Location: Underway to Richards Bay, South Africa

Today was a day filled with boat antics. Last night we experienced the most intense weather so far on the trip. Gale force winds forced the entire watch team to huddle in the cockpit. We reached 55 knots of wind and 40 degrees of heel. The rain was pelting us from a horizontal angle, and waves were coming up to the lifelines. The visibility was that you couldn’t see the horizon. Ian was on deck with every watch team throughout the night. The staff was amazing, and on my watch, Tim took the helm for three hours straight. In the morning, we awoke to calm seas. Lunch was amazing, and we were all happy not to have to wear full foul weather gear on deck. After lunch, we had marine biology and seamanship. Everyone had super high morale because it was sunny outside and a calm enough sea state to open the hatches! Char braided Jay’s hair, and everyone was super happy to pose for photos. Dinner was curry with naan, which is starting to become a boat favorite. Today was also a great day because we had oatmeal cookies for dessert! Everyone is getting more and more excited as we get closer to South Africa. We are averaging a speedy 9 knots and expect to reach port soon. Sending lots of love home, bye for now — Emma 🙂

Coordinates: 02730.91’S 04139.38’E