Departure from Simons Town, South Africa, is imminent for round the world sailor, Pete Goss and his crew aboard Spirit of Mystery, although they hope to be able to visit one of the world’s most remote islands – St Paul (37° 50S 77° 35E).

Google Earth image of remote St Paul (37° 50S 77° 35E)

Pete and his son, Eliot, brother Andy and brother-in-law Mark Maidment set off on 20 October from the UK to ‘follow in the footsteps’ of a family that sailed to Australia from Cornwall in 1854.

Keep up with the latest news from Pete Goss Spirit of Mystery blog 

After spending Christmas and New Year in Cape Town with the rest of his family, Pete and the crew set off on a shakedown sail around the Cape of Good Hope to Simons Town. He wrote on Saturday, 10 Jan: ‘The main thing is that coming round yesterday we found a few more deck seams that have opened up in the harsh South African sun and a dry wind coming off the continent. The foredeck really suffered and so we spent a couple of busy days digging out all the caulking and making good in Cape Town.’

The repairs have progressed well and Pete is looking forward to the next stop on the voyage – St Paul Island. He writes: ‘The original crew on Mystery might not have stopped there but to sail past without a look on our voyage would seem to be the waste of a once in a life time opportunity. It is two miles across and is the remains of a volcano that has been breached to make a perfect anchorage. It has a rare albatross colony, a penguin colony and is a haven for seals so his local knowledge is priceless and we are all very excited. It will make a fantastic break in what I sure will at times be a long and testing voyage.’