Race 6 - Day 16
Crew Diary - Race 6 Day 16
08 February
As we approach three weeks at sea, the routine of sail, sleep and eat has become very normal. The winds continue at between 10 knots to 20 knots and we sail day and night at between 10 knots and 14 knots. We hit a high today of 16 knots.
This afternoon, a small tear was spotted in our Code 2 Spinnaker. What starts as a small tear can quickly turn into a very large tear. This happened on the last leg and we spent 3 days repairing the sail in Airlie Beach, under the expert guidance of Phil, our crew sailmaker. Therefore, an immediate decision was made to drop the sail and hoist the Code 3 Spinnaker in its place, whilst the Code 2 was repaired. After a patch was stitched onto it, it was packed. For those that don’t know, packing the sail involves scrunching it into a long sausage shape and securing it into place. It is then packed in a bag. When the sail is raised, the packing is released and the sail opens. Packing below deck in this weather is quite a long and exhausting process. After the Code 2 was packed, it was sent back on deck to be re-hoisted. The Code 3 was dropped and the packing process starts again.
After an hour or so, another small tear was noticed in the Code 2 and the process started again! That is sailing and it’s times like this when all the crew, irrespective of whether they are on watch, come together to help and get the job done.
After all this, it was time to eat. Geoff and I were on cooking duties. The food has been good since we set sail, however, as each day passes, our fresh produce becomes less. For example, yesterday was our last day of butter! This evening, we used the last of our sausages, to make a sausage pasta dish. An interesting concoction of ingredients. However, it was well received by all the crew. Dinners will continue to get more interesting as we get closer to arriving in the Philippines. Fortunately, we carry a lot of snacks on board.
We will keep you updated on our menu over the coming week.
Love to all our supporters