dappled grey seas, sprinkled with white caps with the awe inspiring huge swells from the SW sweeping by in sets of 3. As they passed, the front of the boat seemed on the edge of a cliff. Noice.

The Cruise Director organised an eclipse of the sun by the moon - quite fascinating seeing a bite out of the sun - using the sextant sun filters of course.

picture by Brendan

Graphic showing the path of the Solar Eclipse

Pies and cabbage for dinner, sandos for lunch, bran muffins for breakfast - boring stuff -pies were great though - let's go sailing - please.
Cheers
Your Crew

Cherrios
Mum Sandrin
Lisa, Steve, Shaun and Taylor
Christine, Dan, and Daniel
Munie and Mark
Tim A, Vaughan and Heidi
Gwenny, Colin and her family in Sale. Hi Amanda
Ian, Lyn and family and Neil and Maxie.
Anne and Ian
Suzy and Dennis Smart

Click here to view Animation of the Solar Eclipse Jan. 26 09

Day 78 at Sea

Sunday's log....Another build up to an exciting day on the Southern Ocean:

Daily Log for Sunday
Day: 78 at sea (Day 9 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 25th 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7815 nm bearing 297
Distance from New York: 7518 nm bearing 296
Distance from Simon's Town: 728 nm bearing 298
Distance from Melbourne: 4843 nm bearing 133
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 99 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 124 n.m.
Latitude: 40 43.335 S
Longitude: 031 20.253 E
Boat Speed: 8 - 12 knots
Boat Heading: 100 ESE
Boat Sails: 2.2oz spin. #2 jib #4 reef main overnight #2Jib #4 reef main
Barometer: 1018.9
Beaufort Scale: 4 - 6
Sea State: 2 - 5 ft short choppy
Weather Conditions: mostly cloudy, wind coming up, warming up
Wind Direction/Speed: NNE 11 - 18 kts
Temp: Air: 20 C
Cloud Cover: 95%
From Doug S Sunday Morning his account of the previous day's whale sighting:

Just after I wrote my blog yesterday and was busy trying to send out pictures on the sat. phone.....Well, lets just go there for a moment first....There are 2 ways to send pics. The sat. Phone and SSB radio. They are both about the same speed (if you get a good radio connection). About 2 to 3k a minute. Yes, that slow! Think old phone modem on your computer but much slower. Both can be very frustrating. Right now we are not getting any good radio signals for pictures so must use sat. Phone. (Iridium). Took an hour to send 2 pics yesterday. Many disconnects, 2 computer crashes. It takes some patience.

Anyway, as I was fighting the sat. Phone, Brendan called out, "Big whale behind the boat!"! Doug G was on watch and Brendan was out enjoying the weather. He looked back and saw a flat spot on the water. Then a big mass came up in a gentle arch. I grabbed my camera, and was out in a few seconds figuring on a 2 second sighting. BIG back and little dorsal fin come out of the water less than 50 meters from the boat. Everybody out watching, most filming. It seemed to be following the boat. Up for a breath and then the back and fin and gone. Sometimes we could see it underwater. At times it rolled on it's back and we could plainly see it's white underside beneath the waves. Stayed behind the boat, sometimes closer then backing off but not far. Lots of ohhs and ahhs, as he sometimes would come higher out of the water.

As you saw in the pictures yesterday, Brendan captured a great shot just as the whale's mouth came up. Looked like it just wanted to check us out. Just like the Dolphins. It went down again and disappeared for a few minutes, then as a big (10ft) ocean roller came into view, there was the whale right in the wave, surfing! Gone again. Everyone straining to see, most looking back. Suddenly, off our port stern quarter, big splash! I missed all but the splash, but Stui saw it breach. Brendan got off 2 shots, 1 just as the whale disappeared behind the splash, and the other (posted yesterday), you can just see the tail through the white water. It disappeared again with a few sightings but by then much further away. Some people gave up and went downstairs. A few minutes later, it came almost vertically out of the water and slid back down without a big splash about a kilometer away. Of course my battery had gone dead on my camera so didn't get it on video. A few more smaller jumps and small blows and he disappeared going Northwest.

The wind was very low, and we were actually motor sailing while the whale followed us. Just the excitement we needed during a very slow, but nice sunny day.

Sails flapping with little wind and very confused seas, waves from every direction. Almost took all the sails down at one point but the wind came back. My afternoon steer was done on auto doing 2 - 3 knts but we had a following current of 2 knts, so up to 5 wasn't too bad. We averaged 1 knot current for the 24 hours so we had a good day despite the low winds.

Overnight the winds came up to 11 - 16 kts and my morning shift was a very enjoyable steer with boat speeds up to high 7's. Wind speeds are forecasted to increase all day and night. Looks like we are in the fast lane for a day and a half, then a small break, and right back at it on Tuesday. Zoom Zoom! Doug S.
-------------and now........
From John Sunday Afternoon 15:00 UTC

Subject: Day 78 (day 9 from SA) at sea on board FGT Sun 25 Jan 09
Position 40 45S 033 00E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 15 - 24 knots NE.
Sea state 4' to 8'.
Boat speed av 9.5 kts.
Av boat direction 90 -East on the highway.
Barometer 1018.6
cloud cover varies - 80% Air temp 18C

Greetings from the Rocket Ship FGT,

Ecstatic - that's the word from the SM for todays brilliant sailing.

Last night the wind deserted us and we motored along rolling about and contributing to Courtney and Tom's swear box. As midnight came the wind started testing 4 knots then 5 and 6, and by dawn we had the old 10 knots on the beam.

Dougie was driving and given the options - #2 mainsail reef and Jib2, or #4 mainsail reef and spinnaker. He chose the last one plus leave up the jib2 - great choice. The wind was building and by the time the spinnaker was up we had the wind at 12 to 16 knots and slightly aft of the beam - boat heading roughly East on the 'Highway'. We were off the on ramp and in the right lane ( in NA). Pretty soon we were in the middle lane, then stuff it - right into the left lane with the pedal to the metal.

Boat speed averaged just under 10 knots for 6 hours when the balls-out sailing was brought to its logical conclusion when the SM dipped the boom in the drink 4 times in 2 minutes. He was fired.

The spinnaker sailing was sensational. The wind built to 24 knots over the 6 hours and the waves built up accordingly. Turns were taken driving and surfing, the bouts lasting until 4 wipeouts ( broaches), then the next victim was handed the wheel. Average driving time was 30 minutes and we all had a go. Record speeds seen of 14.6 knots on the GPS with regular 10's and 12's.

This was the best sailing ever for the Senior Member and was exactly what was dreamed about during the 6 year build.
We trust these conditions will be with us all the way to Melbourne.
Who cares about food and fishing?
Cheers
Your Crew

Cherrios
Noel and Robyn Johnstone
Jimmy and Joan
Bob and Clare Morton and boys
Geoff, Genevieve and John Barnett
The Linghorn family
Wayne and David
Kay and Brian
Jill and David
Richard and family
Cheryl and Peter - BHYC
Peter and Jim
Richard and Lesley
Sean and Mary
Paul and Maureen
Tom, Kingsley, Danny and the crew at Klacko

Day 77 at sea

A quiet uneventful morning ends on an exciting note.....

Daily Log for Saturday
Day: 77 at sea (Day 8 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 24th 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7700 nm bearing 298
Distance from New York: 7400 nm bearing 298
Distance from Simon's Town: 614 nm bearing 304
Distance from Melbourne: 4937 nm bearing 135
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 120 n.m.
Latitude: 40 29.074 S
Longitude: 028 36.999 E
Boat Speed: 4 - 6 knots
Boat Heading: 090 E
Boat Sails: #2 jib, #2 reef main yesterday overnight, now full main and just put up #1 jib
Barometer: 1022.9
Beaufort Scale: 2 - 3
Sea State: 2 - 4 ft some larger swells
Weather Conditions: sunny
Wind Direction/Speed: SE 5 - 10 kts
Temp: Air: 19 C
Cloud Cover: 10% overhead but clouds all around on horizon.

From Doug S Saturday Morning:

That's better! 120 miles in a straight line. And even some current (7 miles to the good). Nice smooth seas. Doesn't get much better than that. (Well John would like the wind aft and the spinnaker flying but this is good for me). Of course in the Southern Ocean it ain't going to stay like that for long. According to the forecast, we get 1 more day of lighter winds and then the lows start to come through. 1st one Sun 00:00 utc, winds start to rise and by 18:00 utc will be gusting 30-35 kts with waves 8-12 ft. This goes through to Mon 06:00 utc. We get a quick break and then Tue 06:00 utc winds come up again to 35 kts with gusts up to 45 kts, waves 12 - 18ft until Wed 12:00 utc. This is what the Southern Ocean is all about. The "Roaring Forties" here we are.

Now of course these are all forecasts and all of us in Ontario know how the forecasts go. Good to prepare, but you get what you get. Lets see how good the forecasters are.

Bird watching still the main sport with 3 big Al's buzzing us around dinner. Brendan went out and tried his luck at getting some sharp shots. Very hard to do with a cloudy day, moving boat, and soaring birds. But he has managed some nice close ups. No other wildlife yesterday.

My night shift was very cloudy so just a couple of stars. 9 - 12 knt winds and smooth seas, so not too much excitement. This morning, the sun was out for a change, feels very nice. Today will be spent resting and stowing stuff away ready for the lows coming through. At least the winds will be behind us and we won't be pounding into the waves.

Keep reading...the day ends on an exciting note..........

From John Saturday Afternoon 15:00 UTC:

Subject: Day 77 (day 8 from SA) at sea on board FGT Sat 24 Jan 09
Position 40 36S 029 30E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 3-4 knots S.
Sea state 2' to 3' all jumbled up.Boat speed av 3.0 kts.
Av boat direction 90 -East on the highway.
Barometer 1020.6
cloud cover varies - 80% Air temp 18C

Greetings from the whaling vessel FGT,

Today Moby Dick came by to visit. He showed himself by a powerful display of his size - est 40 feet long - cavorting in our wake so we could take pics. He or maybe it was a she - ( the Sm was told to put that in by a snaggie member of the crew - sensitive new age guy) played around for an hour before going off a couple of hundred meters to finish his visit with 5 spectacular breeches - jumping right out of the water - showing his white underside - and sending huge white water sprays into the air - must have been trained by a pro bomb diver.

Brendan capturing the action.

So here we are waiting for the West wind predicted to start late tonight. Hang in there for more info tomorrow. Meanwhile the sun is out and it is a tropical afternoon on the Southern Ocean.

Cheers
Your Crew

How's this for a shot. Brendan captured a good one!

This guy tagged along behind us for a good half hour. Does anyone knows what kind it is? We have a bird book but not a whale book. We know it's not a Hump Back, Sperm, or Right Whale. Thinking a Blue or Fin. I think it's possibly a Blue, which I believe are the biggest in the world. Cheers! Doug S.

"Upside Down Whale" showing his 1/2 white belly
picture by Brendan

Blue Whale or Fin Whale ? you be the judge
(see Student Links on right side of page for more info.)

Day 76 at sea

Falcon GT's chart plotter since leaving South Africa
picture by Doug S.

Daily Log for Friday
Day: 76 at sea (Day 7 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 23rd 18:00 Boat(Melbourne) / 07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7589 nm bearing 299
Distance from New York: 7291 nm bearing 299
Distance from Simon's Town: 513 nm bearing 311
Distance from Melbourne: 5036 nm bearing 136
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 128 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 60 n.m.
Latitude: 40 22.823 S
Longitude: 026 00.029 E
Boat Speed: 6 - 8 knots
Boat Heading: 090 E
Boat Sails: #1 jib #2 reef main, went to # 4 overnight, back to #2 in morning
Barometer: 1020.6
Beaufort Scale: 3 - 5
Sea State: confused 2-4 ft but some big 12 ft ocean rollers occasionally.
Weather Conditions: cloudy, cool, light occasional showers
Wind Direction/Speed: SE 9 - 16 kts
Temp: Air: 19 C
Cloud Cover: 99% sun peeks through very occasionally

From Doug S Friday Morning:

Another low mileage day but we are happy that we are finally below 40S and heading E. Yesterday after heading SW most of the day we finally got the wind shift we'd been waiting for. At 13:00(boat) the tack to starboard was made and we were heading slightly S of E. Still hard on the wind but it felt nice to be going in the right direction! And 128 miles for the boat wasn't bad.

Doug G talking to Radio Peri Peri Maritime Net.
picture by Brendan

Other than that not much went on. Stui's Tuna chowder was excellent. Lots of reading going on, and in my case sudoku puzzles. (Thanks Dominic).

Feels much cooler than the 19 C recorded. I know, suck it up, we could be in Ontario! We've lost our blue ocean. It's gone back to green but without the sun it's hard to tell the shade.

Stu bird watching
picture by Brendan

Bird watching is the main sport outside. Lots of Petrels, some small guys ( smaller than a Robin ) that don't flap their wings up wind but use their feet to kick the water and get speed. Quite a few of the smaller Albatross and every once in a while a big Wandering. Don't know what all these bird's eat. The only thing I've seen is what I feed them from the remains of the Tuna. They don't even look at orange peels or apple cores. Even a full orange that had gone moldy was ignored. Not related to Sea Gulls obviously.

Wandering Al.
picture by Brendan

Yesterday, just after I caught the fish and everyone had returned to their beds a big pod of dolphins went by but none ventured near the boat. Too bad because I had my camera ready. So we are on the highway to the East. Just waiting for the wind to come behind us and then we expect to put in some new daily mileage records, all in the right direction. Did I just jinx it?
------
From John G. Friday Afternoon 1700 UTC:
Subject: Day 76 (day 7 from SA) at sea on board FGT Fri 23 Jan 09
Position 40 126S 027 15E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 9 - 14 knots S.
Sea state 2' to 3' with 2' underlying swells - one SE say 5' and a beauty from the SW say 10'.
Boat speed av 6.0 kts.
Av boat direction 90 -East on the highway.
Barometer 1021.6
cloud cover varies - 80% Air temp 18C

Greetings from the 'Highway to Melbourne ' in the Southern Ocean ,

Late last night we tacked onto starboard and headed due East to Melbourne - this is the 'Highway on Latitude 40 South and we are liking it. Although the winds are still forward of the beam we are averaging over 6 knots and at times shooting up to 8.4 - the hard to get hull speed.

Once the wind goes aft of the beam, for the helmsperson it'll be goggles on, scarf streaming, and any hair one may have shooting straight back as we rocket to Aus. (that's plan A).

Today we rolled along with full main and full jib 1 doing ok, and for tonight - following last nights debacle of reefing with grumpy old men at 1am, we chose a more modest attire of jib 2 and #2 reef. Suits the SM also.

The CO - Dougie - made our Scurvy preventative coldslaw - delicious for lunch, then we played with Big Al who came by with a couple of mates.

Wandering Al.
picture by Brendan

Cheers
Your Crew

Birthdays Cherrios
Vivian Gayford

Cherrios
Andy and Susan Potter
Janet and Randy
John Lyth
Doug Hare
Rick, Keith and Billie
Ron Muir
Adriana
Wayne Renwick
Sherry, Dene and boys
Shirley Taylor -from Brendan and John
Vivian G
Kimmy Sandrin
Stacey Mac and family
JJ C and family
Jack, Angela and family
Shirley Hamilton
Heather Hamilton
Jenny Carr
James, Jen, Tillie and Oliver
Amanda, Ricky Ricardo, and boys

Wandering Albatross
Picture by Brendan

Day 75 at sea

Daily Log for Thursday
Day: 75 at sea (Day 6 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 22nd 18:00 Boat(Melbourne) / 07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7533 nm bearing 300
Distance from New York: 7235 nm bearing 300
Distance from Simon's Town: 458 nm bearing 314
Distance from Melbourne: 5091 nm bearing 137
Distance travelled (Boat Log) (10990) 24 hours: 133 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 111 n.m.
Latitude: 39 36.108 S
Longitude: 025 09.098 E
Boat Speed: 7 - 8 knots 07:00 UTC, slower overnight
Boat Heading: 220 SW
Boat Sails: #1 jib #2 reef mai
Barometer: 1018.5
Beaufort Scale: 2 - 4
Sea State: 2 - 4ft. choppy with 6 - 8 ocean swell
Weather Conditions: cloudy with light showers
Wind Direction/Speed: SSE 10 - 14 kts / 5 - 8 kts overnight
Temp: Air: 14 C 57F
Cloud Cover: 100%
From Doug S Thursday Morning:

Much better today for mileage and sailing. On the same tack the last 24 hours, but the 20 mile difference in boat log and straight line was due to a wind shift where we made some SE travel, but have given it all back so our course between marks looks like a straight line. Also we had a 2 knot current against us for a couple of hours during the night. We are over a rise in the sea bed and this may have accounted for it. It went from over 17000 ft to around 9000 in 20 miles. This morning we may even have a 1 knot current helping us South. Almost to the roaring 40's! Still waiting for our westerlies.

Doug G and Brendan had light winds during the night and even thought about starting the motor but winds did come back. We had enough sail up to go around 4 knots so all was good. My shift started in the dark, mostly cloudy with some stars directly overhead and the moon giving off some light through the clouds. Did get to see the sun as it peeked under the clouds on the horizon but that was it as a very light rain shower started. The sea was flat but the wind shifty so I hand steered trying to get as Southerly a heading as possible, but going mostly SSW.

Just after sunrise, I thought I'd throw the lure in, and not 5 minutes later zing! Everyone asleep, boat on auto, so I jumped down and started winding. Just before it got to the boat Doug G came out and we hauled it up. A nice 20 lb Yellow Fin Tuna. Doug G quickly chopped off the head and gutted it. The body was dropped into a bucket for filleting at a more reasonable hour.

Doug S slicing up the Tuna
picture by John

As my shift ended I was asked if I wanted to have a go at slicing up the Tuna. Why not, so off to the transom with a knife while, Stui gave me some instruction. Cutting off the meat wasn't too hard but getting the skin off was a different matter. I was having fun feeding the Petrels. Throw a piece of scrap off the back and even if they were close they let it hit the water. Then splash and they would go right under to get it. If an Albatross was nearby there was a loud squawk and splash. The Petrel better be quick or he'd lose it. Must have been 12 petrels and 3 or 4 Albatross around by the end. I thought some of them were going to land on the transom and have a go at me for a piece of fish. Later after Dout G cut up the large pieces we had another smaller feeding frenzy which I captured on video. Some fun on a cool cloudy morning at least.

As I write this we are 14 miles from 40 degrees S. ( The Roaring Forties ) Our weather report along with our barometer shows a low approaching that should pass in front of us but winds are not supposed to be too strong. When the winds clock around to the South from the SE we should be able to tack over and head in a SE direction towards Melbourne. We're waiting!
------
From John G. Thursday Afternoon 16:00 UTC:
Subject: Day 75 (day 6 from SA) at sea on board FGT Thu 22 Jan 09
Position 40 11S 024 44E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 9 - 14 knots SE.
Sea state 2' to 3' with an underlying 4'swell.same old same old
Boat speed av 6.0 kts. Av boat direction 220 S -
Barometer 1018.6
cloud cover varies - 80% Air temp 28C 82F

Greetings from 40 South in the Southern Ocean
This is where we want to be - The Roaring Forties - fabled road to Melbourne - the city paved with gold - at least in the 1850's it was - so here we wait for the West winds - due Friday or Saturday - then it's offski we go with the wind behind the beam or aft so it pushes us. We have plenty of experience of wind in front on the mast - enough is enough thank you.

Woke up this morning to the sound of the CO - now known as a dab hand at fishing - quietly reeling in a 20lb tuna - a sight to make Johnnie Silveiro cry out with pleasure a Portuguese word beginning with 'C'. Straight into the fridge and then into the frying pan as part of the famous Stui Fish Chowder.

Dougie attracted most of the Great Winged Petrel and Wandering Albatross population while despatching the tuna - had them squawking , fighting and flying within 5' of the back porch. Pretty neat to see an Albatross that close.

Which reminds the SM - the book Origin about Charles Darwins voyage of the 1830's is being read by some crew, and it occurred to one of them that evolution is very swift these days. Apparently the Albatross has seen the eyebrows of Amy Winehouse and used it for themselves - must have happened in the last couple of years - smart birds.

Amy Whinehouse Look
Picture by Doug G.

So on we roll -Hurry up with the fish chowder, QM.
Cheers
Your Crew

Day 74 at sea

Daily Log for Wednesday
Day: 74 at sea (Day 5 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 21st 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7470 nm bearing 301
Distance from New York: 7174 nm bearing 301
Distance from Simon's Town: 384 nm bearing 303
Distance from Melbourne: 5176 nm bearing 137
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 107 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 65 n.m.
Latitude: 37 47.962 S
Longitude: 024 57.153 E
Boat Speed: 2 - 7 knots
Boat Heading: SE, ESE, S
Boat Sails: #2 jib, full main, overnight to #2 reef main, now #1 jib, full main
Barometer: 1024.9
Beaufort Scale: 3 - 4
Sea State: 3 - 4ft.
Weather Conditions: mostly cloudy, some sun, sun burning off clouds
Wind Direction/Speed: S overnight 8 - 11 kts, now E 9 - 15 kts
Temp: Air: 22 C 72 F
Cloud Cover: 60%

From Doug S. Wednesday Morning 07:00 UTC:

As you can see not a great 24 hrs. for mileage towards Melbourne. The ups and downs of sailing. Light Southerly winds just didn't help the cause. Not a bad day with 107 miles over the water, but put 3 tacks in and that always makes the straight line distance go down. Right now all seems good with the winds up and our direction is South! Looking at Pete Goss's track we will come very close to his Sunday mark. Seems funny to me how we are staying on his track but have had different weather systems...until today that is if you read his blog. Being hard on the wind for the whole trip we have not much choice in direction.

Some ask why don't we motor more when there's not enough wind? If we run only the motor without sails, because we are not a power boat we only go about 3 knots. To go faster uses a ton of fuel. We usually motor sail. The sails help us go but we are still dependant on wind direction. If we motor sail too close to the wind the sails flap so they don't lift and flapping is bad for the material.

Last night on my watch, had a perfectly clear night. Star gazing again. Orion is still up there, standing more on his head all the time, and the Southern Cross has risen quite a bit. Venus looked like a spot light, ( Uranus is right next to her right now but can only be seen with a telescope ), and we've lost Jupiter and Mercury. The Milky Way was very clear and gets wider on the Southern horizon. The stars do seem brighter and I guess it only makes sense now that civilization is just about all to the North of us. Not much pollution getting this far South.

"A Perfect Landing!"
picture by Brendan

Bird watching is the favourite sport these days from the cockpit and inside through the windows. The birds down here seem much more curious than their counterparts in the Atlantic. The Albatross and Petrels fly very close and give us a good look. As John mentioned yesterday, we had a great show with them landing within 5 ft of the boat looking at the Mahi Mahi carcass. We are seeing more of the Wandering Albatross. They are bigger than the others and not quite as agile. It's neat watching them skim the waves and disappear into the troughs, to zoom up in unexpected places. We have a bunch of pictures of the smaller Albatross, none of the bigger one. Camera shy and doesn't hang around too long. Sharks are harder to get than the Whales. You only see a fin for a second then they are gone.

So today we hope the wind holds and we can get some good mileage towards the South and get into the famous Westerlies.
----------------
From John Wednesday Afternoon 17:00 UTC

Subject: Day 74 (day 5 from SA) at sea on board FGT Wed 21 Jan 09
Position 38 37S 025 02E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 9 - 14 knots SE.
Sea state 2' to 3' with an underlying 4'swell.
Boat speed av 5.0 kts.
Av boat direction 165 S - SE.
Barometer 1023.3
cloud cover varies - 80% Air temp 28C 82F

Greetings from 38 South in the Southern Ocean
We are heading South towards the Antarctic, under full main and Jib1 to reach the 'Highway' to Australia. Sea conditions are moderate, as we tool along in pleasant weather making reasonable progress. Of course the trick is to hook into the Westerlies and giddyup to Melbourne. The crew are ready, and we only have a finite amount of WHL ( Windhoek Lager) for the trip.

Life is good when breakfast is beer battered MM and lots of it followed by a WHL each - just the one mind you. That took care of yesterdays catch - didn't bother today - how spoiled are we? The SM made lunch of Vegemite on toast for those health nuts on board, and as we write the CEO is conjuring up a Stui stew with mashed spuds and veges . Lots of hungry crew hereabouts.

We spoke to Peri-Peri maritime net on the radio this afternoon - quite exciting as he will follow our progress to Australia from his base in SA. Peri-peri is the SA name for a range of sauces, and presumably is a local name for hot stuff.
Cheers
Your Crew

Cherrios
Gord Smart and family
Jim Donald and family
Frazer - welcome
Katja
Anika
Omi
Monie
Uncle Eric and Auntie Merle
George and Mary S
Karen S
Dave Gunn
Ian Hamilton (Pop)
Tsvet and Ann-Maries
Nadine and Dave S
Shirley and Vic H
Mum Gayford
---------------
Additional report from Doug S Tuesday Afternoon: 21:00 UTC.
Today we headed due south with good winds. Just had a wind shift and are heading SE now. pos 38 41.800 S 025 07.030 E. We're getting some current now, killing our speed, along with dying winds. Oh well, see what happens. We are over a rise in the sea bed. Highest it comes up to is 3,000ft but I guess that's giving us our current. Cheers. Doug S.

Day 73 at sea

Daily Log for Tuesday

Day: 73 at sea (Day 4 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 20th 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7398 nm bearing 302
Distance from New York: 7100 nm bearing 310
Distance from Simon's Town: 310 nm bearing 307
Distance from Melbourne: 5237 nm bearing 138
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 100 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 90 n.m.
Latitude: 37 23.502 S
Longitude: 023 41.530 E
Boat Speed: 0 - 7 knots
Boat Heading: 100 SE tacked to 210 SW just before 18:00
Boat Sails: #2 jib #4 reef main overnight/ Full main at sunrise
Barometer: 1030.1
Beaufort Scale: 2 - 5
Sea State: 3 - 4ft. 10ft. swell
Weather Conditions: clouds overnight but clear now
Wind Direction/Speed: S 5-8 kts / went calm in the morning
Temp: Air: 24 C
Cloud Cover: clear overhead overcast on East and West horizon

From Doug S. Tuesday morning.

Not much happening out here this morning. We have been visited by a lot of Petrels, Albatross, with the bigger Wandering Albatross also showing up.

Wandering Albatross
picture by Brendan

Had about 20 dolphins go by just after I wrote the blog yesterday but they didn't hang around. They had multiple white stripes running down their sides. We must be in the Indian ocean now as the water has changed from the pretty green we've had since False bay to the beautiful deep sea blue.

Winds were very fluky all day. When it went over 18 we went 7 knots but it would die down to 12 and slow us down to 2 or 3 knts. We couldn't put more sail up because of the threat of higher winds.
Over night it was the same and then just as I came on my sunrise shift the wind died to 3 kts. With the sails flopping, the engine came on and we motored due South for an hour towards clear sky. Winds started to pick up but directly from the South so we tacked and are heading SW as I write.

Doug G trying out his floater suit
picture by Doug S.

More clothes coming out with the colder nights. Stui tried out his one piece suit and said he was toasty. Doug G got out his for tonight's shift. I'm going for layers for heat just like I do at work.

So that's about it. We are trying to get South to the winds, so are happy for the nice easy days. It will get busy once we get into the Westerlies.
Just as I finish this a little excitement as John pulls in a nice size Mahi Mahi. Looks like fishing is good in the southern Indian ocean.
Cheers! Doug S.
-------------------------

Jan. 20th John catches a Mahi Mahi
picture by Doug G.
----------------

From John G. Tuesday Afternoon.

Subject: Day 73 (day 4 from SA) at sea on board FGT Tue 20 Jan 09 16:00 UTC
Position: 40S 023 51E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 4 - 14 knots SW. Sea state 2' to 3' with an underlying 10'swell. Boat speed av 4.0 kts.
Av boat direction 100 -E-SE. Barometer 1025.2
cloud cover varies - 10% Air temp 28C

Greetings from the Merry Gang in the FGT,

Today was a repeat of a typical day in the South Atlantic. Hot sun, bright blue sky, deep blue calm seas, v little wind ( in the Southern Ocean??) and the Port rod screaming nice big Mahi Mahi (MM) -get the gaff quick. It's seems ages since we got a fish and we've forgotten the routine. What'cha gonna do?

Call the QM that's what. Stui jumped to the task and before 15 minutes had gone 2 pound of breakfast fish was in the freezer. Noice. (Berrimilla word meaning noice).

Now for the notes on a SA lager discovered , and now revered by the crew. It is the famous WindHoek Draught - first discovered at the bar of the FBYC - comes in cans - a light lager - with a medium beery taste reminiscent of the Namibian desert after rainfall. Very welcoming, and now our fav. Made in Namibia by obvious experts. MGD -eat your heart out.

HH was a huge success as expected, mainly due to the entertainment provided by the Albatroi. The naturalists aboard were dragging the MM carcass 20' behind the HH lounge (cockpit). The Albatroi would fly in, at a frequency of one per minute, spying the fish parts, land with paddling feet, watch the fish parts go by and wonder what happened. They kept it up for an hour. When we released the fish part an almighty tussle ensued. Lucky a NOAH didn't arrive on the scene - it would have been fish and fowl for dinner.

Now for an announcement - we think of our families and mates a lot, talk about them a lot, and would like to send 'Cherrios' to them in the blog now and again - so please keep an eye out for it. Those who should be mentioned, will be but the SM is not called the Senior Member for his sharp memory.
Cheers Your Crew
Cherrios
-Karen and Nancy, Tom and Peter
-Dave Webster
-Jan and Grant MacDonald
-Jan and Vilni
-Lisa and Mike Egan
-Pauline and John Strickland
-Hjordis and Mike Colins
-Ann and Gerry Kelly
-Patsy Chan
- Paul Bryan

Day 72 at sea

Daily Log for Monday

Day: 72 at sea ( Day 3 from Simon's Town )
Date/Time: January 19th - 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7313 nm bearing 303
Distance from New York: 7016 nm bearing 302
Distance from Simon's Town: 218 nm bearing 311
Distance from Melbourne: 5322 nm bearing 139
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 10680 - 10560 = 120 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 120 n.m.
Latitude: 36 47.255 S
Longitude: 021 50.764 E
Boat Speed: 3 - 7 knots
Boat Heading: 100 SE
Boat Sails: overnight Sunday, staysail #4 reef main, Monday morning #2 jib #4 reef main
Barometer: 1029.8
Beaufort Scale: 5
Sea State: 5 - 12 ft big ocean rollers
Weather Conditions: mostly sunny
Wind Direction/Speed: SSE 15 - 22 knots
Temp: Air: 16 C
Cloud Cover: 30% very small puffies

From Doug S. Monday Morning:

Getting right back into the the routine of shift rotations and being at sea. Lots of sail changes so far as there were winds forecast in the 30's. So we went with minimum sail over night and winds were 12-22 kts. Can't get fast speeds with small sails and low winds. We don't like to do sail changes at night for safety sake, so will usually only shorten sail, not raise more in the dark. Still hard on the wind, so lots of heel. The motion has been Ok though, no big splashes overnight. Just as I say that, POW, A wave broke right on the starboard bow. No motion to proceed it like usual, just a thud and lots of water flying through the air and over the windows.

As was mentioned in Simon's Bay, we have a lot of pre-cooked meals, and last night was a stew on rice. The seasickness pills are keeping Doug G, Stui, and John quiet. Brendan & I seem to be handling the motion fine. Although the 3rd day has always been the bad one for me. See what happens tomorrow. Temps are cooling down here, but very warm in the boat with the sunshine. That and we have sealed off our vents because we had some water issues on the last leg.

I had the 09-12 Noon (boat time) watch, which was total dark with the moon rising right at the start of my shift. Like I said yesterday the clocks are confusing with day & night reversed. All will become clear as we move more East.
Boat speed was slow, around 2-4 knots with the short sails. Let the auto pilot do most of the work, and kept warm behind the cabin, with just my head sticking up on the lookout. Nothing sighted on my shift, except the stars and moon. Heading right for the southern cross.

On Doug G's shift, he sighted a strange looking ship, heading NW. Then saw another in front. It was a tug towing a big barge, but we could not figure out what it was. Doug G tried calling on VHF 16 but we got no response. It was about 2 miles away and no course corrections where needed.

Altogether so far, we've seen two Sharks , many Seals, lots of Albatross, a Whale, Dolphins and several ships. Lots of life here in The Southern Ocean.
Cheers! Doug S.
----------------------------
From the SM for Monday Afternoon:

Subject: Day 72 (day 3 from SA) at sea on board FGT Mon 19th Jan 09 10:00 UTC
Position 36 54S 021 58E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 15 - 20 knots SW. Sea state 3 to 4' with an underlying 10'swell.
Boat speed av 5.4 kts. Av boat direction 108 -E-SE.
Barometer 1030.1
cloud cover varies - 60% Air temp 24C

Greetings from the Naturalists on the Southern Ocean,

Some startling news from the Cruise Director, followed up by the Quarter Master. The CD exclaimed loudly a Great White Noah's Ark was trying to bite him, as he goggled at it from the cockpit. The QM looked out the other side of the cockpit and the Noah's mate was eying him - not that there is much to eye as the QM is so skinny when he turns sideways we mark him absent.
Then, of course, there was the obligatory sighting of a huge humpback whale breeching (cavorting to you purists) by the CEO, and all day Big Al and his mates, the Albatroi, were zooming by the boat.
The SM missed all this action due to a severe case of the snoozes but he advises he is coming back to live in time for HH. Look for his notes on a SA lager discovered, and now revered by the crew.
Cheers
Your Crew

Day 71 at sea

Daily Log for Sunday

Day: 71 at sea (Day 2 from Simon's Town)
Date: January 18th 18:00 Boat(Melbourne)/07:00 UTC
Distance from Oakville: 7212 nm bearing 304
Distance from New York: 6915 nm bearing 303
Distance from Simon's Town: 126 nm bearing 313
Distance from Melbourne: 5411 nm bearing 139
Distance travelled (Boat Log) 24 hours: 10560-10430 = 130 n.m.
Distance travelled in straight line 24 hours: 126 n.m.
Latitude: 35 38.139 S
Longitude: 020 16.147 E
Boat Speed: 3 - 5.75 knots
Boat Heading: mostly 130 - but overnight 100-130
Boat Sails: #2 Jib , #4 reef main motor sail, now #2 jib full main, 23:00 #2 Jib #2 reef main
Barometer: 1027.3
Beaufort Scale: 4 - 5
Sea State: Small rough waves in false bay, now big ocean rollers
Weather Conditions: sun/cloud mix
Wind Direction/Speed: s 9 - 16 kts, wind after 18:00 building up to 18 kts
Temp: Air: 16 C
Cloud Cover: 80% but thin, sun mostly breaking through
From John:

Greetings from the Falcon GT on the Agulhas Bank,

Here we are grinding our way off the Agulhas Bank - a continental shelf at the bottom of Africa with a reputation for fierce weather when the wind blows against the Agulhas current. We are trying to get clear of this little spot asap - should be out of it tomorrow - just in time for some stronger breezes.
'On the wind again - here we go on the wind again' apologies to Willy Nelson but that seems to be our fate. We are hard on the wind with J2 and #2 reef getting the heck out of Dodge. Once clear of the Bank, and down at 43 degrees South the West winds are waiting to blow us to Melbourne. That's our plan anyway.
Don't mention the ship across our bows last night - Damn thing so long the bow was to Starboard of us and the stern to Port. Scary stuff - must keep looking out.

Not much cooking in the gourmet dept. Just yet - sandos for lunch and a snooze for dinner - help yourself to the cereal.
It's in the afternoon right now and quite hot. Long may the cold stay away.

Cheers
Your Crew
------------------
Excerpts from Doug S. email:

From Doug S.

All is well after our first night back at sea. Winds where light through the darkness, so we motor sailed for most of it. At dusk could see all the light houses along the bottom coast of Africa, and a bunch of ships but all were North of us. I had the sunset shift, and scooted off to bed right after. Have re-arranged the v berth so I can sleep up there on starboard tack. A bit cramped but then at least we all have our own bunks. If there is too much motion I may have to move aft till the waves go down.

Speaking of motion, it's calmed down since we first left. John, Doug G and Stui took Stugeron for seasickness and all have been pretty sleepy, so not a lot of action here yesterday and today.

Trying to sort out the time zones. For this leg our clocks, ( boat time ) will be Melbourne time. I was setting one of the clocks last night just before sunset, and noticed the time was actually sunrise in Melbourne. So there we were heading mostly South with the sun setting in the West over my right shoulder. And we have to head East. How do you go East away from the setting sun but according to your clock it should be rising....(i.e. my clock says I should be sailing into the sun, not away from it )!
Now people who know me know I have a hard time with left and right. This was giving my mind a work out! It took a while but I finally figured it out. If I could travel at light speed so the sun would not move, and go directly South in a straight line over the South pole, (now heading North since you can't go anywhere else from the South pole), then stop at 35s on the opposite side of the globe.... I would be pointed North with the sun still over my right shoulder..rising instead of setting. Confused yet!?
Flat maps just don't help in these puzzles,. You really need a globe and a light bulb for the sun. Anyway it was 20:00 (8 PM) Cape town time and 05:00 Melbourne ( boat) time as the sun set. As we move East, the sun and clock will catch up to each other.

Brendan had a bit of a wake up on his sunrise shift. Just off the port side, he spotted what he thought was a seal flipper and wondered what it was doing so far from land, but as it got closer he saw that was no flipper, it was a fin of a shark! He said it was about 2 feet wide and couldn't see enough of it to tell the length. Just that it had a white belly. Maybe a great white!?

Lots of birds this morning, with quite a few Albatross. These guys look bigger than the ones we saw to the North. We're over the Agulhas bank now, for another 60 miles or so. It's about 300 ft deep and is where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. There are strong currents here. Agulhas Current

One more geography lesson to go. I was always taught in grade school the the tip of Africa was the Cape of Good Hope. Sorry, not even close. Cape Agulhas is at the very tip. The Cape of Good hope is where you would turn left to get to the Indian ocean and any points East. You still must go South to get around Cape Agulhas. OK, what other stuff did those grade school teachers lie about?

That's enough "clarification" to leave you with for one day.
Cheers, Doug S.

Day 70 at sea

Daily Log for Saturday:
Day 70 ( day 1 from SA ) at sea on board FGT Sat 17 Jan 09
Position 34 57S 019 19E lots of Albatross miles to Melbourne.
Wind 15 - 20 knots SW.
Sea state 3 to 4' with an underlying 10'swell.
Boat speed av 5.0 kts.
Av boat direction 135 -SE.
Barometer 1026.3
Cloud cover varies - 30% Air temp 28 C

From Captain John:

Greetings from the grateful crew on the Falcon GT,

Overwhelming - that's the only word to describe our 8 day stay at the False Bay Yacht Club in Simon's Town, Republic of South Africa.
From the moment our dainty feet hit terra firma at the FBYC bar when Mike spotted us with enough SA lager to quench our thirsts - just on closing time - to the Customs folks in CT when we cleared out - the helpfulness and friendliness just kept on coming.
Pam G runs the club - she is so helpful and friendly - a great ambassador for FBYC and SA. Then there's Heather at the FBYC Cafe who gave the CEO and the QM the rounds of the kitchen, literally where they precooked 40 meals for the voyage - unbelievable really. Heathers staff of Bianca, Jessica, Michele, and the others were soo good we had breakfast there every day.
The resident woodworker Hans spent hours fixing our mast chocks which work so well without a squeak, and such a nice guy - maybe something to do with his girlfriend Janet. Baden is the resident metal worker who gave the SM the run of his workshop for some improvements to the FGT -could not do enough to help us. The crew at Bay Marine - ships chandlers - Natalie, Steve and Ludwig, were absolutely outstanding when it came to getting parts for us - fixed rigging - and drove into CT to find us stuff - all at the right price. And the folks at the Simon's Town Marina ( they look after the actual berths and the haulout yard) Roger babied the hulking FGT out of the water for a spit and polish, and Heidi who keeps things straight in the office - She presented the 5 of us with terrific golf shirts - because - 'we were helping 'fight cancer'.
We kept up our tradition of HH right at the bar of the FBYC so that added greatly to the list of SA friends, including Dan, Billy, John L.
Brendans Uncle Eric and Aunt Merle made sure we got parts and gave us lots of hints to make our stay in SA very enjoyable.Thanks.
We really enjoyed our time with Pete Goss and his crew who are sailing to Melbourne. We will be seeing them again at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, if not en route which is quite possible.
So here we are at sea again - it will take a few -code for who knows? - days to settle into the motion on the ocean - but this is it - the shorter leg and maybe the wildest one. Fingers and toes crossed.
Your crew
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Excerpts from Doug S email Saturday Jan. 17th Day 70 at sea:

Doug S. rounding the Cape Jan. 17th upon departure from South Africa
picture by Brendan

I'm writing this at Midnight Melbourne time which is our boat time for the rest of the trip. That's 16 hours ahead of Ontario. We left Simon's Town at 16:00 Melbourne time Saturday. Back on 3 hour watches. Stui had 1st watch at 18-21, DG 21-mid, B mid-03, me 03-06 J 06-09.

Right now at 12:30 (pos. 34 47.210s 019 07.614e), we are about 12.5 miles from the nearest land, "Danger Point", and about due West of Cape Agulhas. Some big sand dunes visible on the shore near here. Took pics but 12 miles is a long way.

Have been motoring all the way so far. Put the main sail up with 4 reefs so motor sailing now at about 7 knts. Have to burn off some from each tank so they aren't too full when we heel over. Mostly cloudy when we left with winds in the 20's. Sun has burned off all of the clouds now. Nice views of the mountainous coast lines, but far away. When we left False Bay we were pretty much right between the 2 points Cape of Good Hope and Cape Hangklip (Dutch sp on our map). Have been going in a straight line since clearing the Navy base and rocks to our present position.

Lots of birds in False Bay. We saw a lot of seals snoozing on the surface of the water or jumping up to peek at us as we went by. False bay is known for great white sharks and you can see they have a lot to eat with the penguins, and seals around. No, we are not going for a swim.

Later - Have seen quite a few ships but it has quieted down in the last hour . Will keep a good look out tonight. Still motor sailing. Winds 16 - 20. Ocean getting bigger, but they are the long ocean waves not the short choppy ones. Still can see land. Cape Penninsula is gone. We are 33 miles from Cape Agulhas. Visibility is amazing in that we could see Agulhas from 40 miles away. DG saw a whale breech on his watch but no one else got up in time as it never came back.
That's all for now.
Cheers! Doug S.