Page 75

26 April 2001

The wind's stable and I have around 900 miles left, under a third of the way, and just as well. It's getting a it "trivial". It is however still an amazing(/a fantastic) feeling just sailing away. You get up when you wake up and do all the things you need to do in the course of the day - not much I must admit(/say), besides keeping yourself alive, eating a little, etc. and then apart from that just sailing, sailing, sailing, sailing and sailing.

There are incredible amounts of water on earth(/in the world) and the only way of really knowing how much there are is by trying to be here yourself. I for one now know. Damn it there's a lot of water out there.

I lost (yet) another hook/forerunner. It's a good thing that the forerunners are homemade. Otherwise this would have begun to be costly(/a costly affair). Gradually(/By now) I feel like fishing with a wire. I would like to see what size (of) fish can snap(/break) a 50 kilogram line that easily.

I am - and I know I have mentioned it before - immensely happy about(/for) my windpilot. It steers(/is doing the steering) day in and day out. Well, actually week in and week out. I haven't touched the windpilot for 17 days and the only thing I have done with the boat or the sails is that I have had them reefed (in) about a week ago. I'm just a passenger on board Trojka and I feel (just) fine about it.


30 April 2001

Now there's(/I have) 540 miles left. The wind disappeared yesterday and I have been drifting a bit. My rolling foresail loosened itself at the top so I had to make a trip to the mast. It's possible with(/if you've got) mast steps but it's no pleasure that's for sure. It was rocking(/rolling) fiercely and I had a hard time holding on up there and several times I thought that NOW I'm going to fall in the water, but I succeeded.

Unbelievably (enough), I have still got oil left on the cooker. This morning I made (myself) pancakes. I love peanut butter on my pancakes so I made plenty, so I'm having it(/I'll have some) for supper also(/too).

One of the small swallows paid me a visit. Its bill was hanging(/It is down in the mouth) but is delighted to eat the oatmeal I had left from this morning. It doesn't look (to be) injured or sick but wants to lie in my forepit, so I'm letting it.


1 May 2001

I had five big(/large) flying fish (lying) inside my cockpit this morning and decided to eat a couple of them raw. You can forget about (just) that - They taste(/It tastes) bloody awful (when they're) raw. Then I took the biggest one of them and buried(/put) a giant hook (100 mm.) in it. Then I tied a 50 kilogram line to it and threw it out there(/overboard). Five minutes later the line snapped. Now I only have smaller three hooks left.

I gave one of the flying fish to "Pedro" (that's the swallow), but it doesn't look as if(/like) it knows what to do about(/with) it. I had sliced the fish(/cut the fish up) but I guess it just prefers a bit of (oat)meal so that's what its getting. (Well, edit) As long as I don't have to cook(/make) porridge it'll be all right.

It is 6:30 p.m. and my GPS tells(/informs) me that there are 422 miles left, and with(/by) the current speed I am (due) to arrive at Hiva Oa in 99.35 hours.

I woke up at around 3 o'clock(/AM) from hearing an engine getting very close(/closing in)!!! And right in front of Trojka, just 150 metres away, the rear(/back) end of a container ship. Apparently they didn't see me, me not having any lights on (and all, edit), but should appear on a radar, if it's on that is. Food for thought, hhhmmm.

I celebrated by making myself a good old-fashioned cup of coffee in the middle of the night. Usually I always drink powder coffee but thought that THIS was worth celebrating. So I sat in(side) the cockpit for an hour or so, enjoying life. When I went back to the(/my) berth I fell asleep straight away(/immediately).

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From Esbjerg, Denmark to Tahiti aboard a Junker 22