Day 73
At last, as they say, there is sunshine down my street, too, or more precisely, down my latitude, the weather is gorgeous, the ocean is calm, a small wave gently lifts and lowers the boat. The sun is shining. At dawn I caught a squid with a bait and this morning I will cook it. First, I’ll cook the squid, and then I’ll make coffee to break with the usual order of things.
Thank God, by your prayers, the Ocean gives me a break. I have not had such good weather for a long time. It is unusual to observe such Mediterranean conditions in the Southern Ocean. Waves do not hit the hull, the cockpit does not flood the water. I can finally remove my threadbare dry suit (overall) and be on the deck in a light jacket. The air temperature is + 12 degrees and there is no rain! I do not remember such balmy weather conditions from the start of my journey.
I know this weather will not last long, but I needed this respite very badly. I will put the boat in order, try to dry things and my sleeping bag as much as possible, turn on the watermaker, as I need to pump fresh water into supply tanks, conduct an audit of my rations and divide it into day by day packs. I did have my daily ration, but everything got mixed up in the storms.
I also plan to count gas cylinders, I try to spend 1 cylinder per week – that was my estimate for the trip, but in stormy weather I do not use gas stove for 2-3 days in a row and this is a saving. I can confidently cook squid in a saucepan, but still, accounting is necessary.
In the afternoon, I will replace the autopilot ram, for some reason it stopped holding the rudder blade in a given position; it’s been in operation for more than 70 days, so it’s time to replace the ram.
On the deck, too, it is necessary to put things in order: I need to disassemble the pump for pumping out water, it became clogged and does not pump water out of the cockpit properly, probably algae or a piece of thin rope got into it. So, there is a lot of work to be done, as always, but the weather is favourable for house keeping. At first I will put the boat in order, then I’ll take care of myself.
Cape Horn is 2,150 miles away. I travelled 3,450 miles from New Zealand.
In 2 degrees longitude the rowboat “AKROS” and I will find ourselves at the point Nemo – the most distant point from any coastline in any direction on Earth.
Regards to all.
Fedor Konyukhov
47’35 South
125’35 West