21st And, wasn’t I right? Even Robert Krasowki has admitted that I’m indeed unlucky when it comes to the weather… but as the saying goes “unlucky at cards, lucky in love”, isn’t that true? (I’m oh so eloquent and that comparison is oh so witty), All in all, it’s understandable that we can’t have everything or always everything that we want. I helmed a little bit with the sails wing to wing, but my efforts were all for nothing, at this pace I will be admiring this Indian Ocean for the next few days… Once, I had to go down inside so I switched on the autopilot adjusting the sails properly to the north-east wind direction, and when I was back in literally a minute, I found the wind blowing from south-east. The yacht turned around uncontrollably and I lost the boom vang. That’s not good. Have you ever been a mailman? I have been a mailman today. A letter flew with me from Poland, by Chile, Australia to Papua in New Guinea and later on it sailed with me...

 20th I’m running downwind, OBVIOUSLY. Couldn’t it just blow properly, as forecasted, once in a while? Why does it have to be me? I have never struggled so hard with sails in my life. The wind blows from different directions, once from the east and then again from the south-east or north-east. Once it’s 5 knots, and then increases up to 15, just to calm down completely to 0 after a while. Sometimes the sea doesn’t move at all and sometimes there is a current. It goes like that, on and on. I couldn’t even dream of a better lesson of sailing and patience… Setting the sails is not easy (I have to be careful not to pull the boom out :). Unfortunately, the halyard keeps catching on the extra steps on the mast, and the reef pendant got tangled, and there is a problem with the capstan, which I have covered and can’t fully turn the handle around… You have to slave away at that (but when I grow up I will buy myself this short handle for kabestan and I will be the man.)...

19th A little progress. A bird, but such a cute one! It was flying around the yacht for hours. It was so pretty, one of those who don’t flap their wings but sway from side to side… (How come he doesn’t get bored). Yet, you can’t do everything with only one hand :) and because of the finger which is not healing well, I grab ropes differently… new corns form in new places… it hurts. Have you heard about what’s going on near Somalia?? That’s daylight robbery, unbelievable, and now every ship instead of taking the Suez Canal will sail towards Cape of Good Hope – it will get crowded :) but I think it’s so much better to fight against the weather then with human unkindness…    

18th Today, I’ve seen one of the most beautiful sunrises ever… wind stopped blowing completely (because in my case wind always blows in the face or there is no wind at all). A whale was swimming near the yacht for quite a while, the ocean was breathing – waving slightly… it’s midday and I am still under the impression of the morning!!! I was overtaken by a yacht (they are much bigger and have fuel :)). We had a little chat and decided to go out for a beer together, in Durban. Out of this happiness, probably for the first time, I decided to very politely but firmly remind the tanker that I have a priority in here, and I’m not going to change the course because I don’t have enough fuel (I’m saving to enter the harbour) and I have very little wind and If that’s not a problem :) maybe he could change the course and withdraw behind my stern… I was smiling to myself after this conversation. That was cheeky.  The yachts sailing the same direction as I am, use the...

17th With full sail and full engine I can go… nowhere. I have a counter current, and turning the bow around (because the wind, like always, blows right into my face) I just get the opposite result. I was fighting as I was promised the change of wind direction by the forecast… eventually there wasn’t a lot of fuel left so I laid the ship to drift. So I’m drifting like that towards Madagascar… How nice it sounds :) Aha, exactly, I’ve forgotten about the event of the day. Who cares about storm :). When I was fighting like that after sleepless night, drifting fishing boat, by a hair’s breadth, bumped into my ship!! There’s nothing wrong with your ears… that’s right. It was drifting out there and almost smashed me. I’m still in shock because only thanks to the fact that I went out to have a look around and stepped on it, we managed to avoid the collision. My legs were shaking out of fear and I think I was praying for the engine not to fail… what kind of idiotic...

16th Waiting is what I hate most... I have a squid on the deck but I find it repulsive to get rid of it… I have never experienced such heavy clouds and squalls in my life… There were dolphins around my yacht, but such “normalities” don’t have to be mentioned anymore, do they?  I’ve got so bruised all over today, this cartoon “Neighbours” has sprang to my mind, have you seen it?; first I scalded my finger with a pot, then a wave threw me at a cupboard, next I got scorched with a tip of the energy converter, and later on… a fan belt stopped working. Wonderful, isn’t it?   You’d ask what’s wrong that I always have problems with it… To make a long story short, those pulleys on which it’s adjusted  have slight bulges as they are not new anymore. Because of that, the belt wears out. Together with the heat coming of the engine and the fumes, it creates such tar that if you had to walk into the “power plant” you would go out totally smudged all...

15/11/08, 630 miles towards South Africa  Safari… I have already been dreaming about it… for now, the Indian Ocean shows me what the word “whimsical” means, which I have so often heard from other sailors. You can expect anything, anytime. Beginning with waves as high as the deck and sailing with a speed of up to 12 knots on big waves, to a sudden change in wind direction and the silence that follows… Yesterday night, the ship proved that the “southern change” is coming. In other words, the wind will be blowing in exactly the same direction I am sailing. I am lucky, it is not supposed to be that strong, probably only up to 40 knots (it could be 60 or more). I am keeping an eye on the barometer and while waiting, I am making the yacht ready; I am knotting everything carefully, attaching everything that could come loose…     

770 miles left. Time: 1400 Zulu, 13th of November 2008. Position: 27 11S, 045 35E It’s blowing a bit too much, who needs 35 knots when not in a race anyway;) It’s cold, I am sleeping in a sleeping-bag and under a blanket; the wind can’t make up its mind as to which side to blow from so I tack now and then, a self-steering gear breaks down from time to time and I need to run to the stern and fix it (the part responsible for staying on course broke down). The yacht is hiding among the waves, they are large like houses:) It turns out that I am not alone here. There are other yachts around which contact me on the radio asking if I am all right and then they are happy that I responded:) Amazing:)

11th of November   Only 998 nautical miles left today, first day with less than a thousand miles to go. First day that I can sail, too. It doesn’t matter it’s cloudy and  raining, the Moon rises almost 2 hours before the sunset and shines so brightly!!! Daily log: - look around for ships, weather check, deck check; navigation, log check; rest after a sleepless night with a break every 20-30 minutes; coffee; it’s the 11th of November today, I am grateful to all those who fought so that I can sail under the Polish flag; reading mail, sending mail; radio talk with a nearby yacht; list of small tasks in Africa; an attempt to fix an alarm in autopilot (do I really have to add that it was a failed attempt? I am no engineer, that’s for sure:/); breakfast, lunch and dinner in one; reading guidebooks about Durban and Africa; coffee, radio talk with a Durban “weather station”; navigation, sleep, reading, sleep; jibe at midnight; mainsail reefing at 3 am; sleep with breaks...

10/11/08 347 nautical miles away from Reunion Island Clouds with squalls and rain. Here is a source of wind, of constant need to change sails, to reef, to put new ones. In an instant, there is hardly any wind and I can’t go any further. Waves are in total chaos, I can’t even get a moment of sleep. Coffee and coffee again. A ship passed me by a mile, green, with colourful containers. Looked nice. Tuna fish jumped happily for a moment or two, but none wanted to jump on the deck, cut and fry itself  (this way ilderus pospolitus misses his meal). some time later: very interesting – one minute Tanasza goes steadily onwards and in a moment it wants to jibe because the wind goes crazy... Wind variations, even Bach himself would not be ashamed... May he rest in peace...

9-10th of November Wind does not want to turn. Well, at least it is not as strong as it is supposed to be. I reef sails and start the engine in turns in order to get back on course, this wind is useless. Lots of ships, like at Christmas. Some are weird, going slowly alongside my yacht... I had a chit chat with an Arcu yacht on the radio. Some people are entering the port today and I still have over 1200 nautical miles to go. I need to pass Madagascar from the south in order to avoid adverse currents. Ay ay captain, will do.

8-9.11.08 215 nautical miles away from Reunion Island not that stupid at all, as it turns out, for I have checked fuel underway before it ended... and it turns out now that my fuel tank has been covered with a residue on a side which served me as a fuel marker. Uff, there is a hope for me then :) Either there is no wind or I am head to wind... Marvellous, isn’t it? It looks exactly like the Doldrums. Low-profile clouds, flashes of light here and there, squalls, rains, silence, and then it repeats. When I am done with sails I find out that I am completely unhappy with a loose forestay... Not good! The wind could change its direction so that I would be running downwind. Waves hitting my bow don’t make the cruise joyful. Yet, I do sail, this is the important thing. Very little progress so far for I am slowed down by an opposite current, but it is there:) Heck, this is nothing compared to what Teresa Remiszewska went through.. I do hope you have read her book “Z goryczy...

Night, 7-8/11/08 140 nautical miles away from Reunion Island. There is no wind and I run out of fuel in the night. I completely forgot to refuel after I left for the first time, stupid me! Now I have to refuel, deareate the engine, and save fuel – it can be useful upon meeting large vessels and entering port. I have seen a huge discharge nearby. Lightning cutting the sky, brr...

7/11/08 80 nautical miles away from Reunion Island. The ocean is a mirror. Even though I am doing my best to sail on my own wind, produced as a side effect of eating French cheese, it is not enough to set the yacht into motion. I start the engine. Everything is all right. Aaa, yeah, yesterday I was accompanied by a dolphin, what a spectacle it was!!! I have seen such a happy creature for the first time in my life. He jumped out of the water 6 times in a row. I saw him jump in the rays of the setting sun, then he would swim up and not only jump out of the water by Tanasza but also splash water with his tail... just like in an aquarium. It was a magnificent show which lasted so long that I was able to record some nice material with him. The sunset was beautiful and I am sure I will remember the dolphin’s shadow on a totally flat water surface for the rest of my life. 

6/11/08 An idea came in the morning – we could load Surazo onto another ship and transport it to South Africa. It will be easier, cheaper and faster to get hold of a good mast. I am trying to reach Maciej Krzeptowski who was here 6 years ago on a yacht called “Maria”. He knows a few people... I am trying to set things right and, as weather is fine, I decide to leave. A few tiny details about the engine and I am ready to go. Louis is helping me, he is a mechanic.  Finally, I can hear foghorns for goodbye. I can see friends waving their hands, including marina manager, they are taking photos and I am arranging a meeting with other crews in Durban. Louis sees me off to the end of the port. It is a pain to see him stay ashore, but I do hope he will reach Cape Town before me. There is very little wind again and it blows straight at me. I can see island lights in the night, beautiful. Only half of the Moon is visible – tremendous, I love it when it lights my path. The wind...

5/11/08 We have to move the yacht away from the marina. A lot of folk come asking if we need any help, they offer us tools, and even a car. We are looking for a mast, one is almost perfect, but the repairs will take too long, they may not end until the next season, just after hurricanes. I can’t wait any longer, yet I can’t help them either. I am planning to leave. but first I want to check the weather, maybe eat some good dinner... Louis is trying to convince me to stay a day longer, buy some fruit and rest. And so I did.

4/11/08 I’m leaving. The crews that are staying here a while longer are standing on the shore and waving me goodbye, then the only thing I can see is the adorable landscape of the island. ”Surazo”, the yacht of my Chilean friends, is passing nearby, we are going in the same direction – to Durban, South Africa. We have arranged to talk on the radio later in the night. I’m sailing, into the wind of course, and the waves are short and steep. It’s far from being comfortable, I don’t like Tanasza’s way of dealing with it. I’m getting down to reefing. When I glance at my mates from Surazo, I can see that they are reefing as well. Hmm, it looks at least strange. Well, perhaps it’s some typically Chilean way of manoeuvring. But maybe I should find my telescopes and check if everything is ok... hold on, where are they? Never mind, they would call me at channel 16 if there was something wrong, wouldn’t they? Damn, but why did they pull down the whole mainsail while...