26. 03.09 I woke up and I can’t see wind. I can’t see it!!! a bit later... Oh! The wind is here:) I’m leaving tonight (hopefully before midnight:) ) because it’s Friday tomorrow:) I was running around like crazy. I even scored a radio broadcast – thank you Zac! Hazel took me for a trip around the island at the end of my stay. It is so beautiful, so green, with so much history and... I got some fruit for the journey (mind you that there are no fruit on the island :) ) Hazel has supplies in the freezers of the hotel which cannot be found on store shelves (pears, grapes). Only bread was missing and I decided to go without it. Beggars can’t be choosers, huh? I am going today. 3800 nautical miles and the equator ahead of me. We’ll see how it goes.

a bit later: Hazel came to the shore at the sunset. A beautiful woman, very kind and willing to help – good memories of stay at Saint Helena will be her doing... I watched her as she was . standing there in that beautiful dress, looking at water and waiting for her sweetheart who was supposed to have come back from the sea by then, but there was no news of him... I know what it’s like to be waiting for somebody to come back from the sea... there is a great deal of romanticism in that...   Late in the night: Saint Helena’s anchorage Mosquitoes have eaten me tonight, which probably means that I am not here:) Seriously, I am starting to like it here. The stairs are lit like a ski trail in the night; the rocks are so high and the water so clean that it is full of mahi-mahi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahi-mahi) and even a whale shark (

25.03.09 At last I am here. The island looks nice from the sea. I could not grab a buoy and I had to anchor at 18 meters. I dread to think about how much effort it will take to move the yacht. Formalities took me half a day – go here, go there, buy insurance, go to bank, do this, do that, geez... I am tired, hungry, and I don’t exactly smell nice... Eventually, I met Hazel, a lady from the hotel in the city centre. She allowed me to use her bathtub, but I allowed myself only for a quick shower – too many things left to do. Hazel took me to the laundry; tomorrow I am going to have a fuel supply. I had breakfast, too. There wasn’t much to choose from – tinned tomatoes (I have the same on Tanasza), sausages (although I hadn’t eaten them for a long time, one bite was enough – they were inedible) plus bacon, toast, and eggs, all of them dipped in fat... so I started a yoghurt quest... I’m craving for yoghurt, but there is none on the island... And there will be none...

24.03.09 1700 ZULU time, 70 nautical miles to Saint Helena, 16 35 S; 004 47 W It is said that the island is visible as soon as 60 miles from its shores. I am eagerly looking at the horizon even though I know I will not see anything yet... The first sighting of land is always something big for me, though... I am accompanied by lots of birds and a giant squid lying on my deck. Gross, its tentacles (or whatever it is) got twisted in between the lines and its eye is soooo huge... What am I supposed to do with it now?

17 45S, 003 24 W, 170 nautical miles to the island. Food is a total surprise on Tanasza. I placed bags with food just like I got them and, since then, everyday I have discovered some new marvels. Yesterday, I was tempted by sauerkraut.  I wished I had had fried cabbage but how on earth do you do it? So I fried sauerkraut. It tasted exactly the same but it burnt my tongue. Still, it was better than the huge can I was eating for three previous days. Sometimes, I added horseradish; sometimes,  laksa sauce –this is how I got it over with. Sheer sensation,  really. Let alone when opening some old cans, which no longer have labels, it turns out that instead of  soup I have a pudding for lunch! But who cares? All that matters is that I am making my dream come true! And as soon as in May, thanks to your support, I'll be able to realise Robert's dream as well! I'm so happy! I have taken a look at a book by Jerzy Wąsowicz Spełnione Marzenia (Dreams come true). Jurek, thanks for...

310 nautical miles to the Saint Helen's Island 19 24 S, 001 35 W, 0800 ZULU time, Sunday A noise woke me up. Something fell... I ran up to check what it was and found that my halyard was stuck at the topping lift, which meant troubles... I put the boom into shrouds, climbed the mast over the crosstrees, and nothing... I was a bit upset with the situation – it seems that something always has to happen to me... I climbed down and thought about it while putting on a climbing gear... I wondered what to do in order NOT to have to climb the topmast. I lowered the boom, loosened the topping lift and waved it forwards and backwards so that the halyard twisted around it even more... afterwards I lowered it as much as I could and... barely reached it. Fools are always either lucky or tall, aren’t they? How did the shackle get unscrewed? Unfortunately, I do not have one with a hole in it, and I can't tie it up with a wire or something... and it got unscrewed... I tied another line...

20 12 S; 000 38 W! 380 nautical miles to Saint Helena. At night, I crossed the Prime Meridian. I remember when a long time ago, I went to England to see Cutty Sark. I was standing with one leg on the Western hemisphere and the other on the Eastern.  At that time, I didn't think that one day I would be sailing alone across this line. What's more, I didn't think I'd ever be sailing alone around the world. I was only beginning to learn how to tie a rescue knot then... And today, I'm sailing alone, the meridian hasn't changed its place and I still haven't learnt to tie a rescue knot :) some things change but some always remain the same...

20.03 the spring is so beautiful. Even the sun came out from behind the clouds. The wind calmed down and I am cleaning the mess the bad weather made on the deck. I am trying to rest. Yesterday’s night was just beautiful! I saw a multitude of stars which had been hidden behind clouds before. I just sat in the cockpit and tried to recognise familiar constellations... I woke up at 3 am, stared into the sky for a moment, went down to drink some water. I stopped there and stared at the bottle of water for about a minute, and I thought: “life”. Maybe I’m going crazy or I’ve read too many books by Kapuściński, but I went to sleep thinking that it is so amazing: water and food. Some of us do not even have that and we worry about shoes not matching a new dress (and the wardrobe is full of shoes), or that we need a new car... Let’s think sometimes about those who are dying of dehydration, sometimes in large numbers... (do reflect on it a bit, but not while you can’t finish...

23 01 S, 002 20 E; 600 nautical miles to Saint Helena . I have prepared a list of things to do during my very short stay on the island. If I reach it in the morning, I would like to sail out in the evening... and there’re so many things to do. I’m looking forward to a hot shower, to seeing Napoleon’s memorial place... yesterday it was rain, sun, rain, sun... I was closing and opening the flap over entry hatch over and over. It’s not easy stuff, you know. You have to dig your feet into the ground – once I even slept through a rain cloud, so tired I was... and my sleeping bag got wet again. But I managed to get some hot tinned soup. Pity though that my fixed oven swings a bit to one side and half of the tin’s contents landed on the oven instead of my stomach. The other half got mixed with salt water when I was (again) flooded by a wave. I did not get angry, though. I thought: “How many people got their lunch mixed with Atlantic water today?” The wind seems to be...

 24 18S, 003 27E 700 nautical miles from the Saint Helen’s Island I am struggling a bit because the wind has got stronger recently... It’s been a couple of days like that but yesterday my windy friend exaggerated a bit... I suppose I had managed to forget what it’s like to be wet and tired, and what it feels like when you clench your jaws so hard in effort that it results in a splitting headache afterwards... I also learned the difference between fear and anxiety. There is no problem when I have to go to the bow and check the anchor and the rest. But when I look at the house-sized waves and worry if I will make it through without damage... then it’s different. I met one of such waves in the morning. It was just as high as the crosstree and it flooded the inside of Tanasza, Geez! Everything’s wet; now, maybe THIS is the occasion when I could cook something... eh?

Over a week at sea. I decided it’d be nice to take advantage of such great weather and cook something for the first time since I sailed away... but after giving it a second thought, I ended up eating a sardine sandwich. PS. the hatch flap fell off during a list and hit me in the forehead.

Monday,   26 40 S; 006 16 E, 1200 ZULU TIME.   Everything ok.  

28 05S, 008 21 E ; Running downwind, which means I’m not particularly happy.  I can’t hold the course I would like to stay on, and I have to make some weird manoeuvres like jibing:) When I was in Poland, I got a beautiful lamb – a magnetic thingie. I stuck it to the oven and he “rocks”. It is good to calm down after an intensive shore life. I refuelled (poured fuels from the canister to the fuel tank). I hate doing this but I’d better get used to it since the winds here are so weak. I am “chewing” on a thought of making a stop at Saint Helena, just for one day. What do you think?

1177 nautical Miles to Saint Helena. A stone’s throw away from here:) 29 10 S, 010 11 E, The first flying fish onboard, and a big one! I think I’ll consider eating it for breakfast.  I was unfurling the sails when a reefing line came off the boom pulley and got stuck. I had to go to the boom, lean out a bit and then a wave hit the yacht. I was thrown against a cleat. I hit it so hard with my foot that skin under my ankle came off and it bled. What was I telling myself??? Wear shoes while on deck!  But no, I didn’t! Now I will have a chance to complain a bit, sloppy me! Thank God I have you to complain to:) Speaking of which, my neck still hurts after I was hit on the mainland; what is more, I had a nice LED lamp installed in the middle of the yacht. The place was so well chosen that I hit it with my head every time I pass it. I wonder how long will I stand it before I take it off?

30 06 S 011 37 E Friday, the 13th...You never know what may happen to you... I am praying for the autopilot to work. It’s been making some strange sounds for some time now... or maybe it’s just humming in this slow weather... I don’t see much sun recently and the wind ceases to blow now and then. I’m not sure if I’ve made a good decision of going this far from shore. I am not in the current anymore, but all I have left to do now is to wonder if I did right (It’s a shame that stupidity does not excuse the lack of thinking, isn’t it?). Today, I have read in my calendar that “time moves on, how about you?” well, I do, too – I’ve brushed my teeth, put a beauty mask on my face, made sure the sails are in place... Hey, the sun is coming out!!! Hoorray!!!

1300 ZULU TIME, 3rd day on the sea, 330 miles away from shore. My position 31 24 S; 012 39 E “I’m doing” 110 miles per day on average – the wind cannot decide whether to blow or not... I can see the Moon in the night, southern waves have calmed, the water surface has smoothed. I read somewhere yesterday that to love means to live. Well, you do miss others while at sea, but loneliness is not the same as longing... Solomon once said: “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back then it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it means it was never yours”. I got a bit sad today. Hence, I tried to busy my thoughts, and I searched for some chocolate to cheer myself up. This is how my supply of eggs went overboard. I must’ve broken one of them somehow – when I opened the sealed egg box I smelled stench which must’ve been smelt in Cape Town as well.

32 46S 015 04E 0700 ZULU TIME There were awfully many ships on the first night. Today only a few. I checked weather with one of them – it is to remain without changes for a few days... How is it at the moment? Yesterday, after I wrote that I have sun, it hid behind clouds, the air became damp and foggy, and it does not change at all. The wind is varied, 5 to 18 knots, changing all the time. I have no idea how to set sails so that I could take a nap and Tanasza could go ahead steadily. I place additional fuel at the bow (I had nowhere else to put it) and the yacht is a bit heavy at the front end. I know, the weight should be at the stern since I am going by the wind. I moved away from land and I am heading for Saint Helens Island. I am not staying there, though. Hopefully, my philosophy teacher will forgive me :)

017 03 E, 0700 ZULU TIME Sun, 15 knots, SSE direction Oh, how happy I am to be at the sea again!!! Southern Africa was miraculous and people were wonderful. I am grateful to everyone for their help and kindness. I would recommend Royal Cape Yacht Club to anyone. I will always remember the view which I had in front of my eyes when I passed the port heads. And the tremendously beautiful Table Mountain. Cape Town itself is one of the nicer large cities which I have seen. I had to climb the mast twice just before sailing out. Sławek brought me the rest of my shopping which I had no time for before; I was visited by friends from s/y “NOMAD” – Wolf and Doris (I saw them last time at the Cocos Islands); Ivan Fauconnier (yes, dad of that famous French sailor) made me a copy of data about the way ahead of me, and about the Caribbean themselves. My hands are a bit “fresh”, they ache from cables; I need to get used to the rhythm once again – I have about 50 days at sea...

  It was the last time I’ve slept safely tied to the shore. I’m setting off today. Just a few remaining things to do at the yacht that I didn’t do yesterday because of the strong wind. I’m going to eat breakfast in a moment, talk to my family, take the last hot shower and... go, Natasza, go!!!

  my goodness, I got so many wishes for the Women’s Day! And I imagined no one would think of me like that if I’m so dirty-handed (maintenance, you know...), barefoot, in an old and filthy T-shirt, my hair tangled by the wind. It was right yesterday that I was walking like that on the newly-renovated jetties in the marina, so hypnotized with the “tapping” sound that my thoughts took me to the ocean, and I passed Tanasza, not noticing her at all. Good for me that I have realized that the jetty is not endless before it was too late. God, I nearly laughed my head off after that!

  Unfortunately, despite all my work at night, the maintenance works haven’t finished yet, which means I won’t be able to sail out today. Gosh, I really tried hard!!! I would go tomorrow, but they say the weather isn’t going to be good. Monday it is, then!

  It was only 4pm. when I got to know when the yacht is going to be ready, and the workers didn’t leave “my place” until 7. Packing and attaching the fuel in the dark is not an easy task, is it? I’m doing my best to sail out tomorrow. Sławek has brought water, Jadzia came with fresh fruit and vegetables, and I’m going to work all night long in order to sort out all the stuff that got delayed because of the works on the yacht.  

I’m preparing to sail out, but the works going on at the yacht are a bit disturbing. Jadzia brought the food today, she’s just incredible! The Polish community chipped in for it, and she organized everything, even though it’s sweltering here (35 centigrade!). We’re leaving fruit and vegetables for the very last day. I’m checking weather today, time to go, I can hear the Caribbean calling!

  Yesterday, I was visited by Marek Kolański (a consul) with his wife in the late evening.  We spoke about their work in the Republic of South Africa and about “Cruise with Natasza 2”. I spent the entire following day at the film set – the last one. It was very nice since all guys there were just lovely.

  Today I sailed my yacht back to Cape Town. And do you know what? The whale I saw 2 days ago turned out to be a rock, not a whale!!! I am ashamed! But it did look perfect:) On second thought, though, it acted a bit weird – it didn’t want to dive :)

I did not realise before how many people have to work so that we can watch programmes on the TV. I have met many people, including many inhabitants of the surrounding neighbourhood. I observed with pleasure how they knew each reef or underwater rock, and how accurately they could  predict weather change. I was surrounded by people all day – how different from being alone out on the ocean? So much emotions and work, yet, an amazing experience!

  The wind blew with the top speed of 70 miles per hour in the marina where Tanasza is harboured, can you imagine that??? waves went over the breakwaters – it was totally white, like in a blizzard. I went to the marina just to say goodbye to a friend. I gave her fresh fruit and books. She wrote to me later that she felt happy that she had someone to wave goodbye. I met my friends in the afternoon at Jadwiga Dupla’s. It was very nice, it always is.  

My sleeping mattress got totally crumpled and I have an impression that I am sleeping on the floor. Well, I do sleep on the floor but waking up with your entire body aching is no good – I need a new mattress. Since the morning I was busy filming. A lot is going on around me, all of it totally new to me, but I am happy since a part of my earnings will go to the charge of “Against the Odds” foundation – so that he may take part in “Cruise with Natasza 2”.

I woke up when it was still dark in order to prepare my yacht.  The wind usually calms down in the morning so I was able to unfurl the mainsail and check if everything was OK. It was, so I sailed do Hout Bay to take pictures. The bay is very nice, totally surrounded by mountains. I have seen many seals, dolphins and a whale on my way. I had wind in the face and sailing wasn’t very comfortable, but Tanasza did well. I had the impression that she felt relieved when she left marina and sailed to open sea. I had a chance to check everything – one shroud is a bit loose, the rest is fine.

  A TV team visited me – we will be making some nice material. We had a few meetings so far in order to get to know each other a bit and talk about the details. It is a world which I do not know but it’s nice to see people who are so engrossed in their work... They are completely focused on what they do, and they do what they love.