Crew Blog

A waiting game

31 October 2007

Day six of Leg 2 finds us 1000 nautical miles (nm) south east of Salvador, 800nm off the coast of Paraguay, with a distance to finish in Durban of 3400nm. So far it has been a struggle to sail under spinnaker in light airs, as it is quite difficult to keep the kite full and the boat on course.

However, soon life onboard Nova Scotia will change. We have been gybing our way in a stubbornly southerly direction in order to position ourselves near one of the many low pressure systems that continuously roll in from the Southern Ocean. This should give us the wind energy to sling shot us towards Cape Town. We expect to encounter such a system within the next 24 hours.

Anticipate winds of 30 to 40 knots; which will be the heaviest weather we have had since departing from Liverpool six weeks ago. It will be life at 40 degrees of heel, under minimal sail, pitching and pounding, crawling around on deck and trying to rest in bucking bunks. As we squeeze every once of energy from this system, we will be looking for yet again another one to propel us around the cape of storms and up the south east coast of Africa to the finish in Durban.

Meanwhile, Skipper Rob and the crew have been working hard to prepare the boat and each other for what is to come. The rig is being checked and repaired, both watches are practicing reefing and gybing manoeuvres, reviewing weather forecasts and preparing for some heavy-weather helming.

We are a little apprehensive about what is to come and how we will fair (especially the Mother Watch), but this ‘wonderful miserable,’ as Skipper Rob calls it, will be what drives us onto the finish line, and prepares us for what will come on future legs.

GO NOVA SCOTIA GO!!!