Race 6 - Day 17
Crew Diary - Race 6 Day 17
08 February

Julienne Kerr
Julienne Kerr
Team Ha Long Bay, Viet nam
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Hey Lovely Supporters,

I thought today I'd give you an insight to our on-deck work when flying one of our code sails. For the non-sailors, these are humongous asymmetric kite sails which fly out the front of the bow like Spinnakers. I'm sat here besides Mike Firby, our Round-the-Worlder in charge of sail repairs, so I'll ask him to fact check what I'm saying about our precious sails. He's suggested explaining that these sails are about the size of a tennis court! They require constant attention to prevent them collapsing into the sea like a trawling net, or flogging to the point of shredding.

The helmsman has the main responsibility; to steer the boat at the correct angle to the wind, taking into account waves, squalls, and random gusts that try to throw you off course. Then there's the trimmer. This crewmember is typically prone on a comfy beanbag, however their hands and arms are clenched tightly, gripping the active sheet of the kite. The trimmer stares at the luff (forward edge) of the Kite, checking that it's curling just so, in a happy, full bellied way. If the sail threatens to collapse, the trimmer shouts "Grind!" , then "Hold!" to the crew ready at the coffee grinders (pedestal winches), who furiously grind in the sheet. The trimmer may alternately shout "Bear away!" to the helmsman. This intense focus and physical exertion may continue throughout a four or six hour watch. Crew will rotate through the roles every hour to 20 minutes, depending on the intensity of concentration required, given the wind and sea state. The designated engineers, navigators and housekeepers will pop below at the required intervals to perform their checks and logs.

With all this, and other physical challenges such as living at an angle and sail changes, we're getting a great workout every day.

Right, time to finish my coffee and have a lie down in my bunk for a couple of hours.

Love to all at home: Ally, Elyse, Freya, Lucy, Lizamore, Salimah... you know who you are XXXX