Race 9 - Day 26
Crew Diary - Race 9 Day 26: Qingdao to Seattle
18 April
Oh my, it never rains but it pours as they say. Spitting distance from the finish, and karma seems to want to throw every last obstacle at us to test our resolve here on Dare to Lead. This morning we on Starboard Watch awoke to a heavily heeled and beating boat then over breakfast heard a massive commotion on deck. Apparently during an attempt to reef in the mainsail, its track became separated from the mast 40+ feet up. This resulted in coxswain Justin being hoisted up past the second spreader to cut off some sliders from the top of the mast in order for the sail to be dropped. Our mainsail now hangs off the boom, tied down with sail ties, while we attempt put new sliders on the top end and use the lower, still usable portion of the track to create a jury-rigged, third-reef-esque version of a mainsail for the rest of the race.
Below deck, our galley looks like a tornado has passed through. On the port side, Neil and his rota of sail repair helpers have been patching up the Code 3 24/7 these past 2 days in the hopes to minimize the sail repair workload in Seattle. Ironically, despite the tight confines and constant foot traffic, it's probably the best sail repair area Neil has had in a few stopovers! Hoisting the Code 3 again before the finish seems unlikely given today's drama but from the sounds of it we aren't the only boat having spinnaker explosions! Or main track problems for that matter...
On the starboard side of the galley lies the poppered-but-not-packed Code 2 spinnaker, still soaking wet from its drop last night. Given that the door to the sail locker in on the port side of the galley, dragging it up to pack it would ruin Neil's dry workspace and so it sits waiting to rise again. It also is providing folks with a bit of a crash pad when trying to exit the forward heads, and cushioning for tired feet when sitting in the galley.
The galley really is the heart of the boat. From repairs to baking to dancing to birthdays, there is always a project on the go, music playing and mothers of the day to have a chat and a tea with. In these frigid days, the heated kettle keeps cold hands warm and the galley seats are a welcome perch when coming down for a warm-up during night watches. If you want a weather report or a sneak preview of what sails are flying, the mothers can give you the inside scoop.
Today's mothers are Malcolm and Mick, with lunch today being sausage & beans, freshly baked bread rolls and the last bits of real cheese. With less than 450 miles to go, our mission is to eat as much food as we can in the next 72 hours. The snack bags each that watch has been carefully rationing are now being freely raided and handfuls of jelly babies, toffees and Oreos are making the long daytime watches much more pleasant.
The crew on deck are still busy sewing sliders back on and there's really nothing on deck I can do the advance things at the moment, so blogging I am. The setbacks of the past few days are certainly frustrating everyone as we have been taking pride in being near the front of the fleet, with faint hopes to maybe be a contender for third! Regardless, our goal from Day 1 has always been to have a safe transit across the Pacific, and podium or not it would seem we have achieved that. All we want now is to get to Seattle!
Thanks to all friends, family and previous leggers for your emails and Facebook comments. We love hearing from you and it's always touching to realize how much we are thought of back home. After the official finish near Vancouver Island (I miss you Canada!), it's another 124 mile motor into Bell Harbor Marina in the heart of Seattle. Fingers crossed for a daytime arrival!
See you soon,
-Samantha