Day 556 – 30th November 1987

Noon Summary Log

Day: 556
Date: 30th November 1987
Latitude: 46° 14.1′ S
Longitude: 48° 52′ W
Water Temperature: 11.3°C
Wind @ Noon: 30 NNE
Max Wind /24 hours: 30 NNE
Min Wind /24 hours: CALM
Cloud Cover 8/8
Cabin Temperature: 16°C
Outside Temperature: 13.8°C
Barometer: 996

Source: CUL00045/15

Log

  • Dribble & Dribble. I am catching rain water. I am way off course whilst so doing.
  • Now on course, rain bucket in, hope wind remains at present strength & does not increase.

Source: CUL00058/1

Day 553 – 27th November 1987

Noon Summary Log

Day: 553
Date: 27th November 1987
Latitude: 50° 12.2′ S
Longitude: 54° 15.6′ W
Water Temperature: 7.2°C
Wind @ Noon: CALM
Max Wind /24 hours: 30-40 N
Min Wind /24 hours: CALM
Cloud Cover 5/8
Cabin Temperature: 15.5°C
Outside Temperature: 8.3°C
Barometer: 1002

Source: CUL00045/15

Log

  • I suspect I have 3 weeks supply of water all told left. But 4 weeks away from reliable rain – hope for rain between times.

Source: CUL00058/1

Day 551 – 25th November 1987

Noon Summary Log

Day: 551
Date: 25th November 1987
Latitude: 52° 24.8′ S
Longitude: 58° 26′ W
Water Temperature: 7.7°C
Wind @ Noon: 28-30 W
Max Wind /24 hours: 40-45 NW
Min Wind /24 hours: 25 W
Cloud Cover 0/8
Cabin Temperature: 14°C
Outside Temperature: 11.5°C
Barometer: 1004

Source: CUL00045/15

Log

  • Most exciting yacht is being buzzed by RAF. Sea King helicopter over yacht – sea rescue. They said that they had received emergency call from London. I suspect those in Perth asked for a check up on me in the interest of safety. Anyway they picked up 3 letters. Said that they would log that nothing came onto the yacht.
  • "Falklands Right" fisheries inspector vessel called & asked for my position, it seems they are going to intercept.

Source: CUL00058/1

What is the Argos system?

The Argos system on the yacht carried a transmitter that radiated a code signal at 60 second intervals. The satellite Noah 9 carried the receiver for the Argos system and the signal data was downloaded every few orbits to a computer in Virginia, USA. The data was then sent to Toulouse, France, and from France to the Centre for Marine Science & Technology (CMST) in Bentley, WA. The signal was guaranteed accurate to within three kilometres, but was usually more accurate than this, being reliable to within 100 metres. If Sanders had to abandon ship, he could activate the alarm button on the transmitter platform to alert scientists in Toulouse who would in turn notify the French Coast Guard, CMST and the Sea Safety and Surveillance Centre in Canberra. If the transmitter stopped sending the signal, the CMST would also be notified.

At 11.35am on 25 November 1987, the Argos satellite reporting system on the yacht went into distress mode and an alarm was relayed to John Penrose and his assistant, Tim Pauly, at the CMST. At the time, Sanders was off the Falkland Islands. Penrose telephoned the Canberra Sea Safety Centre, Parry Corporation, the Falklands Governor in Port Stanley and the Port Stanley Harbour Master, Captain John Jackson. By 10pm, Penrose was notified that a Royal Navy Sea King Helicopter had made an aerial sighting of Sanders on his yacht and all was well. The false alarm had ceased after 100 minutes and it is still not known what caused the malfunction in the ARGOS system. At 3.15am the next day, the Canberra Centre phoned John Penrose to inform him of another mayday message, calling back some 15 minutes later to report that it was an error. The message was actually from the previous day’s false alarm. (Source Project Endeavour)

Day 550 – 24th November 1987

Noon Summary Log

Day: 550
Date: 24th November 1987
Latitude: 54° 27.3′ S
Longitude: 60° 26′ W
Water Temperature: 5.7°C
Wind @ Noon: 20 N
Max Wind /24 hours: 30-35 N
Min Wind /24 hours: 20 N
Cloud Cover 8/8
Cabin Temperature: 10.5°C
Outside Temperature: 8°C
Barometer: 996

Source: CUL00045/15

Log

  • Change clock at noon + 1 hour to GMT – 3 hours (Falkland Islands time)

Source: CUL00058/1

Day 549 – 23rd November 1987

Noon Summary Log

Day: 549
Date: 23rd November 1987
Latitude: 55° 14′ S
Longitude: 63° 36′ W
Water Temperature: 5.7°C
Wind @ Noon: 35 N
Max Wind /24 hours: 40-50 WSW
Min Wind /24 hours: 8 W
Cloud Cover 2/8
Cabin Temperature: 14°C
Outside Temperature: 8.8°C
Barometer: 1010

Source: CUL00045/15

Log

  • Gale by day, flop sails by night. I hope I can clear the eastern side of Estados before the next gale because of the tidal streams in the region. I cannot see the land but I can smell it. A lovely sweet smell. This is something one always can smell after being a sea a long time.
  • Thanks to the diabolical hurricane the other day a rusty tin turned up in the shambles of the aft cabin after a knock down. It was tin of milo – hooray, thought my milo had long gone. Things in the saloon are nice & ship shape. But I need better weather to get to work on the aft cabin.

Source: CUL00058/1