Hello Everyone Well, we have been at sea for four days now, after leaving St. Helena on Monday afternoon. Our fridge looks much more sparse now, than when we left South Africa. We could not get much in the way of fresh fruit and veg. in St. Helena- no potatoes, carrots, green vegetables, tomatoes. The only fresh produce we could buy was lettuce, cucumbers (the biggest ones I have ever seen!), onions, butternut and tiny, local bananas. No yoghurt or honey either. Our pilot books tell us that it is even worse in the Cape Verdes. Anyway, it gives us the opportunity to eat through the canned food and ready meals we have in store.
It is sad to note that the Atlantic Ocean seems much more barren than the Indian and Pacific Oceans. We saw a pod of dolphins and caught two tuna in the shallows just around St. Helena, but other than that, we have seen very few flying fish, no birds, no dolphins, nada, nunca, nothing! There are not even any ships out here and other than a few we saw near Cape Town, heading for Walvis Bay in Namibia, we have seen none. So that leaves us alone here, with our little disc of blue and, of course, the beautiful starry sky at night. The Southern Cross is getting low in the sky now. Soon it will disappear and when we cross the equator, we will begin to see Polaris, the star which always tells you where north is.
We are back in our routine- the boys play backgammon each day, we watch a movie each afternoon, reading, Spanish lessons, cooking, etc… Dimitri says-we were only 2 hrs out of St Helena. Earlier, John had noted a large Dolphin fish near the boat and tried to lure it on my light rod (no lack of ambition there!) It took the lure as did another fish, but John couldn't keep them hooked. Anyway he set the lines as we left the mooring, & 2 hrs later his rod was buzzing. He slowly hauled in a large Tuna. While he was busy, I checked our trolling line, and hauled in a slightly smaller tuna too! (about 15 kg & 10 kg) We identified them as albacore tuna (Large eyes & pectoral fins), which stay on continental shelves and come in these (for large tuna) small sizes. We had anticipated this catch, and out came the Wasabi and Soy. The very fresh Sashimi was the best I have ever had and unlimited! John had seen a San (bushman) hunting video, and so took a leaf out their book and apologised to the fish prior to there end, reassuring them we would eat them! Since then we have had a serve of griddle-fried fish, and a great fish curry (Arti actually followed the recipy!) Still have 6 meals!
We have had to zigzag, so are making slow but sure progress. HF contact is difficult with Maputo on sail mail. We get a signal, but the ALWAYS busy! As a result, other than position reports, contact is sparodic. 140 miles to the Equator. I am looking forward to seeing the Red line in the ocean!
Love to all Arti & Dimitri
No comments:
Post a Comment