Heading for Southern tip of New Zealand

The gale that really rattled Mhadei and the crew for the last few days finally subsided. The winds reduced first and it took another day for the swell to come down so by morning it was fairly calm with about 2 mtrs of swell. The winds have started picking up again to about 25 kts and so has the swell, about 4 mtrs. But both are from behind making us do good speed towards the Southern tip of New Zealand. We need to go round Stewart Island off the Southern coast and then start heading up the coast in a North Easterly direction for the next two days to reach Lyttleton, the port for Christ Church.

          Made use of yesterday's calm weather to open up the broken steering assembly and put it back. While it will require work in the harbour presently it seems to be holding with an adhoc arrangement of securing with a bolt and some good rope. Also managed to have the first hot meal in the last few days with a menu of Sarson ka Saag, steaming hot rice and generous quantities of homemade Mango pickle! It is getting increasingly cold by the day. There were reports of sightings of Icebergs about 200 Nm South while we were going through the Gale. Usually I would be very curious to see an Iceberg but on a pitch dark night with the boat screaming downwind I would rather stay as far away as possible.

          Giving two photos of the different moods of the Southern Ocean taken in a span of less than 24 hrs. We were becalmed in glassy seas and then in less than 24 hrs struggling with 9 mtr swell and 50 kts winds!