Land in sight (on the chart)

25 November 2013

Update by Marino: “The sea chart at the wheel hut has been changed. The new chart shows, for the first time, South America on the right side. The previous chart depicted only water. Using just a piece of white paper could have saved money. But nice to see where the underwater depth lines are. Beneath us is a fascinating mountain landscape with height differences of 4000 metres. But the highest top was still 400 metres below sea level.
Without doubt this is the place where the invisible whales are hiding. Albatrosses are in abundance and continually swarms of small petrels surround the ship. It is a mystery what these birds eat, but logic suggests that there must be ‘something’.
The midday lectures remained a highpoint. After the lecture about the ‘oorlam’, illustrated with real Jenever, we got lectures from the learned Leonard and Leo about respectively sea maps in the 17th century and about common law versus civil law. We keep learning.”