JesseMartin.Net
16th March 1999
THANKS to everyone who wished me well and congratulated me on making it around Cape Horn.
I thought the rest was going to be easy but little did I know that I was going to encounter more lows and little wind in between them.
I'd much prefer the Southern Ocean where the wind is much more predictable.
I had another knockdown and this time once we were upright again, I discovered half of the objects from the other side of the cabin lodged under my mattress.
The frame supporting the solar panels has now got a kink in it, but nothing that I would call a problem.
One of the frustrating things when we had no wind was that there was no sun either. I was just bobbing around in the middle of a grey overcast ocean with not much to do.
I had a treat yesterday when I heard the blowing of some whales. They were passing about 100 metres or so to starboard. I got a winch handle and kept tapping on the winch to attract them over.
A few diverted from their course and one swam right under my rudder. I think they might have been pilot whales, but I'm not sure.
The water color has turned to a dark green and sometimes looks black. The South Atlantic is certainly different to the Southern Ocean.
The Herald Sun has been trying since I rounded the Cape to get a photo of me somehow.
There have been a few leads but our best chance lay with the Royal Air Force on the Falkland Islands. They were going to fly out and take the photos, but by time things got organised I was too far away.
The commander noted that it is ironic that a small yacht doing 6 knots has run away from a military aircraft.
Today the sun has appeared and later on I'm going to put the fishing line out to try my luck - I wouldn't mind a bit of fish at the moment.
The weather is getting warmer as well. Yesterday I had to take my jacket and overalls off as the cabin reached 20 degrees. Wooohooo!
Holly White at Seymour East Primary School asked me who I contact to find out what the weather is going to be.
Roger Badham does professional yacht weather reports and did Kay Cottee's weather as well as for successful Whitbread racing yachts. I get an e-mail from him every day or so with a forecast for a few days ahead.
Grade 5/6 at Ararat PS also wanted to know if I take the sails down when I go to sleep.
No I don't. I use the windvane to steer the boat when I sleep and set the alarm for every hour to check that the wind hasn't changed and that we are still on course.
I haven't been able to make contact for nearly a week with a buddy of mine called Peter who is another solo guy heading home to England.
I think the area I am in is bad for radio signals because I haven't been able to make any radio calls either.
I've got the iridium satellite phone which I can use and is a great back-up for when I'm feeling down and want to hear mum's voice.
Isn't it amazing what satellites can do.