MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!! - from Jeanne on "Nereida"
Monday 24th December 2012 - Christmas Eve
1:30pm What a gorgeous day - I can't find a single cloud in the sky...! Really feels like a holiday.... We're rolling gently in a following sea from WNW at around 3m and I'm singing along - thanks a lot, Tony, for the 'Christmas' DVD and CD - both played fine so I've combined the music on my laptop as one playlist! I'm alternating it with my iPod music... we're in a party mood, just now!
I can't believe this weather - wind strength of 8kt is the only downside at present - we're sailing very slowly, almost dead downwind - but I'm able to be totally relaxed and really enjoying the day! (So far, I've not found any boat jobs needing to be done!) Sun is bright, air is cool (I just added another layer...) but it feels warm under the awning and the sea is sparkling... Wonderful!
Just cleared up in the galley and now trying to decide on my menu for today and tomorrow - spoilt for choice!!
4:30pm Still a lovely, bright sunny day... wind only 7kt...Tried to post position report - will need to do that later - radio propagation not good enough at moment.. should befine a bit later. Lovely to be able to exchange Christmas greetings with so many friends by email!
Went to let out reef in light conditions - ended up putting not only many more cable ties around mast to keep mast track insert in place, but a triple lashing of some spectra line as well. Will only be able safely to use 2nd and 3rd reefs, I think... That will slow me down in lighter conditions, like now, although probably not a problem in nomal strong Southern Ocean conditions.... Nuisance!!
7.30pm - sunset... Listening to my Christmas music, with a mug of tea and some cake, I watched the red ball sink slowly into the sea, hidden by the big swell every few seconds... A lovely end to a lovely day... My meal is getting hot (no cooking needed tonight!) - a beef hotpot wih a mushroom Stroganoff to perk it up... I'm raising my glass tonight to some past friends, Suzanne, Ed, Rica.... and Liz just last week.... all lovely, kind people, taken early and sadly no longer here to see in this Christmas... "Life is precious .. live it to the full..." - as they did.
9pm Was about to post this - when caught Trish, ZL2RK, calling me on HF radio from New Zealand, after the end of the Pacific Seafarers' Net - we had a lovely chat, with Gary, ZL2GLM, and Fred (in Florida), W3ZU, joining in for relays - I could hear her well but she had very poor copy on me (and lots of noise) - but it was lovely to chat and exchange Christmas greetings - they're in to Boxing Day tomorrow in NZ - Christmas was today for them!
24hr DMG at 4pm (2300GMT): 107 n.ml.- slowed down - will be even less tomorrow! Cape Horn was 1494 n.ml. away (but my waypoint well S of C. Horn was 1529 n.ml. away) & our nearest land, Easter Island, is now 1079 n.ml. away to NNW. Punta Galera, just SW of Valdivia (Chile) is 1275 n.ml. away, due E, and New Zealand's East Cape (its closest point to us) is 3485 n.ml to the W.
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For my positions, see:
www.svnereida.com - 'Travels' - "Where is 'Nereida'?"
http://www.exactearth.com/media-centre/recent-ship-tracks/tracking-nereida/
http://oceantracker.net?event=nereida