Windy

2 February 2024

Windy

Now that the Darwin leaders are off board, there is more time for maintenance. Much technical maintenance, like changing oil or overhauling a pump, we had already done last week, but now we can make some noise. So we are outside chipping, sanding and painting small or bigger rust spots everywhere. We are also taking down some blocks for some extra attention and replacing a halyard. We’ve also had our magnetic compass, which had become quite unreliable here in the southern hemisphere, compensated again. Supplies on board have now been replenished and the freezers and shelves are full again. Only we need to take some white wine and fresh vegetables on board next week.

Today is another one of those days with ridiculously high windspeed. Painting is impossible in 50 knots of wind, it’s not just the paint blowing off your brush, but the brush itself almost blowing out of your hand! In itself, we are well anchored here, on the windward shore. But at that kind of wind speed, the pressure on the rigging is so great that the anchors can drag. To prevent this, we have put 150 metres of chain on both anchors. For now it is holding, thankfully. But the peak of this storm is yet to come, according to Windy, which makes surprisingly good forecasts for this area.