Crew Blog

Nova Scotia Dreamin’

15 April 2008

All the meals are brown and the sky is grey.
We went for a sail on a winter’s day.
I’d be safe and warm if I was in Sydnay. [work with me on this...]
Nova Scotia dreamin’ on such a winter’s day.

Got stuck in a high we passed along the way.
Well we sat on the low side and we began to pray.
You know the skipper likes the cold. He knows we’re gonna stay.
Nova Scotia dreamin’ on such a winter’s day.

Kite is coming down - let’s put up the stay.
Miles from Halifax; can’t point the right way.
If I broke my toe, I could leave today.
Nova Scotia dreamin’ on such a winter’s day.

Repeat to fade.

Two-ish days from Santa Cruz and the pressure is on aboard Nova Scotia. We’re holding our own but we’re very aware that Uniquely Singapore are breathing down our necks and we can’t drop our guard even for a second. Headsail changes are frequent to ensure our sail plan is always optimal and the strategy team are studying pilot guides to plan our passage through the California Current. It flows north to south, so we need to get plenty of north in now so that we don’t have to work against it on the home straight.

JC and Andy, Nova Scotia‘s two most fearsome chefs, are in the kitchen together and the rest of the crew were initially fearful of what might happen - the combination of Andy’s razor-sharp knives and JC’s sharper wit could have proved deadly. However it appears the only fireworks have been of the culinary variety, and the only downside has been the rather atonal duets.

Meanwhile on the deck, the helming and trimming continues as our nostrils start to quiver with the scent of a podium position. No-one’s daring to count any chickens before they hatch but a number of crew have been tasked with sitting on them in order to maximise our chances.

JC and Andy