Chapter 3 - d: Saturday 3rd March - Logged 124 miles

Another show-down this morning on the 01.00-04.00h watch, between the skipper and Juan.  The Skipper, observing the tell-tale compass in his bunk caught Juan off his course 45º to the north on three separate occasions and bawled him out.  Don't know what the reason is but Juan told me afterwards, when I took over from him, that the wind had died down and he bore away to maintain steerage way, rather than "Penelope" should stop completely.  The skipper denies this and says it is an excuse for bad steering caused either by lack of concentration power or a complete lack of interest in the ship's destination and safety.  Maybe we shall have to take Juan off steering at night and put him permanently in the galley.  In this case the skipper and I would have to take all the night watches.

During lunch time we saw a flock of about twelve Cape birds, the first indication that we are approaching Africa (320 miles as the crow flies to Cape Town at noon).  They met and fraternised with our two faithful's: - "Dopey", a brown albatross which never takes the food we throw it, but which has followed us for the last three weeks, and "Blackie" a petrel which has been with us since very shortly after leaving Rio.  He circles around us even at night, when we see him sometimes silhouetted against the moon and follow us, evidently, just for the fun of it.  The albatross seems to disappear at night.  We think he sleeps on the water.

Later in the afternoon we almost ran down three white bellied killer whales.  15/20 feet, estimated 3 tons each:-

The skipper thinks they have come to have a look at us, thinking we might be another whale, and therefore, prey.  He dashed below for the movie camera but they turned tail and sounded immediately, just a few meters from "Penelope".

We have not yet "smelt" africa and hope we don't too soon, as this would probably mean an off-shore wind, the last thing we want right now.

Trolling for fish.  No Catch.

Chapter 3 - c: Friday 2nd March - Logged 129 miles

At 07:00h 500 miles from Cape Town.

During lunch we caught our second fish, a small (+16lbs) tunny which we shall eat immediately, although we still have quite a lot of tunny No.1 preserved in olive oil, which will feep for some time still.

Launched bottle No. 6, with cork and orange stopper in

Lat. 33 08'S
Long. 9 00'E

The noon position put us considerably up to the North, as we had experienced a 40 mile set since noon yesterday.  Heading, as we are to a zone of contrary winds and the probable adverse effects of the aftermath of the Agulhas current we put about on to the starboard tack, to steer a SE'ly course.

Both the British Admiralty Sailing Directions and the U.S. Navy Pilot chart insist that Cape Town must be approached, by eastbound sailing vessels, from the South West, and we are, at the moment in a most unfavourable position to do this.  The Agulhas current sweeps westwards round the Cape of Good Hope, from Durban to Cape Town at a rate of as much as 100 miles a day, then continues, joined by Benguela current, up the coast of South West Africa.  This is a factor which affects us very seriously.  After Cape Horn the Cape of Good Hope is possibly the most dangerous coast in the world for approaching sailing vessels.

We had had no opportunity so far to get sufficiently far South, partly due to adverse winds and partly through Juan's steering at night which is abominable.  He doesn't seem able to concentrate on the wheel at all.

News (WARNING: SPOILER): a letter sharing love about Penelope Elle

Dear Mr. Frank Aldridge,

I am Francisco O. Martins, and, as I think you already know, I met Your father when he arrived to Lourenço Marques ( actual Maputo ), Moçambique, sailing The Ketch Penelope Elle.
I met him and his wife, together with my father that was at the time the leader of the so called Portuguese Youth Organization.
This Organization had a Sailing School Department so to say, and it was agreed with your father, that Penelope Elle could be used by this Sailing School, that in compensation would take care of her and see to her proper conservation until such time when your father would decide differently.
In fact major reconditioning and conservation work was carried on immediately and  I , together with my Sailing School colleges enjoyed many, many hours of sound sailing on Penelope in the LM bay ( see attached picture ).

Years later and after a missed attempt to sail her back to France ( fire on board and problems with crew to my knowledge ), she was sold to Mr. Eckie Eksteen ( South African pharmacist ), and sailed back to LM from Port Elizabeth  ( were the trip had ended ). Being a great admirer of Penelope Elle together with my colleague Mário Crespo, we were given the responsibility to take good care of her in the name of her new owner, including sailing her frequently down to Durban and back, and we did so until 1970. We lived so many good moments and adventures in Penelope Elle, that, now retired, I and Mário Crespo ( one of today’s leading pivots in the private portuguese TV station SIC ), decided to try and recollect the history of this beautiful ketch, for which we can add a lot of stories and hopefully pictures as well.

We are not trying to write a book, nor do we intend to make any profit out of this idea. It is simply a “ love affair”  with  Penelope Elle. Can you help us?
We will share with you, Adele Aldridge, Gayle Remish, or anyone you point out to us, all the stories and pictures we will be able to collect.

Penelope Elle was ”abandoned” by her owner following the controversial independence movement in Moçambique ( I had already left LM), and unfortunately it seems that she sunk in the LM bay, at her mooring, near the Matola village ( far end of LM bay). I have people in Moçambique trying to collect concise  information on the last years of Penelope.

Hope that you can help us, namely with some photos, pieces of her history, or whatever you think appropriate.
I will keep in touch,
Please accept my Kind Regards,

Francisco Oliveira Martins

Chapter 3 - b: Thursday 1st March - Logged 115 miles

In the absence of a spinner we have arranged a (double) tunny hook on the end of the troll line, and a "bait of orange and white horse hair.

Made porridge for breakfast.

Continued running the Easting down, averaging nearly 5 knots.

600 miles from Cape Town.

Both Oliver and I have lost considerable weight on this trip, albeit for different reasons.  My own loss amounts to approximately 15lbs, due to unaccustomed exercise.  In spite of the fact that one gets no walking exercise at all the body is consciously and subconsciously resisting the motion of the ship, the whole time, even when one is asleep.  This, coupled with pure air to fill ones lungs and the lack of the normal preoccupations for the somewhat unbalanced diet at sea.

It is strange to hear no telephones and no motor horns for week after week.  Quite a rest for the nerves.

Trolling for fish.  No catch.

Chapter 2 - ab: Wednesday 29th February - Logged 91 miles

Last night we had an explosion in the galley.  Porridge jammed the safety-valve of the pressure cooker and when the lid was released it flew off, spattering hot porridge all over the bulkheads, deckhead, deck and various kitchen utensils.  The galley looked rather like the aftermath of a Laurel & Hardy custard-pie throwing bout.  It is strange that the pressure cooker affects the aneroid barometer.  When the valve is opened the barometer drops, usually a couple of points.  No doubt the instrument is too near the stove.

At 01.00h today we were 700 miles from Cape Town.

A heavy Southwesterly swell has been building up for the last day or two, which makes steering difficult, particularly with a following wind.  "Penelope", or any other boat of her size for that matter, is apt to lose a lot of the wind in the troughs, which makes her roll heavily.  As in the gale on the night of 23 February, the height from trough to crest was approximately the height of our mastheads.

Steering with the wind aft involves the serious possibilities of jibing and broaching to, on which the skipper has given us some timely lectures.  Jibing in the heavy sea at best would mean torn sails and gear, and a lot of water on deck and might, in the worst analysis, even cause dismasting.  "Broaching-to" can happen either after a jibe or, on the contrary, if the boat planes along the top of the seas too quickly, when the seas are travelling faster than the craft.  She may lose steerage way, come up into the wind suddenly, broadside on to the swell when the first big roller will land on her deck - 10 or 15 tons of water - with a bang.  If the hatchway to the cabin is open, as it usually is by day, then all this mass of water will fall below.  Such treatment has, in the past caused vessels to founder.

At lunch time, the wind having slackened, somewhat, Juan at the wheel, let the sails get aback - at the wheel, let the sails get aback - the beginning of a jibe.  The skipper simply roared at him and he sat there, seemingly petrified.  The man nearest the wheel grabbed it and swung the helm hard over.  Fortunately it was not too late to bring "Penelope" round, but had the wind been stronger anything might have happened.  The skipper is very worried about Juan's apparent recklessness and unconcern regarding important details of the sailing, especially on the night watches.  Juan seems to think the skipper is a fussy old man and that he himself knows best.  An awkward situation.

We were eating a delicious dish of curried tunny and rice, with onions, potatoes, raisins and a bottle of J. Sherwood& Co's "Green Label" sweet sliced mango chutney at the time.  The dish had been prepared at Oliver's request, but he was unfortunately unable to enjoy it due to "Penelope's" vicious roll.