27 Feb: Weather turning in the Drakes Passage

Position 60 south about 63 west. The Drakes Passage

Alan here: Chris and I now have recovered from our bought of seasickness.
Once again I was first on board to be sick, probably only a couple of hours
into the passage. The swell has been bigger than on the way down so I think
about half of the folks apart from the crew have been sick. A change of
seasickness tablets to Penergan has made a big difference but makes you very
drowsy. Not necessarily a bad thing.

The boat is now swinging though almost ninety degrees on the bigger waves.
We have about 30 to 40 knots of wind from just aft on the starboard side, so
the foresail and mizzen staysail have gone up. These are the front sails on
both masts. We are no longer motoring so a great whoop went up when the
engines were switched off. First time in the boat we have moved without the
engines on. Proper sailing.

The weather is set to deteriorate. We already have sleet driving across the
decks and falling off the sails in large clumps. The barometer is dropping
with our super skipper, Steve talking about 45 to 50 knot of winds. My beau
fort scale is a bit rough but I think that is around Gale Force 10. But our
82 foot yacht has seen much more and as weighs in at 80 tons is very rugged.
Much so that the softies sailing in it.

As I type Alison is struggling to make lunch in a galley that is rolling
wildly. We have already heard plates fall and smash on the floor which is
slick with grease from a previous spillage. Not a fun place to be. Dan came
up from his slumber to unwisely enter the saloon with socks on. The boat
swung wildly, knocking him over and slid around the wooden floor several
times as the waves tossed the boat around.

Sorry for no photos for the other day or for the next couple as, I hope you
can imagine, even just typing this dispatch is tricky enough.