0918 UTC 46/51S 73/59E, 12.5 knots speed, 20 knots wind SW, Solent un ris dans la grande voile. Off the Kerguelen Plateau at long last, seas much smoother. Mini-front came through last night with wind shift. Wind dropped to 15 knots from 25/30 knots, had 3rd reef and staysail, rolled staysail to make gybe easier if we had strong gusts, then never did. But I remember distinctly in my study with Jean-Yves Bernot in the summer, he said “do not take Indian Ocean fronts lightly.” So I didn’t, gybed the 3rd reef, went along for a while awaiting a blast, and this time didn’t get it, the text report had suggested perhaps gusts to 55/65 S of 46S, where we were, but didn’t materialize. Set staysail, curled up at navstation to let weather settle before adding sail area, woke up 4 hours later doing 7 knots! Ooops, ah well, sacrificed mileage for sleep, perhaps not a bad trade. 

Then set 2nd reef, then solent, then 1st reef, and now we’re on the move again, wind at 20, boatspeed at 12+. A bit later, our GPS trip log turned over to a magical 10,000 nautical miles sailed since the start, average speed 10.5 knots. 

Had a nice chat with Jonny Malbon on the Iridium last night before the front, he was kind enough to call, he fixed his desalinator which is a good repair, and is making good speed now. I said I’m always trying to hang on, but it seems he has another gear when he needs it. Good to talk, especially with what happened to Yann yesterday