The skirts
Route. Yesterday we were discussing it. That we were lucky with our choices regarding the route. I attribute that choice to Peter Kwakkelstein. The erudite poet from Middelie who always delights me with his interest in people and his thoughtful eloquence. Eloquence is one thing, providing someone with good advice is another. Good advice could easily come from an erudite source. He did it unnoticed. He gave me a book. A book with a dusty and moldy appearance. As if it were a very old book. The last grain race. That's what it was about. With the last large square-rigged clippers. Written by someone who has made this journey. A Dutchman. The book is still by my bed. With a personal note in it. From Peter. Before I had read the book, we were still planning to take the route around Cape Horn. But when I finished the book it seemed more advisable to take the skirt route.
That is a route where you walk naked on deck and only have nice trade winds of a maximum of 15-20 knots. Under those conditions, more people want to sail with you than under the conditions you encounter on the South Pacific. It is also much safer. Not many people sail around Cape Horn. Apparently fewer people than climb Mount Everest. So we did it differently.
Along the east coast and north coast of Australia, across the Indian Ocean under South Africa to the South Atlantic Ocean and north to home. If we had been on the southern Pacific Ocean with those rudder problems, we would have had to sail 1.5 times as far before we could perhaps have found a solution in South America and probably not even found one. Everything is much scarcer there than in the 'civilized' world. That whole journey is bizarrely far removed from the comforts of a well-oiled consumer machine that we usually live in. Ordered today, delivered tomorrow.
Our rudder reduction box would not have been repaired as quickly as it could have been on La Reunion. The bearings were ordered in France and were installed three days later. And the new emergency rudder tiller was also ready fairly quickly. Imagine if you had that misery on the big ocean. Where is the nearest station with people in it ISS? And where no rescue service will go to help you. It's like you're on your way to the moon in a spaceship and a part breaks.
So thanks Peter. From the South Atlantic Ocean, 24 miles from the equator, where we sail north with 16 knots of wind. Not in the nude, but with damn nice weather. And a sailing ship with surprisingly few problems. More.
Now just pay some attention to the cosmetic aspect of the ship...
Greetings Ton and Mark
