Waiting for favourable winds

You become modest in these latitudes. Favourable wind - what is that? Certainly not a wind force of 7 - 8 on an upwind course and waves with a height of 5 to 6 meters. And perhaps even less gale-force winds which hit the Drake Passage yesterday with a force of 77 knots - 142 km/h. This is equivalent to a wind force of 13. The waves grow to a height of 9 - 10 meters. The advice given by the maritime weather office in Hamburg is accordingly clear: "Wait".

To ignore these warnings would be both not seamanlike and very stupid. It is just so difficult to decide what is reasonable and what isn't? You can't hope for longer periods of calm weather down here. The Drake Passage has well earned its notoriously bad reputation. Can you consider a windforce of 5 on an upwind course and waves with a height of 3 - 4 meters favourable? What is reasonable and what is careless? Stormy low-pressure areas go through here like pearls strung on a string. Of course they do not all have hurricane force. But 40 knots on an upwind course are just too much for such a small ship.

Not that it would necessarily be dangerous - but we would make no distance and would lie-to and weather the storm. Then it is better to wait it out here by the Melchior Islands in a well-protected bay. The weather is supposed to improve shortly next week. Our patience is being put to a hard test. But as is generally known - slow and steady wins the race. And let's be honest - is it not even a privilege to remain longer in this fantastic region along with penguins, whales and seals? No - we are fine and will wait for better winds!
Arved Fuchs