Race 2 - Day 5
Crew Diary - Race 2 Day 5
20 September
Good afternoon supporters of CV20 Imagine your Korea
What an adventure we are all on, I wish you could experience it all with us, we are currently off the coast of Africa and we are sailing hard although the results you see do not reflect the effort we are putting in but this will change as we develop as a team unit.
As we sail south the temperature is rising and we are currently living in a sauna down below, I did not know my body could leak sweat so rapidly even after wiping your face down. This obviously causes dehydration problems and we are constantly being reminded about drinking enough. What it will be like as we cross the equator we can only wait to find out.
For the past few days we have been running with the wind and gybing quite frequently and as a team we are becoming quite proficient at it all pulling and easing halyards and sheets in turn to create the required result. Look out Clipper Race fleet Imagine your Korea is coming. As we fly down the coast we have seen dolphins and flying fish, Jonny even got hit on the arm by one, it was not added to the days menu but returned to the sea. We are heading south to the doldrums corridor set by Clipper Race then off to South America.
We have had a few minor injuries on board but no more than rubbed skin and small cuts and bruises, no more than we would usually get at home.
Cooking on board is becoming slightly easier as we get used to sailing at an angle and rocking and rolling and it is amazing how food can be prepared for 22 people in such a small place with calor gas and you begin to wonder why we spend so much money on such expensive kitchens at home.
We are all being encouraged to rotate all the roles on board especially at the helm and learning to get the feel of the current on the rudder and the change of wind on our faces in order to keep the boat at maximum power and Sam has been experimenting with different ways of achieving this, although difficult at first it does pay off. It is a great feeling when the boat surfs down with the wind, I enjoy helming. One way was to blindfold the helm so you enhance the other senses.
Thursday 19 September was a day of chalk and cheese during the daylight hours we were sailing on the waves in the sun but as night descended the wind increased and the spinnaker was lowers and Dorin and I were dispatched below to pack and bag the sail in the locker, we achieved it between us and a cheer was let rip by the two of us as it was our first solo pack, we had achieved another milestone. During the night the wind continued to increase and we were sailing ever faster to the limit of the boat, this is racing, many times we reached the limit and the boat heeled over and over, the boom was in the sea, we released the vang which is the safety valve to help depower the sail and bring it upright again, this was a great example of teamwork and concentration.
Friday was another hot day and the role of spinnaker trimming was on the agenda and this is a constant battle to keep the sail filled with wind, grinding the sail in then easing it out and liaising with the helm to keep the sail pulling the boat forward to Punta del Este. We all had turns in this, an exercise in good communication.
Today the Skipper said it was wash day and the fire hose was reeled out and a number of crew put swimming costumes on and had a salt water shower, created great hilarity on board as shouts were let out as the cold sea water hit warm skin. Others got a bucket and had a strip wash others used wet wipes to refresh the parts that had not been reached for days. We all felt better.
The onboard water maker is working hard to keep the tanks full as we get hotter and hotter. Food preparation and cooking on board is getting a little easier and more tasty.