45:53.61S
162:53:51E
Another day of anti-cyclonic gloom. Not even a glimpse of the sun and not a breath of wind. a large high pressure system is cantered above us so we are windless. After the sun set the sky cleared and now we have a nearly full moon to lighten up the night. How I love our Yanmar 100hp engine that rumbles away giving us a steady 6.5 knots at 1500 revs. Today it’s been a day of maintenance. Simon has checked all things to do with the engine. We have checked running rigging for signs of chafe, fishing lines set and put away again. 100 years ago we would have chipping the rust off the rigging, calking the deck, whipping ropes and anyone else that gets in the way but today it’s sorting the itunes libraries and photographs archives that takes all day. 100 years ago we would have had our rum ration – and several pints of ale. Today it’s a cup of tea and cocoa after supper. There are only 148 more miles to go before the entrance to the Foveaux Strait. We can expect the wind to pick up by early morning and then we should have a fast passage to Bluff. I never expected the southern ocean to be so calm.