Log Entry No 2 - 7th April 08. (Discoverer)

FROM THE CAPTAINS CABIN

Leg 7 - Crew.

Over the last three and a half days we have sailed around the coast of East Falkland, up Falkland Sound, and out into the Southern Ocean. On Thursday, our first training day, we encountered some rough seas en route to Bull Roads and quite a few crew members experienced their first bout of sea sickness.

It was good to see how well the crew coped and we ended the day in a pleasant anchorage just as the sun was going down. The next day, we sailed on, through Eagle Passage, to another pleasant anchorage off Great Island, in Falkland Sound. Yesterday, we were accompanied up the Sound by a pod of whales and it was ‘all hands on deck’ for photographs.

The bow is now pointing towards Rio, we are well into our watch keeping routine, and the sails have gone up and down in response to wind changes more times than we can remember.

Leg 7 - Crew.

The highlight of the trip so far has been listening to Andy Woods and Andy Stone singing at night on their watch (don’t give up the day jobs guys)!

THE VIEW FROM THE FOREDECK:

Leg 5 - Provisioning.

Following the great experience of being in the Falklands, and visiting some of the many interesting and important places on the islands our attention turned to the reason why we were all in the South Atlantic – to sail to Rio de Janeiro. The beginning of April saw the preparation and provisioning of the boat, and once this was complete the crew were all very keen to get some wind in the sails and start sailing. Thursday was our first day and this included ‘man over board’ drills. The first two evenings were spent anchored up in various locations along the way. This was of great benefit to the crew as it allowed us all to be eased in to the watch system and get a good night’s sleep.

Leg 7 - Whale.

During the first few days of our passage we have been graced with many varieties of wildlife including penguins, dolphins, albatross and even whales, a fantastic sight.

There have been a number of challenges along the way since our departure from Mare Harbour, mainly sea sickness and having to raise and lower the sails in the dark during rough seas. Both have been dealt with remarkably well by all. Here’s to the next few days and a warmer climate!

Sgt ‘Gray’ Searle