GOLD COAST 210600ZJAN12 SKED

LAT 03 02.5N
LONG 108 26.9E
DTG BATAM 285
ETA BATAM 23 JAN 0600 LOCAL
COG 146 SOG 7

WEATHER Wind 031@6kts, Sea Calm, Swell Confused, Cloud 7/8, Baro 1006.0

Another day of motoring towards Batam and Singapore, and the first day we are able to publicise our positions as the piracy scare is over and the tracker should now be showing on http://www.clipperoundtheworld.com

As you will see from the tracker we are in company with DLD who finished the race in second place. All the yachts have now re-fuelled and are motoring towards Batam. Due to the MJO pattern there is still no wind in the South China Sea, and I think everybody is very relieved that the race committee made the decision to not re-start the race and instead let us make passage to Batam under engine. If this decision was not made we would still be drifting around in the Sula Sea.

Gold Coast are making the most of the calm and have been conducting lots of maintenance and cleaning. It is amazing how quickly mould can develop in a boat with this heat and humidity and we have been working hard today to eradicate every last sign of mould to prevent it spurring and any flare ups. Consequently the boat smells once again of my favourite smell in the world – miltons – the smell of clean and healthy institution!

The majority of maintenance is already done and we have started on our deep clean so when we arrive in port we can simply park the boat and enjoy Batam prior to heading to Singapore for the grand entry on the 28th.

It is amazing how much flotsam and Jetsam we have seen during the passage and occasionally we will pass “polystyrene foam tide lines” that are full of everything non-biodegradable that we humans use every day including water drinking bottles, fast food wrappers, polystyrene, and of course the dreaded plastic shopping bag.

There is also plenty of other life in the ocean around us including lots of sea snakes, sharks, dolphins and various species of fish. There appears to be a distinct lack of birds in the area, and thankfully no birds are trying to steal our wind vane anymore.

Every afternoon we stop for a swim and spend an hour checking the engine and machinery onboard before heading off again. A swim in the afternoon is definitely always a welcome relief after a hot day of working in the sun.