Goonery

Position 0620 2nd 4556 07840, trip 60, DMG -37. Discouraging but could be worse. We're walking backwards to Christmas. Bleeah! It's a bummer out there.

Still no sign of a let up except that the wind has dropped marginally. No real conjunction between what we have here and the grib, but I've just been outside in the snake oil suit to put up the trisail and at least now we are going just a teensy bit to windward - north west instead of WSW.

Otherwise, just the tedium of sitting it out. Just like a square rigger! But does anyone know whether this is an unusual series of systems - they seem to be upside down (the highs to the south) and the lows way further north than we expected? Looks as if we will have to work our way north in the gaps up to 40S at least.

Anyway, I think I've got to visit the Surgeon Consultant - I feel the need for some basic medication. Somebody please make the appropriate incantation - go howl at the moon with an upturned colander on your head or whatever is necessary - and get us the westerlies we need.

MJC, thanks for info and I'm in email contact with Kaharoa. They due into Hobart for a day this w/e.
SJ - Foretrex

Iridium still intermittent - often takes several tries to connect. A bit nailbiting.

We'll see whether this one goes

Bleah! We are hove to, drifting SW at 2 kts and sitting it out - can't headbang into it and the old heave sends us downwind (away from Australia) rather slower than bare poling. Uncomfortable as we're beam on to the rising sea and rolling a lot and the occasional big one comes in from left field and crashes against the boat. Wind also rising and it's raining so we're all closed down and hoping to stay that way. At least another 12 hours before the thing dissipates if we can believe the grib. And there's another one behind this one. Looks like a headbang up to about 40S to get us out of here - tedious!

My Iridium fix hasn't worked, unfortunately. The connection fails intermittently at the first attempt to open the port, which, I think, means that the computer is not reaching the phone. The problem is probably still somewhere in the data kit, which was never designed for these conditions. I think the phone itself will work so if the iridium connection to sailmail fails completely, I'll phone in a daily report until we are in HF radio range of Firefly in NSW.