60’07 S 063’14 W course 200, speed 8.7
Earlier this night we passed the Antarctic conversion zone. The border between two waters of different density. In this case the cold water from the Antarctic and the warmer water from the Southern Ocean. The water temperature went from a 8 degrees to 3 over the course of the day. Very often the passage of this imaginable line is done in dense fog. Nothing of the kind tonight! A beautiful glow on the horizon seems to show us the way to the magical white continent! An extra eye is now kept on the possible ice we might meet. The going has been good. We set a reefed main sail just after dinner to keep up the speed. It is tricky to get the 150 square meters set in a rolling sea. Key to success is team work. Once the gaskets are of you are committed. It is quiet a pull but when you feel the gear kick in and the water starts to rush by, you know you are doing something right. The extra speed also makes the boat track better, and this helps the helms man to keep course! Wild live has been some what dull (if you can call Wandering Albatrosses dull…) The first prions have been spotted but not in great numbers and we are still waiting for the first Cape Petrel! No one is complaining though because the Albatrosses never really seem to bore! If we can keep up this pass we might be arriving somewhere tomorrow. With a little over 200nml to Deception Island we are slowly starting to think about arriving! How exciting! Bio security is in place and will be our new reality the next week or so to make our stay the most responsible! Boot wash station, cleaning out clothes and gear, all to make sure we wont bring in or spread any invasive species. Antarctica here we come!
All is well
