Race 8 - Day 11
Crew Diary - Race 8 Day 11: Sanya to Qingdao
15 March
And so here we are, 30 miles from the end of this race from Sanya to Qingdao, today of all days consumed by snowstorms, fog and the relentless upwind beating we were promised in our pre-race briefing. Unfortunately in true Dare To Lead style, our day started off with a wind hole (surprise!) but things quickly degenerated this morning and so we buckled down to get spinnakers below, reefs in and white sails up. Needless to say, after a leg that brought us the gamut of scorching sun to icy cold wind, smooth downwind sailing to soul-sucking upwind slogs, we are eager to get this race over and done with.
We are still not sure how this last bit will play out. Nasdaq and GREAT Britain are within 5 miles of us and are no doubt just as eager to get in out of the cold as we are. Being at the back of the pack is not a position we are used to! Admittedly, the massive fishing fleets we have spent 24 hours a day dodging for the past week have left us focusing more on avoiding collisions and net entrapments rather than race positions and strategy. I know it's been mentioned countless times in blogs from skippers and crew alike, but dodging 100+ boats in a 15 mile radius combined with various net markers and pots have left us with many grey hairs and sleepless nights. We're lucky that we have such a patient and collegial skipper and crew!
Our last lunch today was cooked by Jenny and first mate Mark. Minestrone soup beefed up with sausage meat and Pringles on the side. This went down well with the off-going Starboard watch who haven't been this cold since Leg 2. I'm sipping a hot cup of Ovaltine to beat the chill as we can even see our breath below deck. Despite our best efforts, we are predicting a finish of 6pm local time, but are really hoping the Qingdao organizers will take some pity on us and not make us hold offshore until morning as planned. There is apparently a bit of a spectacle arranged for each boat arrival but spectacles only happen between 9 and 5! Not sure what another night out here in the cold will do for morale but to paint you a picture, helmsman Matt has just come down to wrap his frozen hands around the recently boiled steel kettle after being on watch for only half an hour. Various plans are being hatched by Dare To Lead in case of another night at sea, potentially involving rowing the dinghy to shore to obtain pizza and beer, or hiring a RHIB (zodiac) to do a take-out delivery order.
Of course, today is just a taster of what is in store for our Pacific crossing. The Qingdao stopover is very short and very full of boat commitments so no real chance for R&R. Those of us carrying on remain committed to preparing 110% for the Pacific leg, probably the one leg that fills us all with a little bit of apprehension. Our departing Leg 5 'legger' Gary (Webby) and multi-leggers Mark and Shona will be sorely missed; karaoke nights just won't be the same. We look forward to meeting our Leg 6 joiners and hope they like belting out songs in the galley over dinner (and on stage at various venues on shore) just as much as we do.
Sending warm thoughts back home from a cold day in China. Thanks to all friends, family and Dare To Lead supporters for reading and following us on this rollercoaster of a journey. Onwards to the finish!
- Samantha
PS – That last blog of Mick's may seem like hyperbole but I can vouch that it is 100% accurate!