Harmon and Randall's Voyage…

Leg 4, Blog 6, December 5, 2025 – Latitude 49 S- 160 NM until Stanley

My parents of blessed memory, Harmon and Elaine Shragge, passed away many years ago. Within their lifetime I gave them plenty of headaches and accepted their rescue and help on more than one occasion. Self made I am certainly not. I am a product of benevolent triangulation from their love, horror and confusion as I grew up to be the man I am now.

My love of sailing came from my father as he passed along his love of the sea he had garnered from his years in the US Navy during WWII in the Pacific Theater on a submarine chaser off the Philippines and New Guinea. My mother had more of a nuanced view of travel and adventure. She did not want to be left out of the adventure of the day, but she made sure to inoculate herself from discomfort. She had a sense of independent Divine justice believing we all get what we deserve, and if we look for trouble, we should not be surprised if we find it.

I bring this up because of the confusing state of affairs in which I now find myself. Entering one of the most rough and dangerous stretches of ocean on the planet, if I now feigned danger, discomfort and misery, a natural response from you, our readers, would be something like, “What were you expecting?” and “You are getting the experience and adventure that you wanted and deserve”.

But what if I told you that I am now further south than I have ever been (latitude 47 and descending) and the sea state is not only mild, it is downright balmy. I have experienced the death and near death of fellow crew members as we descended into extended miserable conditions in the Southern Ocean off Cape Town (latitude 34 to 38 S) as we raced to Fremantle, Australia. My one experience of the sea state in the Sydney to Hobart (latitude 43) race was also uncharacteristically mild – the Roaring 40’s it was not.

Randall put it eloquently when he said that there has been no leg on this trip where the weather was as it should be expected. We should have been in trade wind tropical bliss shortly after we passed over the equator. Instead we both suffered, me especially, as we sailed and motored up wind into storm-grade chop as the Mōli cabin heated up to an Easy-Bake Oven. No eating or sleeping for me.

Today, the outside temperature is almost 70 (the cabin is 78). The sea state is flat and the wind speed is 9 knots aft. The barometer reads 1003 which Randall says is high for the area. The magnetic variance is at -0.5 (it had been as high as around -24 in Rio). We are well south of the Tropic of Capricorn and there is no stopping us.

We have taken off our long underwear and opened up the windows and hatches once again. We are both sleeping like babies (a good 3+ hours per shift), eating like kings (as long as you count canned hot dogs) and catching up on projects. The water temperature has reached as low as 45 degrees (soon to go lower) and this means that bread, food and vegetables stored in and around our bilge are not turning moldy.

We are not taking these conditions for granted as we know that Neptune has surprises in store for us as we descend south to Stanley (latitude 51 to 53 S), Ushuaia (latitude 55 S ) and the Antarctic Peninsula (latitude 63 to 75 S). The ensuing water ways around Cape Horn including Drakes Passage and the Straits of Magellan are sure to offer their own danger and surprises.

So as a nod to mom and dad, sometimes things do work out (for the moment anyway). This has more to do with dumb luck than sailing skill, but I will take what I can get and bank it for a rough and stormy day.

Above: This was our last sail on December 2nd.

Above: On the morning of December 3rd, this vast expanse of altocumulus clouds fill the sky. Sometimes this portends an approaching weather system, but not this time.

Above: It is time to take down the Uruguay flag we hoisted in Piriápolis, and raise the Falklands flag. Let’s unpack their flag for a moment:

The ram standing on tussock grass represents the territory’s primary industry of wool and sheep farming. The ship is the Desire which was commanded by. Captain John Davis when he discovered the Falklands in 1592. Below the Desire is a scroll bearing the island’s motto: DESIRE THE RIGHT which refers to the islanders’ enduring resolve to govern themselves, upholding truth and rightful stewardship. It embodies historical exploration, local identity, and the continuous struggle for autonomy against external claims, notably from Argentina. As my friend Beverly likes to say, “They (the English) stole it fair and square!”

Above: Randall takes advantage of the calm by constructing an anchor bridal to secure the boat and reduce strain swinging in anchorages in rough conditions.

Above: By Wednesday night/Thursday morning (Dec. 3/4) at 2200 the clouds had given away to a clear and beautiful moon-filled evening.

Above: By 2230, the clouds returned!

Above: By Thursday December 4th at 0600, the sea state calmed further and the sun came out early, and we were full-on motoring. So much for the Roaring 40’s the next couple of days anyway.

Above: No hungry sailors here – this is last nights leftover German potato salad with added canned hot dogs that has simply been turned into hash by throwing it into the frying pan and adding eggs.

Above: Randall and I take a moment to enjoy the lovely weather.

Above: This is a White-faced Storm-Petral. Well known in these (and other) parts for its distinctive appearance (white face with a broad dark mast through the eye) and flight behavior. The species is known for its unique foraging behavior where it “bounces” or “pogo-sticks” across the sea surface with its feet, giving it the nickname “Jesus bird”. Randall says “Petral” is derived from St. Peter who walked on water in the Sea of Galilee until he lost faith and sank (and then saved by Jesus).

Above: We try not to take our lack of wind personally ….. we just happen to be in the wrong sector at the wrong time.

Above: The afternoon of December 4th saw the South Atlantic turn into a lake.

Above: Randall contemplating just how long this could go on ….

Above: Me thinking that I might as well enjoy this!

Above: An arty picture of the sea.

Above: South Atlantic calm … just motoring along…

Above: Our veggies are lasting longer so we still have salad one week out.

Above and Below: The albatross began to appear about five days ago, although only in one’s and two’s. We suspect that this one pictured is either a Shy albatross (also known as the white-capped albatross) or a Brown browed albatross. What these all have in common is that they are on the smaller side. We will go into the albatross in more depth in later blogs.

Well, the wind picked up this morning (Friday December 5th) and we are once again a sailboat! Wind blowing 12 to 22 knots from the WSW and we are achieving speeds from 5.5 to 7.2 knots. In less than 24 hours we should arrive in Stanley, so thank you for sticking with us, and standby for more reports!

Life Cycles:

Happy birthday Susan M!

Condolences to Claude the Albino Alligator who has been thrilling kids, mine included, since the late 1990’s at the California Academy of Sciences. We will miss you. https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/claude-san-francisco-beloved-albino-alligator-dies-21219444.php