pandion passage update _ 100nm from Brisbane _ the crazy zone

I'm not sure how I will convince the team to sail to Lord Howe island after this passage. Budi says "I just want it to be over". Three out of five are still nauseous. All semblance of parenting has disappeared and for the kids it's just a movie marathon complete with savoury or sweet snacks depending on which food cuts down the nausea most. I have no idea what Sylvie is watching, hopefully not American pysco, or at least an appropriate Disney version. Liss and I sleep and go on watch and sleep again, it is sort of a blur now _ somewhere in there I trim the sails and tend to pandions various needs like a dutiful worker ant servicing her queen. Fridge fixed, freshwater pump fixed, port sheet winch can wait till stable ground.

It's a lovely day right now, all the swell has dropped away, and looks like reminy is on the mend too.

Poor thing, ear ache, fever and sea sickness: a nasty combo. Her ear infection was resistant to two courses of antibiotics so when her fever hit 38.8 we took it pretty seriously. (Memories of malachy going from healthy to under general anesthesia in 12hours from an infected oyster cutt) Our shore team notified the joint regional operations centre (jroc) in Canberra in case an evac was needed. I talked to them via sat phone the day before yesterday, got some more medical advice, and updated our position. They were a confidence inpiring combination of highly effecient and Aussie laconic. Jroc is responsible for rescues in a truely massive area of ocean so I assume they are used to talking people down from all kinds of hard core situations. Anyway, as much as winching someone off the heaving deck of the boat to a chopper would have been good fun, we are grateful that rems fever broke, and though she's still in pain no crisis eventuated. I was also left feeling spoilt
to be
an Australian, (Vanuatu would have been a different story).

So it's just cruising now, 111nm to Brisbane should get us in at dawn. Then customs and immigration. here's the nautical details:
All's well.
25 46.689
154 02.2243
Cog: 197 mag
Sog: 5.4knts
Wind: 8knts @ Ne
Sea : 0.8m SE.
Light winds, but enough to sail, I'll put up two headsails shortly. We have hit the East Australian Current which gives us another knot.

No enemy ships in sight and the cabin boy just delivered me frozen bannas whized into ice cream.

Pandion out.
M

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