Update from a wet Ponta Delgada!
Well I have not been on the boat email all week – hence the silence! We have been busy sorting relatively minor things – spinnaker tape repaired, fresh water pump replaced (the plastic filter housing had a small crack in it – now repaired so useable as a replacement if required – and that small crack allowed air in so it would never pressurise properly and turn off!). Peter Wheatley on Henry (RCC and OCC) has been a fantastic help to many of us, using his tremendous engineering and electrical skills and his fabulous inventory of parts! Thank you Peter and Wendy! Bill has just seen that we finished 4th in Class on the outward leg – we are really pleased with that! Apart from that we have had so much fun sharing beers and drinks and meals with fellow competitors and their families – notably Chimera of Falmouth, Alistair on Sundance, Storna Hoga, Eric on Sea Monster, David on Ventura – and everyone! A number of us went whale watching yesterday evening – thanks to Maddy on Bliss for arranging that – and saw 2 huge Sei Whales for quite a while. Robert arrives this evening all being well and flights hopefully on time! I am looking forward to sailing with him to Falmouth. Start is on Tuesday – not sure what time yet – and the forecast is looking very light to start with. It could be a battle to get north before the wind dies away. We will be watching the synoptic charts very carefully for the next 24 – 36 hours and then it will be back to downloading GRIB files via the satellite. The Clube Navale de Ponta Delgada has been fabulously hospitable! They have looked after us all very well and quite a few of us enjoyed a superb day looking at Furnas and the hot springs and Caldera. The weather has generally been kind – today is the wettest day so far and with any luck it will soon dry up and allow us to start with a relatively dry boat! Bill has been asked to help with the start procedures on the start boat – a pretty little (100m perhaps) Portuguese naval Ship. He has already pleaded with me to be ‘line shy’ – it would be embarrassing for him to have to fine us the 5 hours or whatever for being over the line at the start! Next update in a few days after the start all being well! Take care everyone! Tim |