Sun 10th May
Global Yacht Racing's EH01
Global Yacht Racing - sponsors: Caspian Services
Sun 10 May 2009 13:08
As expected the wind has eased and veered more to the south east, so we have hoisted the big bad boy no.1 genoa and gone to full main. Had a couple of squalls go through where we had to put reefs back in but not much wind was produced by them.
I've had enough of going north and have decided to make a break throught the light airs and go for the south westerlies which are a couple hundred miles to the north east....confused yet? Basically I want to have the wind behind me and get blown home....ooer...nay, nay and thrice nay!
Its been a hard slog to get the boys to take their turn at mother watch...but finally Bob (name changed, because what happens on board, stays on board) succumbed to the pressure and oh what pure comedy ensued...a classic statement from the new chef , 'I'm ok if I can fry it, but you won't let me do any frying' (a small matter of it being a fire hazard on an unstable platform, me thinks). And 'I don't know what I'm doing'. Bob, god love you, its a tin of chilli con carne...get the can opener to start with. I nurtured him, in my own homage to Gordon Ramsey, for f**k sake. He did well though...it was edible, in fact it was pretty good, bless.
Being this close to the equator the moon is so much larger than in the UK. Often when its full as it is at this time of the month it rises in the east just as the sun is setting in the west, pure visual overload. It rises as a silouette and then slowly turns orange before rising further and glowing brilliant white. It is so bright at its zenith that it casts shadows. Whilst close reaching last night through a slight sea, I was sitting unseen in the shadows and I could hear one watch waking the other saying that is 'some of the best sailing I have ever done'. I also thought it was breathtaking...this is why we do it.
Justin