It's difficult keep track of the date and
particularly what day of the week it is. It's easier to just keep track that
it's day 14 of the race.
The night before last the night sailing was great. We managed
to get the boat moving after a period of no wind and then it is wonderful being
out under a starry sky with the moon reflection gleaming on the water and all
is quiet and peaceful.
Yesterday was a mixed day for the boat in general. The
helm on the other watch lost concentration, turned the boat off course and
crash gybed, which meant that the kite backed. Apparently they got it down at break neck
speed and so, thankfully, Josie (the nick-name given to the biggest, lightest weight spinnaker on Singapore) has no further damage.
Rotary, my watch then packed the kite and re-launched
her, with what our first mate Will described as a text book launch. The
afternoon was heavenly. We trucked along at a reasonable 6-7 knots, taking
turns on the helm, trimming and grinding. In between, we can sit in a small
shady spot on deck and just read and relax. For a few minutes I could forget
that we are racing and just enjoy the sailing. There have been several schools
of dolphins spotted and one sighting of tuna leaping right out of the water, in
front of a small fishing boat.
I'm on mother watch again today, so had a good night’s
rest last night and pleased the crew with some lovely scrambled eggs for
breakfast. The galley is stifling hot so I'm planning working in short bursts,
interspersed with a sit down on deck. My equivalent of a sit down and a fag, is
a sit down and a cup of tea, even in this heat.
We are now at just under 15 degrees latitude and have
finished the ocean sprint, more like an ocean crawl, but hey-ho. I gather we've
gone through the first compulsory gate, so hopefully the officials won't call
the race too soon and we have chance to catch up. I don't like being the tail-ender.
Please post any comments or things you would like to hear
on the site.
Steve will relay them back to me. Also any news from home
would be great to hear.
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