Race 9 - Day 1
Crew Diary - Race 9, Day 1
10 March

Hello all,

Cath here with my returning crew mate David Howe. So, we have started Race 9 and we are melting.

‘It ain’t half hot mum’ is inadequate, crew members are literally melting around me. I, however am like a fresh breeze (not).

We began the race in darkness with the Le Mons start. A countdown and then racing up the deck to sweat, grind or haul ropes. It was great fun and we got off to a flying start. The whole fleet was behind us, only identified by the red light at the top of the mast and the light of the lovely silvery moon that lit our way. The moon rose as a blood moon all orange and red then transformed into the silvery lady we are used to seeing.

Throughout the night it was trim, trim, trim and more trim which has put us at the front of the fleet. Anne Hough and Dorthe Hovland applied some girl power to the helm and overtook not one but two boats. Go girls, you rock.

Today the fleet is very close to each other and we can see all the yachts spread out looking magnificent against the blue and white of the sea. I still can’t believe that I am involved in such a spectacular event and despite all the testing environments, I am enjoying every minute.

Love to all at home and I hope you are enjoying the racing.

Over to David

It's now 1232 LT and we are just finishing lunch service which was a tuna / wild rice combo. No hot food required at the moment. The heat here is relentless and it is difficult to sleep at night, despite having fans attached to our bunks. Our clothes are constantly damp / wet due to the very high humidity here.

We are currently sailing under the Spinnaker, racing ahead of the remaining fleet with Qingdao and Sanya the closest boats to us, around 500m away. Each boat awaiting the first mistake so that they may take advantage. We continue to sail as fast as we can to the first gate which is now approximately 50nm away.

We are hoping our new mascot - ‘ugly doll’ and his new minion suit will give us the edge to the finish line.

Vamos Punta!

IMAGE: Punta Del Este mascot