Getting splicing - 4th May

Lat 8° 88 mins North

The chores continue, so that we can get as much done as possible before we get to Panama. We are looking forward to proper showers, a good meal and cold beers.

This morning our six hour watch was in blistering heat, but we rigged up an awning over the deck, which gave us some shade. Some were polishing the silverware on deck - stantions, shrouds, etc,. I have been making and repairing spectra loops. Spectra is the inner core of rope and once the outer, coloured part of the rope is taken off, you can splice the spectra. These loops are used for many different things on the boat so we need lots of them. The loads on the sails are so enormous than they wear quite quickly and lots of them now need replacing. You may well see us splicing loops while we go through the canal to get enough done before the start of the next race.

I'm now delighted to be off watch for 9 hours, as the toil in the heat this morning was exhausting. It seemed more tiring than the racing.

This race has not been as physically demanding as I'm sure the next one is to be, so I just hope I haven't lost too much fitness in the meantime. In any case, I'm sure it will come back quickly, as this ocean racing can demand all you can give it.

We had our race debrief at the six o'clock meeting last night and the whole crew are a very happily bonded group, prepared to give the next race our all. Although 7th place was not our best result and not where we would want to be, the trials of the kite wrap gave a great learning experience and we are all pleased to have clawed back to 7th in a short space of time.

We've been treated to two dolphin shows, each involving probably pods of 50 -100 dolphins leaping out of the water, sometimes singly and sometimes in groups of up to six. We are all in awe of seeing nature at it's best.