Battling Toward Singapore

Fortunately, the mighty "Nordhavn" doesn't need luck on her side to meet and conquer the defiant behavior of Mother Nature. The little 40 continues to endure the chaotic seas brought on by turbulent weather as a second tropical storm has lunged itself in the boat's intended path, dampening the pace - if not the spirits - of the Nordhavn crew.

Deciding to err on the side of caution, Jim Leishman has once again re-routed the boat away from its planned course. The storm is whirling its way northwest toward the Philippines and according to weather radar, "Nordhavn" was headed right for it en route to Puerto Galera in the Eastern Philippines. Instead, the boat will take a more southern route, traversing the Sulu Sea to Leg 1's final destination of Singapore. The diversion will add less than a day to the current schedule. Barring any other delays, the boat should reach Singapore on January 26th, where it will stay at Raffles Marina for a crew change and any necessary maintenance required.

Interestingly, the original ATW schedule included ports of call to be mde at islands along this more southerly route, but issues concerning safe travel in the Sulu Sea triggered the change to Puerto Galera. A contact at the Indonesian Navy will be on the lookout for "Nordhavn" as an extra precaution but stated that the boat shouldn't experience any trouble if the area is transited during the day. He also revealed that the "undesirable" characters patrolling the area are hesitant to venture out now during what's seen as the unfavorable season and face unnecessary challenges of bad weather conditions. (At this rate, it should be smooth sailing all the way for "Nordhavn"!)

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