1 February 2014

1st February 2014

1215: Andrew just phoned from the Straights de los Estados; he is making 7 knots with the wind and tide in his favour – a large passenger ship behind him, the Queen Victoria , is headed for “Cape Horn” according to the AIS.  Andrew is looking around and marveling that he and Elsi are in such a place!

1800:  Andrew is delighted with his passage through the Straight – it couldn’t have been better.  As he started out this morning, he noticed a hole in the Mainsail, made by rubbing on the spreaderss, so whilst he was moving South he sewed a couple of patches ready to place on the sail.  He is heading for the “Cape of Good Success”! and thought as he came nearer there, it might be a good chance to repair the Mainsail.  However,  before then, near the bottom of the Straight, the wind dropped away and he thought this would be a good chance to make repairs.  So, he dropped the Mainsail and raised the Genoa.  He sewed the patches on the front and back of  the sail.  He then thought he really needed to put some sort of patch on the spreaders to avoid further chaffing….that would mean climbing up the mast.  He thought the calmer seas would be a fine chance to do this job.  He climbed aloft – securing himself to the mast – and made repairs whilst thinking of those who climbed the square riggers to do similar tasks.  Unfortunately, Andrew forgot to take his camera up the mast, and said he was not tempted to go down and retrieve it to go back up take a  snap or two!

Later on, looking at the AIS,  Andrew noted a yacht sailing toward the Straight he had just come out of – he tried calling it up but there was no reply.  Some time later the yacht “Annalouise!  called up Elsi.   The skipper,called Ferdinand, amazingly is a friend of Andrews pal Jan Wit!  What are the chances of that meeting?

When our phone call ended, Andrew said he was about 90 miles from Cape Horn and pleased with the start of his trip around the Horn.