Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 14 September 2008
Satphone relay 09.00z 14/09/08
They've got the kite up. Though not enough wind to run Lizzie. So satphone until there is.
Best Speedy.
POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 10:22
For Pat Hahn
Yo Pat! - I know it's fanciful, but if you could hop on a plane to Falmouth and help us celebrate an achievement that you had a huge part in creating it would be more than kinda nice. Bring some of that new brew - and just think, you could go bother Megan in Germany on the way!
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POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 03:44
5148 02132 Stages of the moon
Some of you may remember my Bering Sea sunset, between the superpowers and behind the Diomedes - dramatic and beautiful and there was the moon setting it all off on the opposite end of the northern horizon.
Just like tonight, but without the drama and at the almost opposite side of the Earth. Gentle sunset behind a bank of wispy cloud low in the west - pale pale pinkish sky - and the moon hanging above the eastern horizon as a tissue paper disc almost invisible in the ambient light. An hour or so later, the eastern sky was a deep bluish grey and the moon had turned golden - blue and gold in the night sky - brilliant light and only one visible star directly above. Golden reflection on the still steepish rolling waves - unusual and striking.
And now it's all gone normal silver again, with misty glow - not a halo - and some first mag stars just visible. Wow! Crumpled tinsel reflections and birds in silhouette.
Hoonster man - any chance you could join us for an ale in St Mary's?? Else, if you don't make Falmouth, I'll come a looking once I've sorted Berri's winter arrangements there. Won't fly out for at least a couple of weeks, maybe a month, depending. Then, maybe, I will deliver some carefully preserved beer to Pascal to celebrate inspiration and initiative. Impossible that this entire idea has come together and almost gone in less than a year - this time last year I was working on the LSU Symposium presentation and funking standing on my back legs with Pete in front of all those super achievers.
Ain't life odd?
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POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 03:13
McQ: Marvellous!!...onward to the North West Passage (!!!)
Well, if I had a runcible spoon I'd definitely be able to eat with it tonight!! The ocean under the moon is a really bright sparkly silver. Infact there is so much light that despite the stars too it feels more day than some of the days we have over the recent days!!! It is very, very lovely!!! And its 20 past 11 in the evening and I was expecting the wind to have eased of to around fifteen knots around now, from the last grib we had, so its also a bonus that we are still storming along in 18-20knots of breeze... even more lovely!!!
And so it seems we are off to the Scillies- a wise move I think, since we are passing close by anyway and we can get the engine fixed and time things into Falmouth for fans/paparazzi/tides at Lizard/daylight/winning ETA comps etc, and if we mis- time then we will hopefully have a working engine to help us re-time...
So, with 595 miles to the Scillies (funnily enough we have to go through the 'North West Passage' if we attempt to go in from this side!!! Ironic or what??) thats less than a Fastnet or a Hobart!!!!
Marvellous!!!
SO ETA for Scillies this week sometime (Wed? Thurs?) and ETA for Falmouth, probably Sunday afternoon, or maybe Saturday afternoon... or maybe another day totally, we shall see!!!
Lots of love
McQ xxx
PS I am very much looking forward to my welcome home dinner in the Three Chimneys, hint hint mum!!!
pps mum again, I will wave at all the planes overhead tomorrow and hopefully you will wave back!! xxx
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POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 03:13