Thanks for the mail it is always a pleasure reading the news and all the support that we get on thew blog. Well we had a magic run overnight more like the speed this machine can get in the right weather pattern, we ventured up NW towards the coast to pick up the winds from the ENE and it paid, our present course is exactly Cabo Frio once we round that the breeze should take us west straight to Rio,our over night run saw us take out 10 nm on the big boat Nomad so their lead is now 6nm. They are presently to the south of us and whether they get the same breeze as us is open for discussion, one thing for sure is we have foot on the gas with the asymetric kite flying well with a boat speed between 8 & 10 knots, at imes we hit higher ( Scott had 15.6 in one surf), presently the wind is down to around 12 knots , not bad clocking just under 8 knots as we mail.All around us it is like a garden of oil rigs, straight ahead are 5 tankers I assume loading so we need to head up and go around them , this could be a nightmare in the dark! Thanks for looking after Jill it is appreciated I kn‌ow she enjoys a sunday lunch,so lunch on me when we get back to Cape Town. Regards to all and thanks for the support from all on Tulliana John

Well what can I say “Da big fish has landed” the boys landed a serious yellow fin tuna around 10 /15 kg so it is tuna steaks for lunch as well as Sushi, Scotts eyes are wide open the way James is tucking in as he is filletting the fish. Bad news yesterday was the crap mwind we had for most of the day it allowed Nomad to pass ahead of us to the South but we are not letting them get away that easy our plan is to get close to the coast and hopefully pick up the NE wind that is due and try and ride it down to Rio, at least that is the plan for now, it will be a very close finish believe me, speed is around 6.5 kn’s. at presnt. Ok chat soon and regards to all. John Pictures will follow when we get to RIO

Post from Scott Kelly

ETA – EXPECTED TIME OF ARRIVAL OR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL??????????

 

This is the big question on board Tulliana at the moment, I am expecting to arrive in Rio on the 26th, Sunday, but this is highly unlikely with the current speed and wind. The chart plotter adjusts the the estimated time of arrival according to the speed and course, Chris, James and myself eagerly check the status everytime we get a good or bad run and it sometimes spits out horrid dates the same way fish spit out James and chris’s lures and leaves a eually bad taste in my mouth as a fish would if the fisherman caught.

 

On that topic, I beleive the score is Fisherman 1 Sea 5 , dont let them fool you about the long winded useual fisherman stories, “the one that got away” their stories are no more any differeant from the fisherman stories that are told along kalk bay quay on a saterday afternoon. i have watched Chris, James spend hours baiting up lines and deciding which lures to use. I think if they had spent that much time on trimming the sails we would be in Rio already.

 

No only jokes, in all fairness they have been unlucky with the “ones that got away”, lines have snaped, lines have not been long enough, speed has been to fast, i have been poisioning their lines during my late night watches alone but the boys need ten out of ten for persaverance and effort.

 

Nigella Kelly still amazes us for breakfast, lunch and super, supplies are running low at the moment and we are actually having to resort to freshly baked muffins and bread for lunch and yes we are officially on our last box of salty cracks. Tulliana crew have had the discussions of what our first meals are going to be when we get to Rio, no one jumped up and threw there hands in the air with suggestions, I think we are more focusssed on the beers and the first night out when we get to Rio.

 

Regarding the alchol we are still safe and sound and I dont think anyone will be going into cold turkey just yet. Johns 54 wine bottle collection comprising of Vergelegen reserve chardonay, savignon blanc, La Motte chardonay and Clos Malverene merlot and Shiraz is rapidly decreasing and he will be paying Lindsay her bet money as more than ten botttles have been consumed, actaully i think we only have about ten.

 

Really proud of Pops, he has stuck to his guns and kept his two bottles of Jamesons and not touched a drop, they have stayed at the bottom of the cupboard for three weeks now, maybe the reason for wearing the same cloths and just washing them, is he scared to open the cupboard. No think he is saving it for the Rio finish.

 

Days are filled with either being on watch, sleeping or attending to boat work, yesterday we had to fix the generator as the alternator is not charging the battery, today is to takkle the shredded genoa and see what we can salvage and I am sure there will be something for us to do tommrrow. for those you that thought we are lying on deck, reading books, drinking beer and planning our next trip are mistaken especailly when asked by Dave and John, is it me or Lindsay that is pregnant! saw our first sign of life, this morning, was it Nomad our oposition, was it a south American drug smugling vessel? no just a  fishing vessel, James wanted to call them on the radio, you speak english?, what you doing? any tips, can we buy a fish ha ha

 

Nights are interesting and always start off with a few drinks with the lads, be it Gin and tonic, Rum and orange, glass of chardonay or just a plein few cold beers followed by  a sit down dinner and desrt.

 

Then the watches begin and they have not been short of excitment, from driving in 25 knots of breeze with the kite up with no moon and not been able to see your hand in front of your face to sitting flopping at 1 knot listening to the rig thumping and crashing thinking what then other crew members must be thinking while they are trying to sleep while you are driving so shit.

 

Clear starlight skies can change to black squalls in minutes and last night james and i lost all wind instruments and the chart plotter 3 times in an hour, the thought of going back to plotting and navigating the old way at 3 o clock in the morning was not welcomed.

 

Conditions have not been great and the long awaited trade winds I am yet to see, we either have All or fuck ALL, wind shifts are common and for some reason only on my watch, everytime Dave checks my course I am either going to the Caribean or the Antartic, he has nicknamed me Scott of Antartica

 

Enjoy the blog, next update from a bar in Rio.

 

Scott of Antartica

 

Position

 

20 54.12S

33 56 6 W