LOG DAY 11 - OR IS IT DAY 12?
Global Yacht Racing's EH01
Global Yacht Racing - sponsors: Caspian Services
Thu 1 Dec 2011 13:50
Had a good days run yesterday with a pleasant if somewhat slow at times night sail as the wind dropped to below 15kts.
Right I thought, lets break out the Whomper (big masthead spinnaker) at first light, throw caution to the wind, laugh in the face of adversity, throw down, skin them smoke wagons, cry HAVOC! and let slip the dogs of war! and so we did. We rode that big boy hard from dawn 'till aound 1030 when the breeze got up to 23-25kts and helming became fraught with the kind of danger that ony Luke Skywalker could feel as he flew his X wing down the canyon on the death star.
When those not helming found that their fingers were beginning to tingle from poor circulation as the muscle in the shoulders and neck tensed and forgot how to un-tense. When you begin to think not about what happens IF we broach, but WHEN.
Anyway, I was about to get some sack time (ha ha) when Acting Seaman First Class Bertie (OD) who had kicked poor Wayne of the helm (he was actually doing a fine job) to show him how it was done, sent a request to the captans table to douse the bastard kite so we could all live for a few hours more.
Request granted, I'm all up for being a sissy girly gaylord and poling out the headsail so long as everyone understands it wasnt my choice. Perfect in fact as now I get to go to sleep without developing an ulcer, good call BOD, honest.
Currently doing around 8-9 kts in the correct direction (ish)
TTFN
Andy (skipper)