03 Nov - Heading South
Date: Sunday 03 November 2002
Position @ 1200 (UTC): 47° 36'N 007° 31'W - approximately half way across the Bay of Biscay.
Next destination: Montevideo
ETA: 23rd November 2002
Distance to go: 5691 NM
Total Distance Sailed this Season: 634.8 NM
Wind: W'ly Force 7
Barometric pressure: 1015.0 mb
Sea state: Rough
Air temperature: 15.5°C.
Sea temperature: 14.9°C.
I try, whenever possible, not to make this a personal diary. This week is going to be slightly different, as the page is short in content and all for personal reasons.
The past twenty four hours or so have not been very nice onboard with the vessel pitching and rolling merrily into rough seas. Whilst one who does not enjoy these motions, I normally suffer them as best I can. That was until this morning when I was sea-sick for the first time in ten years! Needless to say this is not inspiring me to write a great deal.
The loading of cargo continued throughout the week with the final items being squeezed into the main hold late on Thursday afternoon. With the ship being secure for sea the Pilot boarded and we moved off the berth just after 2000. The image here shows the main hold filling with cargo for the bases. Click the image for a larger version. |
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Our initial passage was across the dock to a specially designated berth where we had three small packages of explosives to load. These were quickly hoisted onboard and then we lined up for the lock gates and our passage to Montevideo was about to begin.
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Containers will be loaded on the hatches for the journey to the Falkland Islands, where some of our cargo will be taken off to go on RRS James Clark Ross for her visit to Rothera station later in the month. Here the image shows the main hatch finally being closed. Click the image to enlarge it. |
Once out of Immingham Docks and the short passage to the mouth of the River Humber, the vessel then turned to starboard and followed the coast of England around to the Dover Straits and onto the English Channel. Once out of the Channel course was then set to take us down the French coast and into the Bay of Biscay, complete with some rough seas to help it live up to its reputation.
Once through the Bay and into deeper water it is hoped that we will see an improvement in the weather and seas and enjoy a good passage south.
MEPG
3rd November 2002
