We had a Hectic sail... on 31st we hit 2,8 metre waves coming toward us, at 20 nautical miles out at sea! While fighting the waves the batterns on main sail broke, and there was not enough fuel in the tanks to get us to PE, we had fuel but could not get to the front to pour it in with the wave height and rain, we discovered an ancorage at Bird Island, which is off PE coast, there we anchored for the night in very high rolling waves. There are motor vents which the boat builders placed on the side of the second step of the sugar scoops, these took water into the engine compartment, so we had to empty around 14 buckets a day , so we will close these in PE. We spent New Year sleeping the 72 hour sail tiredness which set in. At Bird Island a dingie arrived with two guys and a machine gun. They told us to remove the fishing rod, and wanted to come aboard. Marc just told them "No". There was a sign on their boat, nature conservation. So they probably live in the one and only house on Bird Island. We are safe now in PE (Port Elisabeth), and will do some repairs to the boat! 

Helen