Strong weather patterns in southern latitudes have made the going rough at times for Vinny Lauwers and the 47-foot Vision Quest on their track toward Australia.

INDIAN OCEAN — Vinny Lauwers continues his track around the globe on the 47-foot Vision Quest with the hope of becoming the first paraplegic to sail 21,600 miles non-stop and unassisted around the world. Last reports had him reflecting on a week of slow progress. Alternating cycles of storms and calms , 40 degrees south of the equator and east of the Cape of Good Hope have heightened his respect for these waters. "Before reaching the bottom of South Africa, I couldn't comprehend how treacherous the waters in this area can be," Lauwers posted on his website. "I have done years of homework about this part of the ocean, knowing that waters around here deserve a great deal of respect. But all that research does nothing compared to hands-on experience."
Four seasons seem to spin by in the span of one day, as storm-force frontal systems move through leaving little wind in their wake. "The frontal cloud was amazing to see; it was like standing in a city street looking up at the tops of skyscrapers as they tower over you. From one end of the horizon to the other was this huge wall of cloud. All I could think was, 'oh bugger,' well, words to that effect. I quickly … put on my life jacket and life harness. I watched this mountainous cloud romp toward us for a few seconds while I thought of the best way to get the storm jib down in time. This front looked the meanest I'd ever seen. I had no choice but to get the storm jib down right then and possibly tear it or leave it up and risk being thrown out of control and doing some serious damage."
"The sea was already full of huge white walls coming at me from all directions. There was no chance of turning up into the wind to furl the sail. My only chance was to run with the wind, surfing the waves as quickly as we could and then furl the sail. This would at least reduce the wind strength by 15 knots. A big wave picked us up as Vision Quest pointed her bow deep down towards the bottom of the trough; she lifted her skirt and took off like a bull at a gate."
Low visibility has made it difficult for the single-hander to see threatening cloud formations and so Lauwers has adopted the strategy of reefing deep and early before he sleeps. The ocean currents in this part of the world have also made for challenging sea state, and had Lauwers marveling at waves that seemed to be moving in four different directions simultaneously, making for sharp and steep waves he likened to "being in a whirlpool." For more information see www.parasail.com.au.