And then I had this nasty thought 7002 16345

If the wind does come around to the west it will blow all the ice back inshore. No choice really - we're burning diesel - westerly due in a bit over two days and we gotta be up there. Would be massively disappointing to get stuck, even for a short time, on the wrong side of the point. Does mean that we will have to refuel at least once before Cambridge unless the Examiner goes on holiday. Anyone care to take her to the south of France for a couple of weeks? And chain her to a lamp post.

I'm reading a book Pat gave me about a man who lived in Barrow in the late 1800s and early 1900s and spent a lot of time out with the Eskimos. Quite fascinating to be passing Cape Lisburne and reading about his trip around it in skin boats and sledge and the cliffs alive with birds. The book is called Fifty Years Below Zero by Charles Brower, NY Dodd, Mead & Co, 1942 and probably long out of print but worth looking for if you are interested in what it was like to live here before it was taken over by the gold miners, the whalers and the missionaries. Thanks Pat!

Much later 0045 Nome time, 0845 UTC at 7018 16257 - another try to connect with sailmail. Still burning diesel...still no sailmail...back to iridium...

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