Yesterday was a bit bouncy with the wind up a bit as we just clipped the edge of that nasty weather system to the south. My best "Jess-timate"(this is what Bruce calls my often slightly vague descriptions of what the wind is doing) would be 40knots in the gusts.
The sea is still over 4m which isn't particularly huge, but the waves are a bit messy and really rolling through with a lot of punch behind them, so Ella's Pink Lady is being knocked around a little.
The wind went up and down just as expected and with everything ready well beforehand, there wasn't much to do other than hold on and roll with it. Now that we've been through a few gales out here, handling 40knots of wind has become pretty routine, just like the way tacking, gybing or reefing has almost become an automatic reflex too. But if anything, it's only made me more cautious than ever. Knowing that everything has been double-checked is the only way to get any peace of mind.
Before the wind started coming up I was treated to a visit from some dolphins (see pic below), actually hundreds of dolphins! There were dolphins everywhere, in every direction right off to the horizon. Long lines of dolphins leaping out of waves, dolphins shooting off down the swell, dolphins playing on Ella's Pink Lady's bow and dolphins quietly swimming along chatting away to each other in small squeals and squeaks. I didn't know where to look and their visit came just at the right time too, as I'd been feeling a little bit mopey and frustrated, but the dolphins sure put the smile back on my face!
The dolphins haven't been my only company lately, I've also been seeing a bit of shipping lately. By that I mean three ships in the last two days, which is a lot by my standards.
When doing a galley re-stock from the stores in the bow the other day, I discovered that I'm running short on Pringles (I'm down to my last pack!), getting low on tomato sauce and fast running out of tinned fruit. On the positive, I did come across a hidden stash of Nutella (chocolate spread)!
So just over 1500nm to go till the Cape of Good Hope, but we'll be passing well south and clear of land.
Jesse
Pic: Some of the many dolphins that joined me!
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