Sat 23rd Jan 16.
Today was an early start for the team, in order to make best use of the sailing weather, before returning to Mare harbour to sit out the incoming storm. We spent most of the day in Choiseul Sound which is East of Mare Harbour, going through various manoeuvres with different sails, learning how the boat handles and getting a feel for the yacht and its equipment. We were accompanied along the way by numerous penguins, dolphins and even a seal! The scenery is very similar to the Western Isles of Scotland or North Wales, the latter of which we as a team have strong cold and wet memories.
The sun was beating down on the deck causing a few red faces! There were also a few pale looking faces, due to the motion of the yacht (Alex and Shady). However our newest crew members, Dolly and Barbara had a healthy glow and have settled in having enjoyed their first day at sea.
Lunch today was a rather basic affair after previous efforts…..ham & cheese sandwiches or tuna for the only vegetarian onboard, followed by copious amounts of wets (Tea & Coffee for those not fluent in Jackspeak) from Matt H. Tonight’s dinner is being kindly provided by Naval Engineering Falkland Islands in the form of a BBQ hopefully, if the rain stays away; if not then it’s pizzas at Mount Pleasant.
Dan
The team have now returned to Mare Harbour for 72 hours and are looking to depart for the South Shetland Islands, weather permitting, on Tue 26 Jan. Frustratingly the poor weather is taking longer to go through the area than originally expected, thus forcing us to delay by a further 12 hours. This will be reviewed regularly to check on progress of the low pressure system.
Tim