News from the “Roaring Forties”!

The schooner Elsi is approaching the 50s latitudes of the Southern Ocean. At first we did a lot of motoring because we need to keep to schedule. We have a tight deadline for arriving in Ushuaia: two groups will be heading from there to Antarctica, one after the other. The first is with scientists. We’ll probably be under sail alone between Point Nemo and Cape Horn. 22.01 In a couple of days, the forecast calls for stronger winds, but within acceptable limits. We stand our watches in the wheelhouse, of course. On the bridge 🙂 At night, we’ll bring in additional crew members as backup watchkeepers. The wind has eased from 30+ knots overnight to a more comfortable 20–25 knots on the broad reach. It was a tough night: the autopilot often couldn’t cope, and we wrestled with its settings. By morning, we had finally mastered it. Only the cook got any sleep; the rest of us were involved one way or another, steering in pairs through the night. One person at the autopilot control unit, the other standing by at the wheel. At 10 a.m. I relieved Dan, brewed some pu-erh in my green thermos, and now I’m sitting watch on the bridge. So far, the autopilot and I seem to be managing between us. About the rolling on a large sailing vessel: It’s comparable to Lady Mary. We really do have a very seaworthy yacht! Except that here a plate takes a little longer to fly off the table 🙂 For me, it’s like slow motion. 23.01 We’re bearing away south with the wind. We can make a course of 110–120°. During the day we carried the main staysail, the fore staysail and the jib. By nightfall it had piped up, so we struck the jib. It looks as though we’ve run into an adverse current. Overnight I’ll download current charts from a couple of sources to update my information. Most likely, we’ll have to head even farther south. We’re almost managing to stick to our plan of making better than 7 knots. Dan made a safety tether for clipping in on the bridge, because the waves throw you around so badly that you go flying from the bench to the opposite side of the wheelhouse. It’s 10 p.m. now, and I’ve come on for the night watch. I’ll test his invention 🙂 But first, the evening ritual—I’ll brew some delicious tea from my private Philippine stash. 24.01 Last night the gusts reached 50 knots (Force 10). We’re carrying two staysails and still assisting with the engine. We’re holding a speed of 9–9.5 knots. The autopilot has finally acquired a name—Semyonych. His full name is Simrad Semyonovich. From time to time, Semyonych complains that he has wandered off course and is finding it hard to bring the vessel back. But in most cases, all it takes to calm him down is pressing the OK button. This makes Semyonych feel the reassuring support of a senior comrade, and in his delight he takes over the steering all by himself. In the morning, as Dan and I change watches, we brew the last of my Philippine pu-erh. We’ve tried several times to institute “five o’clock tea,” but it hasn’t caught on yet. It’s rare for there to be no heavy rolling and for both of us to be awake and free at the same time. 25 Jan An hour after relieving me in the morning, Dan called the crew up to set the jib in addition to the two staysails. We’re making 8–9 knots. From 49 degrees, we’re gradually slipping south. Soon we’ll enter the 50s. It will be more advantageous to move closer to the great-circle arc, which is the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere, and it also works better according to the current chart. The currents here twist and turn like a rather intricate snake. We just need to jump from one favourable coil of the snake to the next at the right time. It’s getting colder every day, of course. Everyone except the cook is already wearing fleece. He’s the only one whose workplace is hot. Friends, are you crossing the ocean with our captain? Link to the map and real-time position: https://www.iridium360.ru/guest/journey/8db92642