Noon Position, 11 UTC:

20°21S 000°23'E

SOG 7 knots , about.....

COG: 274°

LS

It is beginning to look a tradewinds... We even saw the sun again, and, those puffy clouds that are so characteristic for the area can be made out against a background of grey, with occasional blue. I already managed to get sunburnt on my ears, so we are heading in the right direction.

Because we have hope of nice weather, more suitable for painting than anything until the ship comes out of the antarctic, people are sighted with scraping irons and heat-guns. Nat has gotten help with keeping all these enthusiastic scrapers in line from Famke. She is now acting second bosun, so that we can make the most of the weather.

Vive le Tonkinois!

Hans

PS: between the time of the position and the writing of this report, we have crossed the meridian of Greenwich and are now on the Western Hemisphere!