We are back at sea after a memorable send off by the Governor of Falklands and HMS York, among others, at 1000 h on 01 Feb 10. Thanks to the hospitality of the Falklanders and the British armed forces, the crew though busy with repair work on board, had a great time ashore and is back to the task of finding their rested sea legs. Mhadei is moving along nicely with a much lighter steering post repairs and considerably less swell than that experienced during the last leg. Apart from a couple of hrs of gusty winds touching 40 kts as a front passed over us yesterday it has been good sailing so far with clear skies and moderate winds. In fact as I write there is a beautiful yellow moon rising ahead of us leading the way to Africa, 3000 Nm across the Atlantic. Gales are predicted for the next two days but we will see when we meet them, presently its time to enjoy the sail on a calm moonlit night.
54 comments:
Commander,
Good to see you back at sea. Sailors belong at sea and land should be nothing but a hazard to navigation. However I am glad to see you rested and working on getting those sea legs back.
Commander Donde,
You sound in very good spirits and it sounds like Mhadei is very fit for your next leg. Nice sailing conditions to ease back into your routine also. Looking at PassageWeather, it appears that the most intense weather in the next few days might pass to the south of you. It really is great to hear from you, Dilip. Enjoy the pleasant sailing weather and keep us updated when you get the chance. And now go chase Jessica.
From Seattle, WA, USA
SaltyDog
नमस्ते Dilip & Mhadei,
Bons vents!
अभिवादन!
Hey Dilip,
Good to hear from you again. Any chance you can catch up to Jesse? She needs a few cooking tips to spice up her meals!
Wishing you fair weather.
JJ
Congratulations for getting up and going again. I hope all your problems are behind you now and you have a safe passage. Look forward to reading your Blogs, which I hope are a bit more frequent than before. Take care.
Cheers from Dave,Manurewa,Auckland NZ.
Captain,
You are back, it will be fun to follow now. Have a terrific sailing.
Ranen
Tx
Hi Dilip
Glad to hear you had a wonderful send off from the Falklands. I wish you good sailing and enjoy the pleasure of that great golden orb suspended above the midnight blue of the ocean.
Cheers
Evie from Bendigo
Cdr Sir,
great to see u'r back, may all sea gods welcome you in the Atalantic
enjoy the sail
best wishes
Hi Dilip,
Your trip sounds wonderful, I love that you have the moon to guide you on your journey.
Good blogging!
Take care & know lots of people have you in their thoughts worldwide.
All the very best,
The McGraths, Nowra NSW Australia
Happy and safe sailing.
Nice to hear about the warm send off by the Falklanders and also of the good weather welcoming you back to the ocean.
Jessica is heading up northeast to avoid bad conditions in the south.
Look forward to hear from you again.
Malaysia
Dude
best of luck for your next leg. Bash on regardless.
manu
while your next trip should be a non-stop one like what Jessica is doing, I would strongly recommend Jessica to do one more circumnavigation with stops at every port. your model appears to be more fun.
sundar
Commander,
So good you are on your way again. I look forward to "travelling with you" on the next stage of your journey. Stay safe. Watch out for our Jesse!
Margie,
Cooroy, Australia
Hello Commander Donde,
Good to hear that you're now sailing on your next leg following a memorable Falkland's send-off.
Regards the yellow moon...I live on the north shore of Lake Ontario and it never fails to amaze me every time a big colorful moon rises but to have one leading the way to Africa...that is the ultimate visual...on par with the film images in the movie "Out of Africa"...one of my old favorites.
Safe sailing for you and Mhadei...I will be following your adventure with great interest.
john,
Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario, Canada
All the best, for the next leg of your journey.
Smooth sailing.
You may pass Jessica soon.
Well done, sir
Richard (QLD) Aus
Good news Dilip. Enjoy the pleasant conditions. Maybe if you puff into the mainsail a bit more you might catch up to Jesse.
That sounds like the blue moon - the second one for January.
Wishing you fair winds.
Cheers
Toni
Dear Dilip,
Happy to hear that you had a memorable send off. Nice to be back at sea I guess, towards new goals.
I wish you safe sailing.
Best regards,
Ingrid, Tyreso, Sweden
G'day Cdr Dilip
Great to see you back at sea. We were hoping to find you more to north of where you are. Some nasty weather coming up with heavy swell building up in area generally on your est. posn on 4th.
Lat/Long add on is nice touch. Hope Cookie is not complaining after long vacation. Do enjoy the fresh foodstock while it lasts.
Jessica's cook is desperately trying to churn out something from all canned and dried stuff to keep the skipper happy.
@Bev in Tas
Thanks for your kind words reg stranded sailors in Taiwan.
Bit of news on them
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_hope-floats-for-indian-mariner-in-taiwan-lockdown_1341411
We look forward to next update.
Wishing Mhadei and crew fair weather.
Lalit
Chandigarh
Glad to see you back all the best with the rest of your trip, take care..Lesley
Hello Commander Donde,
congratulations at the successful repairs od Mhadei and your continuation of your journey.
The moonscape must be magical!
Fair winds and safe sailing,
Trudy, Austria/Australia
Hi Dilip,
Glad to hear your are back at sea and that everything is going well. Look forward to following the next leg of your journey
Keep safe,
Joy
Ballarat.
Hello Commander Dilip!
Thank you for these all good news.
Have a fair and fast cross-atlantic sailing!
We wish you and Mhadei all the best for this leg as for your journey.
Hi Commander Donde,
Glad to hear that you are refreshed and have the repairs completed on Mhadei, as well as restocked with fresh produce for the Atlantic crossing.
If time permits, you would mind elaborating on the repairs needed on the auto pilot and what caused the squeaking, groaning noise
where you used the good old WD40 ?
Hope you enjoy safe, trouble free sailing under many more moons.
Ozca,
from the great Bras d'Or Lakes.
Hello Dilip,
wow! the locals (Falklanders) and the British forces sure know how to look after a guy. Hope you are well rested and you and Mhadei are both good to go. Sounds like just enough time to get your sea-legs back before facing yet another storm. I suppose there's no way of avoiding it as you wouldn't be far enough north yet..that is if you are heading north. Crazy weather down there at the moment Dilip.
Anyway, enjoy the apparent calm before the storm and hope you, Mhadei and crew come out the other side relatively unscathed.
Batten down the hatches and take real good care out there.
A safe passage Dilip.
Ben (Qld)
Hello Commander,
So great to have you back at sea and posting your messages once again--we have missed them. Your moon leading you to Africa must be a wondrous sight. Smooth sailing to you.
Thurmond and Betty
Good morning, Dilip,
Glad to see you sailing again. Get north fast, and out of track of the worst storms. We look forward to your reports.
Best wishes on a good trip home.
Rex Gibbons
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Wish you good luck for your next leg,Enjoy the pleasant weather
great to know you are back where you are more at home -- the blues. and what a sight it must be to watch the huge moon , leading the way. though it is said , a good photo is better than a thousand words, i beg to differ! a well described visual gives a more vivid picture and the romance of imagining the view in the described settings gives a more lasting impact. happy sailings and keep us posted.
ps - jessy is being mentioned in so many coments - if you catch up with her , please give her my best wishes.
jitendra hazarey
Hi Admiral Didl,
on the move again I see,
keep up them dodgers,
Jony the Pony
Dear Sir,
Good to see you back on the blog after a short well deserved break at Falklands. We would like to see regular updates. All the best for the rest of the leg.
Regards
Mohan
Hello C. Dilip
I was sure that the islanders would be welcoming and it sounds as though they were. Delighted that the Royal Navy joined in the send off.
Best wishes for this leg and I hope you can avoid the worst of the storms and your repairs hold well.
look forward to your further news and progress towards CT.
david - from the UK
It's good to hear you're back on the water, well-rested and restocked. I look forward to hearing more about your journey.
Scott, Denver, Colorado, USA
Dear Commander Donde
Glad to hear you are back at sea. I hope you don't take the beating that Jessica did getting out of the Falklands. After what you went through getting around Cape Horn you deserve some nice fair winds and following seas.
Dan
Portland, Oregon, USA
Enjoy following your travels from the shores of Lake Michigan where it is cold and snowy. Your blog transports us to new locations full of adventure. It puts our complaints into perspective. Best of luck on your next chapter.
Carl, Wisconsin, USA
Commander Donde,
I never knew India and Australia celebrated on the same day there respective national days.It troubles me when i read we have "souring relation's". Perhaps you could keep an eye out for an island in your travels so we may send our troublesome tiny minority as the other 99.99% of Australians don't need them.If only our Government had the foresight to engage in such venture's using our Navy the region would be a better place.Keep an eye out for Groupama3, you may get some amazing picture's as they go past.Good sailing and stay tethered.
Big Cat Lover
Hi Dilip
Glad to hear all is shipshape and you are safely on your way again.
Best wishes for the voyage to come - fair winds and clear skies.
regards
Mike (Avoca Beach, NSW, Australia)
02-03-10 @ 20:28
Hi Dilip,
All-right, glad to see your under sail and had a good send off from the Governor of Falklands and HMS York, I’m sure that’s one to remember.
I hope Mhadie is in tip top shape for the rest of your journey, and that you are well rested as you sail off into that big beautiful yellow moon. That must be quite a sight, ahhhh the joys of sailing.
Looks like you may be running into some weather ahead of you, so good luck on that, I’m sure you can handle it.
But for right now, enjoy that beautiful moonlit night.
Good luck to you and take care of yourself.
Your in my prayers.
Michael(75)from Kingwood, WV (USA)
thanks for the update.
all the best
Hello Dilip,
So happy to hear that you are on your way again. Looking forward to following your travels. How much longer do you anticipate your trip will take?
I wish you smooth sailing with no hiccups for this leg of your journey. The Falklanders really do sound like very lovely people. It's great that they made you so welcome.
Jesse is doing well, I guess you've heard already, but she has had to change direction a little to avoid the worst of some not very nice weather.
Abby Sunderland is having to stop in at Cabo as she is having some problems with her boat. It won't affect her goal though of non-stop as she will leave from Cabo and finish in Cabo and she hasn't crossed the equator as yet so she can still go for the record.
Keep safe and take care. With warmest wishes from Jan Pace (Auckland, New Zealand)
Cdr Donde, I'm so glad you are off and "running" again. I'm sure it feels wonderful to be around all the different people you meet at your stops, but I'm sure it is also nice to be "alone" again, one with yourself and nature and the sea.
Please stay clipped on as the weather seems to be playing up and you don't want to take a bath in the "big" bathtub, I'm sure.
@Lalit - thank you for the site for the sailors in Taiwan, going to check it out as soon as I finish here. Will keep them in my prayers.
Cdr, you also, will be in my prayers that God will protect you and guide you all the way home. How much longer will you be sailing until you reach home again? I'm sorry, I have failed to catch that date in all the posts. Must have just missed it somewhere. Will go back and do my homework? LOL Take care, clip on, God Bless. Beverly & Andrew Penney in Tasmania
BEGIN AGAIN IN 2010!!
The marina's webcam, for a moment I thought that was Wild Eyes, right in the middle of it
http://www.igy-cabosanlucas.com/marina/webcam/
Hi Dilip,
1. Nice to know that the repairs are done and you are "Homeward Bound" - every fish you see will remind you that you are homeward bound (sorry for this poor take on the S&G original). I missed your casting off but intend being on hand to welcome you.
2. Some good news here - the first Catamaran Naval Survey Vessel that we are building has been launched. Everything went off well. The second is scheduled to be launched in about 25 days.
3. Mhadei sure looks good. Congrats to Ratnakar and all the others who were involved in building Mhadei. I sure miss Capt Virk - he was a great asset - with him around you would have been spared at least some of the adm. hassles.
4. Jesscia is doing fine as you may be aware. However, Abby has encountered a minor blip but with everybody’s wishes and her guts, she will get through with flying colours.
Take good care.
Subir.
02-05-10 @ 01:42
Hi Dilip,
Since you're well on your way now, I figure you can sit back and enjoy the open seas once again, you've got a little bit of weather ahead of you, but as Jessica says “it’s just a little bumpy stuff“. Jessica is stretching out to the North a little bit since there’s some rough looking weather ahead of her.
Well Dilip, I hope all goes well for you now and that you left that “Murphy” guy in the Falklands.
Good luck to you and take care of yourself.
Your in my prayers.
Michael(75)from Kingwood, WV (USA)
Hey Dilip, have a safe n successful trip. All the very best!
Hello Dilip
Sounds like a wonderful adventure you are one. We are following you and wish you all the best!
Keep safe and happy sailing!
Regards
Peter and Fay on the Gold Coast
GO Dilip GO!
H.
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Hi
Great to know you back on the sea.
All the best. Marg from Johannesburg.
Across the Atlantic!!!!!
One foreign ocean left to cross....................
Hallo Dilip, Back to monitoring your course. Happy too that you are cheering Jesse on, as we are too. A truly brave lass. All the best to you. May you make fair winds all the way through and reach Africa as scheduled
Dilip,
Have you seen any dolphins since you left port?!
Dag
Sun, 7 Feb 10, 2304hrs
Our dear Cdr Donde (not very military-like am I? Guess it wears off after a few years, LOL, not really - probably be in my blood til I die.) (Anyway, Beverly here in Tasmania.)
I am praying like crazy that the reason you haven't put a blog up is because you are just still trying to get your "sea legs" back, trying to get into a routine again, and just generally not wanting to type. I hope it isn't because you have copped some of the nasty weather that was showing on the computer. Please, please just let it be because you are just too darned busy to take time to write. Okay??? Okay!!!
We, here in Tassie, have a 3-day weekend this weekend because it is Hobart Cup Day. I'm not much into horses, besides it is going to be HOT again and I'm not much into hot either. So, on goes the air conditioner and then I can pretend that it is cool and I might, (I said I "might") try to do some housework. Let it be known amoungst us all - Beverly in Tassie does not like housework at all, never did, never will!!! When I was stationed in Turkey I had a maid because they were so cheap and I loved her; well that spoilt me big time! So when I moved to Germany with the US Air Force and after I got discharged and opted to stay overseas and work for the US Air Force as a civilian, I had to have a maid there also. I was so spoilt anyway, plus that left me time to travel and THAT IS MY PASSION!!! If I can't travel I think I would die. That is why I'm so excited about our upcoming camping trip to the mainland. Whoooopeeeeee!!!!
Hhmmph, back to you Sir. What have you been doing with your days besides preventive maintenance, for both you and Mhadei? Have you been able to cook any hot meals so far. You see, you really have to write something, sometime, please, as we don't even know what questions to ask you because we don't know what you are doing, or thinking. You are somewhat of a movie star now, your life is not your own, you belong to the "people"! How awesome is that?
Are you on deputation from the Navy as is Subir? I was thinking he was your commanding officer but now I'm not sure as he is on a 2-year deputation. The project he is working with sounds absolutely awesome. I really, really wish I could get back into the military to work as a civilian; however, they tend not to want to take people who are over(ahh hhmmph)29+ years old. Heeheehee, and LOL. See my idea, enlist all the "older" people to stay and do all the administration work and non-combatant stuff so the younger ones can get on with their career etc. Sounds like a darned good plan to me!! Glad I thought of it, LOL
Well Sir, I wish you good sailing and remember that God is with you protecting you and Mhadei and His Legions of Angels are surrounding you leading you to the Cape of Good Hope. I love that name, GOOD HOPE. It is so encouraging! So make your way straight there (but look-out for those storms too) and we will all be happy as bugs in a rug. {{{CHEERS}}} Beverly & Andrew Penney, Tasmania
BEGIN AGAIN IN 2010!!!
Hi Dilip,
Hope you are experiencing good weather once again and enjoying sailing in the Atlantic. Monitoring your progress closely at WNC.
Bev from Tasmania - if you come this far up - between Sunshine Coast and Brissie I have a bed for you....mary-jane.matthews@bigpond.com...........so long as you need it.
Hi,
My name os Rekha and i am tryin to do some research on the mental life of sailors. I wanted to generally find out about social relations/reserve/distant/ between sailors esp when they are on ship for short duration!
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