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0615 Gybed to starboard tack
0830-0900 Close-reefed main topsail
1015-1115 Reefed spritsail
 
Comments:
We are sailing somewhat slower today, enabling us to launch the oceanographic instruments on port side aft. At the same time we have tried some angling on the starboard side but without success. From time to time we have also spotted flocks of flying fish breaking the surface. So far, however, no-one has landed on deck. Coelacanths have been caught in these waters but who would believe us if we had reported one landed today, April´s fool day?
 
We have been warned that we will have a storm tonight. This implies not only that our choice of sails must be adapted to the expected wind strength but also that everything loose must be lashed so as not to get damaged och damage someone.
 
It is now a week since we left Port Elizabeth and we are already 48 hours ahead of schedule. But obviously it is a good thing to have time on your side and everyone hopes that we will have the time and the permission to visit Île S:t Paul, a small uninhabited island which, with its neighbour Île d´Amsterdam, is right on our path from Africa to Australia. The captain has informed us that contact has been made with the French civil servant who could give us this permit.