Day 4, Drake Passage Southbound

0715Z 17JAN22, Day 4, Drake Passage.
Current Position: 62 27S / 065 22W
24 hour progress: 133nm, 5.5kts avg SOG. Overall progress for the passage is 502nm, approximately 130nm to landfall. Sailing close hauled, 3 reefs in the main, full genoa.

Day 4 continued just like it started. We had 24 hours of sailing hard, as close hauled as we can manage, bashing into big seas. Close hauled is a tough point of sail - you are heeled over and pounding into the waves. Cooking, really doing anything below, is challenging. Basically you hang on for the ride on the freight train. Day 5 looks to be much of the same. We are pressing on and resting the best we can while off watch. The boys continue to stand a little watch which also helps.

The weather was overcast and gray. And cold. Cold outside, but also cold inside. The sea temperature is just above freezing and the air a few degrees above that. We are looking forward to getting the anchor down and the heater going. Everything is cold and damp!

It appears that we have around another day to get to Melchior, longer to get to Pitt but those angles just don't seem possible. We are already doing all we can and pointed just slightly south of Melchior.

We are all well aboard and getting excited for our arrival in Antarctica. We are looking forward to seeing what day 5 brings.

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