The dream run to the southern tip of Madagascar has SLAMMED (read: Beating) into a belt of westerly winds rotating around a low pressure system below us. As the system passes the wind is slowly backing (direction slowly shifting counter clockwise) but with rain squalls and cloud bands shifting the winds locally. Hence, the method to make progress involves a seemingly unending rotation of: tack, change headsail, reef, gybe, shake out reef, furl in headsail, unfurl headsail, reef again, unread again, change headsail again… rinse and repeat. Currently we are just beating into an annoying short choppy swell keeping spirits high, eating warm food (the temperature has dropped), drinking tasty tea and doing what we can. Despite all this, reprieve is in sight! All forecasts point towards a wind shift to the south and a lightening of breeze. Thereafter, a new high pushes south off SA bringing with it a belt of South Easterly, the powerhouse of the sourthern hemi trade winds. Guy Patterson came back from his fish feeding incident with a vengeance, baking two stunning loaves of bread for the Khulula crew. As the ships current bread baker, I (Ryan) have to concede to this man of superior bread baking skills for he has moves in fluffiness that I need to learn 🙂