With winds easing, then increasing, wind shifts etc. we turned the engines on and off several times, set sail, took down sail, braced - it kept us busy! Indeed, we're clearly not in the trades anymore, where it can take days before you have to even touch a sail.

Clear skies

Here, we're back in the latitudes of frontal systems, highs and lows passing and shaping the wind and weather for us. Lucky for us, we've enjoyed beautifully clear and sunny days for the past week. Let's see how long our fortune with the weather gods lasts! Some of our trainees are hoping for a roughty toughty storm to come our way - just for the experience! 

Rythm

We are in the roaring forties (commonly strong winds between the latitude of 40 to 50° S), so fierce conditions should be expected. For the time being, we're quite happy with the mild force 3 to 4 Beaufort of the day's wind speed average. Air temperature has dropped to around 15 °C at noon (clearly colder at night!) and the rhythm on board has changed: a lot less maintenance (alas still some jobs in the rigging to gear it up for the furious fifties and shrieking sixties..), more time is spent indoors and also the talks have shifted from white board explanations on deck to PowerPoint in the lounge.

Day off

Today Bert showed a beautiful presentation on his experiences during 3 Antarctic trips aboard the Europa. As a true wildlife and photography enthusiast, he had lovely shots and interesting information to share with us. Jules gave a lecture on the marine science of the Southern Ocean, the sea we are sailing currently. She explained how this system works with its currents, winds, nutrient distribution and also its major role in shaping our earth's climate!

During the 8 o'clockie Harko announced the good news of a night off for our trainees and a ship's Sunday the following day for crew.Off to the bar then!