Date & Time 27-12-2011 0000hrs (GMT +9)
Position:- 04* 39’.6 S. 130* 27’.9 E
Course:- 250*
Speed:- 5 Knots
Wind:- W 22 Knots (Force 6 Strong Breeze)
Sea State:- Moderate to Rough (2 to 5 feet, Larger waves forming with plenty of white horses)
Weather:- Part Cloudy (Up to 5/8 cover)
Temp 83F
Distance to go:- 1869 nautical miles
The wind has slowly decreased and backed to the west during the day and with it the wave height as well.
Looking at the swell pattern earlier we expected to roll when we came onto the new course of 250* however were pleasantly surprised that we have just a gentle barely noticeable movement from side to side.
We are still getting the odd slam from some slightly bigger seas head on, but the incidences are getting rarer and it is much less violent.
All in all a lovely day for a sea passage.
On the chart we are 35 miles east south east of Kepulauan Banda. That is below Seram on the left of the chart.
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/NGAViewer/73020.shtml
As we came close to Watubel yesterday morning I tried to get some photographs of the islands to give you an idea of what they were like, but they just ended up as grey/green indistinct blobs.
All I can say is that they look like you would imagine a large tropical island to look like.
Irregular shape reaching up to a height of maybe 150 metres.
Jungle foliage on the slopes right down to the shoreline and to the cliff tops in places.
A couple of outlying reefs sending up surf, some rocky shoreline and some sandy shoreline.
If you can remember the island from the Tom Hanks film Castaway, a bit like that but without the film crew.
In the distance we could make out the distinct volacano-ish shaped mountains on the eastern tip of Seram.
The music today
When I used to fly back to the UK (heathrow) from wherever I had been on the ship I would always get a hire car and drive back to Bridport in west Dorset.
For some reason it has been normal for me to land early morning so I would pick up the car and after adjusting the seat and mirrors I would tune the radio into R4 R2 & R1 for the journey.
I would tune into R1 once the usual ghastly breakfast show garbage was over to see if there was any decent new music about, worthy of an album purchase. (It is pointless doing this on R2 as I already have all the Eagles and Dire Straits albums I want)
I would often hear a good tune and make it my mission to visit the Bridport Record Centre to see if they had my new find in stock.
They were /are used to me turning up asking for unusual or obscure or yet to be released tracks.
I had driven straight to the music shop but had forgotten the band name or had it slightly wrong so I gave them my best rendition of the “Aoo Woo ooo” and the “Doctor Doctor I’m begging you please” bits.
The boss and his wife (or should I say the boss and her husband) both looked at me somewhat askance, with that faint shaking of the head that means you are either a worse singer than we first suspected, or you have the tune all wrong, or we have never heard of it, when this young goth/emo looking girl who was browsing said “Oh wow that’s the new tune from the Zutons. The album isn’t out for another month.”
I have to admit to a certain smugness when turning to the owner and saying
“Ah yes I thought so. The Zutons. Order me one my good fellow, and have a shiny sixpence for your troubles”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYWOV6jOapk
They also did this which the Winehouse girl went on to cover although I prefer the original
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-AwsxnZ3ck&feature=related
Position:- 04* 39’.6 S. 130* 27’.9 E
Course:- 250*
Speed:- 5 Knots
Wind:- W 22 Knots (Force 6 Strong Breeze)
Sea State:- Moderate to Rough (2 to 5 feet, Larger waves forming with plenty of white horses)
Weather:- Part Cloudy (Up to 5/8 cover)
Temp 83F
Distance to go:- 1869 nautical miles
The wind has slowly decreased and backed to the west during the day and with it the wave height as well.
Looking at the swell pattern earlier we expected to roll when we came onto the new course of 250* however were pleasantly surprised that we have just a gentle barely noticeable movement from side to side.
We are still getting the odd slam from some slightly bigger seas head on, but the incidences are getting rarer and it is much less violent.
All in all a lovely day for a sea passage.
On the chart we are 35 miles east south east of Kepulauan Banda. That is below Seram on the left of the chart.
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/NGAViewer/73020.shtml
As we came close to Watubel yesterday morning I tried to get some photographs of the islands to give you an idea of what they were like, but they just ended up as grey/green indistinct blobs.
All I can say is that they look like you would imagine a large tropical island to look like.
Irregular shape reaching up to a height of maybe 150 metres.
Jungle foliage on the slopes right down to the shoreline and to the cliff tops in places.
A couple of outlying reefs sending up surf, some rocky shoreline and some sandy shoreline.
If you can remember the island from the Tom Hanks film Castaway, a bit like that but without the film crew.
In the distance we could make out the distinct volacano-ish shaped mountains on the eastern tip of Seram.
The music today
When I used to fly back to the UK (heathrow) from wherever I had been on the ship I would always get a hire car and drive back to Bridport in west Dorset.
For some reason it has been normal for me to land early morning so I would pick up the car and after adjusting the seat and mirrors I would tune the radio into R4 R2 & R1 for the journey.
I would tune into R1 once the usual ghastly breakfast show garbage was over to see if there was any decent new music about, worthy of an album purchase. (It is pointless doing this on R2 as I already have all the Eagles and Dire Straits albums I want)
I would often hear a good tune and make it my mission to visit the Bridport Record Centre to see if they had my new find in stock.
They were /are used to me turning up asking for unusual or obscure or yet to be released tracks.
I had driven straight to the music shop but had forgotten the band name or had it slightly wrong so I gave them my best rendition of the “Aoo Woo ooo” and the “Doctor Doctor I’m begging you please” bits.
The boss and his wife (or should I say the boss and her husband) both looked at me somewhat askance, with that faint shaking of the head that means you are either a worse singer than we first suspected, or you have the tune all wrong, or we have never heard of it, when this young goth/emo looking girl who was browsing said “Oh wow that’s the new tune from the Zutons. The album isn’t out for another month.”
I have to admit to a certain smugness when turning to the owner and saying
“Ah yes I thought so. The Zutons. Order me one my good fellow, and have a shiny sixpence for your troubles”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYWOV6jOapk
They also did this which the Winehouse girl went on to cover although I prefer the original
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-AwsxnZ3ck&feature=related
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