After several hours of fiddeling around with the wiring we managed to get the autopilot running again and could settle down to enjoy the ride. We have now crossed the 30th parrallel of latitude and although we are still seeing Flying Fishes we were also visited yesterday by two White-chinned petrels. These quite large birds inhabit the colder waters further south and the closest breeding colonies at the moment are probably Tristan da Cunha or the Falkland Islands. The Petrel family (also known as Diesel Ducks, for obvious reasons), covers a wide range of birds from the tiny Storm-petrels (not much bigger than a sparrow) to the Giant petrels which are the same size as some Albatross species. The White-chinned petrel is probably a bit bigger than a large gull. The Storm-petrels and White-chinned petrels seem to be quite friendly and will often fly close to the boat but the Giant petrels are another story. Two years ago, sailing in the Antarctic, I witnessed a Giant petrel killing a fully grown seal!
For now the weather remains hot and the breeze has dropped even further as we skirt the western edge of the South Atlantic high pressure system. One disturbing result of the constantly circulating winds of the high pressure zone is that they set up a current circulation known as the South Atlantic Gyre. This gyre, like its counterparts in the world's other oceans sweeps up and traps all the pollution that has been blown of the land or dropped from ships and with the advent of non- biodegradable plastics this is becoming a real problem. Yesterday we passed a succession of plastic crates, plastic workmen's helmets, plastic bottles, synthetic ropes, etc. At the moment there a several expeditions, including the Five Gyres Expedition, that are cataloguing the extent of the problem and trying to create awareness of the scale of the situation, but yesterday really brought it home to us personally as we watched all the rubbish drift by, hundreds of miles from the closest land.
Our position at noon today is 30*23 S 031*25 W. We have a gentle breeze blowing out of the NNW, sunshine and a light scattering of cumulus clouds.
For now the weather remains hot and the breeze has dropped even further as we skirt the western edge of the South Atlantic high pressure system. One disturbing result of the constantly circulating winds of the high pressure zone is that they set up a current circulation known as the South Atlantic Gyre. This gyre, like its counterparts in the world's other oceans sweeps up and traps all the pollution that has been blown of the land or dropped from ships and with the advent of non- biodegradable plastics this is becoming a real problem. Yesterday we passed a succession of plastic crates, plastic workmen's helmets, plastic bottles, synthetic ropes, etc. At the moment there a several expeditions, including the Five Gyres Expedition, that are cataloguing the extent of the problem and trying to create awareness of the scale of the situation, but yesterday really brought it home to us personally as we watched all the rubbish drift by, hundreds of miles from the closest land.
Our position at noon today is 30*23 S 031*25 W. We have a gentle breeze blowing out of the NNW, sunshine and a light scattering of cumulus clouds.
Glad you could fix your thingy-me-jig. And do you know about birds! What a pity about the flotsom - hope this gets to those who need to know. Happy sailing P and N. I am watching. Best wishes Marika
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