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.
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