ARC Log - Day 12

Global Yacht Racing's P42
Global Yacht Racing
Fri 5 Dec 2008 16:40
13:31.5N 045:06.8W

Author: Ric

Probably the most frustrating morning, totally becalmed behind a large squall for about 3 hours. Sails banging about in the confused swell and making no progress at all. Made worse because all the time we're stood still, we know our rivals are busy putting miles between us.

A couple of different (well, similar) perspectives from a couple of the crew below...

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Author: Chris

Porridge! Yes, that's right, porridge, the favoured oatmeal breakfast of hardy crofters in the Hebrides has become the favourite food on P42.

Here in the tropics where average temperature is 35 degrees C, we look forward with eager anticipation to our morning bowl.

Today, with slate grey skies and a sea to match, with a persistant, penetrating drizzle as accompaniment we sat in the cockpit eating porridge. With a fork.

Doing 'porridge' is also what we call spending time trimming the spinnaker. One lonely sole stands in the shrounds, sheet in hand, gazing intently at the spinnaker, awaiting the tell-tale signs of collapse and ready to bellow 'GRIND' to the colleague on the winch. It is 30 minutes of tedious discomfort both physically and psychologically as our feeble efforts to keep the kite fille drive Ric to distraction.

He clearly wishes that flogging remained a legal punishment at sea, but has to make do with dishing out tongue lashings rather than the real thing.

All we're saying is give us some sun!!

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Author: Sandy

We have been living in two seperate worlds, but both are wet.

Inside it is like a sauna so there is plenty of sweating going on. Upstairs we've seen squalls and more prolonged showers (more English Channel stuff unfortunately, and no good for showering).

To be fair, the other watch have probably had the worst of it so far, and they've just come down below completely soaked after 3 hours of rain (of their 4 hours on watch)!! Let's hope it dries up for our watch.

Even with the rain, the last couple of watches have been very good fun. We've had to deal with two squalls while we've been in charge. At night, we were cautious with the first, with Ric performing a 'Granny Tack' much to Paul's amusement.

The second was just as the sun was rising and we kept the spinnaker up the whole time as we were making about 10 knots directly towards St. Lucia. it made a very welcome change from the light wind conditions we've had over the last couple of days.

Still not sure when we'll finish, but the countdown timer in the cockpit now shows 922 miles to go!!