No luxury in the Velux 5 Oceans

The Velux 5 Oceans single-handed yacht race is under way. Only 5 entrants this year, in one of the toughest tests around - 30000 miles around the world, alone. They started in La Rochelle and first stop is - where else? - Cape Town. Here the 5 skippers will prime themselves for the gruelling haul across the Southern Ocean to Wellington, New Zealand. In its earlier manifestations, two South African sailors, Bertie Reed and John Martin, were both very competitive, Bertie finishing second in 1983. John Martin made a name for himself in another way, slamming into an iceberg in 1991 while leading and being dramatically rescued by none other than Bertie Reed. The fleet has just passed the Cape Verde Islands on their way into the Doldrums where the winds drop eerily as they push for the Equator. The QSL is from Radio Clube de Cabo Verde, heard here in 1969. Instead of putting my name on the card, they wrote "The Chimes", which was the name of our house. It's ok, I'll answer to "The Chimes", especially for a gem like this one!