Log day 13 - sunshine!
Global Yacht Racing's EH01
Global Yacht Racing - sponsors: Caspian Services
Fri 3 Dec 2010 17:51
Well the sun is out for the frst time in a while. It gets pretty eay to forget why we're out here when the clouds are low, the squalls are frequent, no stars at night are visible and the below deck area is less than hospitable. However all it usually takes is a sweet night sail like last night with just the odd squall to tack around (yeah I know what a bunch of cowards) plenty of stars and a gentle beeze.
Today is (yet another) dry out day with the decks covered again.We also did some maintenance (shortened the steering cables as they had no adustment left - my favourite job in the gimp locker) engine checks and so on.
We are making OK time in light winds of NW 8 knots and hope the breeze will veer round through the next 24+ hours to bring us into spinnaker conditions again. It will be light at first but should build and hopefully will see us in, and in front of the chasing pack.
Below are sone entries from the crew; see ya!
Andy.
2-12-10 1553
Last night we had some low pressure sh...There was plenty of rain to take a proper shower. Unfortunately at the same time the wind changed and increased and the yacht needed some attention (to put it mildely). We had no time to shampoo but we got that shower during approx. 8 h. Andy and Will guided us elegantly trough all those wheather changes. Nobody complains but there is an increase in interest in gin-tonics, pizzas and beer. All things anavailable at the boat.
While still waiting for those tradewinds to bring us to Santa Lucia we are doing fine in the race. It makes the whole thing more exiting.In the meantime I realise that the whole passage takes more time than expected. Some pessimists on board consistently mention that we are just half-way.
Dutch:
Hoi jongens, het gaat goed zoals je ziet. Uitendelijk hebben we toch een tweede vis gevangen en ook opgegeten. Ik zal er niet zijn met SinterKlaas maar hoop, als ik een vliegtuig krijg,nog in de week van 13 dec in Nederland te zijn. Fijne SinterKlaas kleine helden.
Misa
03/12/2010
Hiya All
Purfect day today, alls good in our strange little world afloat, its a bit like a reality show but you dont get voted off, and you dont have to eat animal parts!! and of course its very real. Looking forward to some downwind sailing probably sometime tommorow and romping into Rodney Bay in a few days time for a few well earned beers.
Seeya Scully
03-12-2010 15.00 local=GMT -2
The last week has been upwind sailing, which is unusual at this time of the year. Apart from the constant healing by the wind, the seastate has added a level of caotic movement, which has made life onboard quite a challenge. Squalls and extended periods of rain has made boat wet, and down below has been damp and warm.(30+ deg C.) The team led by Andy and Will have done very well in the circumstances, keeping watch schedules without a hitch, and a good teamspirit.
The weather is now gradually improving, and all clothes etc. are out for drying in a perfectly sunny afternoon.
Hopefully we can get out of the fairly low westerly winds and into the easterly trades within the next 24 hours. We have still more than 1200 NM of sailing to St. Lucia, and need the stronger reaching winds in order to arrive in a reasonably good time. We have been 2 or 3 in racing div, for a week, and are working hard to maintain or improve our position.
Big Spirit with Jakob onboard have caught up, as they should since the are much bigger (+25 feet), and designed for upwind
sailing. They are approx. 40 NM to the north, and given that we are faster in the light winds, we hope to gain on them, before the trades set in, with stronger winds. Very interesting sailing and racing with the strong weather routing tools available.
We will get much closer to competiiton in the next couple of days, and its most interesting to see who eventually benefits the most from the winds available in a vast theater of sailing of the southern atlantic.
Torben