12/04/16 06:00utc
Lat 39 09S
Lon 014 15W
Wind SW Bft 2
Weather Clear night sky
Air 10,5 C
Water 14,5 C

After 8 days of high winds on the high seas, this morning only a force 2 remains. We've left the roaring forties (for now), sails are hardly bellowing and only the rolling of the ship on the
abiding swell reminds us the high winds of the Southern Ocean are still close. There is nothing swell about a swell. Swells have a tendency to travel much further than the wind which formed the waves.

This is uncomfortable at the moment but a real problem for our next stop: Tristan da Cunha. Landing on the island is “weather permitted” and to be more exact “wave height permitted”. We received a high wave warning for the 14th and 15th of April; now the dilemma of the modern traditional sailor: are we going to proceed "under sail only" with the chance we can only look at the island, or make use of our "auxiliary engines" to make sure we arrive in time to visit the island.

All is well, and to prevent any mutinous thoughts of our trainees we start the caterpillars.

ps while writing the last sentence one of the voyage crew, Huge Havelaar, walks in the wheelhouse and casually asks me if I'm filing a mutiny report of some sort...eerie