Tg, tb, & t' ugly

Looks as if it is going to get rather ordinary out here for a few days. We are right in front of a two day blast along the SW corner of the high that is forming north of us and we are due for a reasonably gentle day tomorrow with the westerly gradually increasing, then about 2 days of 25 - 30 with much higher gusts as the thing gets itself into gear. This means big, breaking seas and discomfort. Lots.

The good news is that it is pretty much in the right direction, so as long as we can keep things together we should make progress. Trying to follow good compromise course right now and get NE as fast as we can so that if we have to run down with it, we don't end up way south again.

But not a pleasant prospect. The gut clenchens and the knuckles grackle.

The emptiness of the long distance voyager

Position 0630 14th 4450 10720, trip 117, DMG 90. Not bad - a soft and variable 24 hours mostly and more to come.

This is sort of nowhere land - not yet close but the barn door is just below the horizon and I can almost feel its rough, rusty nails and peelng green paint. Time and distance pass very slowly - we go about the business, we grind out the metres, try to keep everything together, Berri pointing north of east to get some northing and give us a bit of flexibility when the next low arrives, probably tomorrow. I'm hoping we are getting close to the influence of the high that usually lives in the Bight and tends to block the passage of the lows and send them south east. No real signs yet that it is there waiting for us.

Pale sunlight, cold, cheerless but we're trying to get things dry.

Last year, just north of here, Pete Goss was knocked down in Mystery and his brother in law broke his leg. Did some damage to Mystery too - I visited her later in Williamstown. Pete gave a presentation and that was when we auctioned the ensign Berri Flew for the NW Passage and Mystery then carried for the rest of the circumnavigation as her Oz courtesy flag. It made a thousand dollars for the Bushfire Appeal.

Just a few birds around - Prions and Storm Petrels - but mostly, the place is empty empty.