Race 11 - Day 21
Crew Diary - Race 11, Day 21
20 May
Greetings to you all!
Wow, another epic 24 hour period has seen us battle it out to cross the 3rd Mandatory Finish Gate in 2nd place, no thanks to Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam’s sneaky move, coming in from the south undetected! Last night was pretty crazy, with conditions going completely rogue! It all started with an incoming squall that forced the on-deck crew into quick action to drop the Code 1, amidst fears that what was to come may cause some serious damage – having already reached wind speeds of 25 knots! I was off-watch at the time, but got quickly awoken from my slumber with a sharp shoulder shake and the sound of “Squall coming, we need you on deck”. There was no time to change, so it was a quick donning of the life jacket and straight onto deck. The code came down faultlessly and in double time, and next up was a quick reef.
Side note – on the last leg, a fellow crew member from Unicef made a video that went viral...50 knots and still in crocs.. well last night saw the sequel to that… Putting in Reefs, Just in my Briefs! You’ll be pleased to know that there is no video to accompany that though! Lol
For the next 3 hours we sailed with a vicious lightning storm literally surrounding us, complete with the occasional deep rolling sound of thunder. It really was an impressive sight, moving under the cover of darkness due to heavy cloud cover, and the bright flashes of lightning illuminating our sails like a bright camera flash. A look up at the sails at just the wrong moment rendered you momentarily blinded by the bright light! The storm was of course accompanied by plenty of wind and a monumental downpour of rain! By the end of our shift a very wet watch retreated down below for some well earned breakfast, and to tend to some rather destroyed hands!
Image: Beck's hands
We continued to battle hard as we made slow progress to the finish line, having run into another delightful windhole. The 11 knots of speed we’d had throughout the night were a distant memory, with our speed as we crossed the line just about tipping over 2 knots.
With the weather forecast looking rather favourable towards the next mandatory finishing gate it looks like we’re set for another 48 hours of challenging upwind sailing…Rendering all our efforts of the last 24 hours practically void! Still, it was good practice for our next battle to the finish line. I wonder who our worthy opponents will be next time?!
On a slightly more sombre note, this afternoon we sadly witnessed first hand the devastation being inflicted on our oceans and their inhabitants, thanks to the carelessness and selfishness of the human inhabitants of this planet. It's staggering how much plastic and rubbish finds its way into the oceans, often through sheer negligence. Today we spotted a big yellow jerry can floating ahead of us. As we sailed past, it became apparent the jerry can wasn't the only thing floating on the surface. Sadly some line coming off the jerry can had found its way around a turtle who was now “chained” to the can. Being so far out to sea, and away from any potential help means that unfortunately the turtle will not survive, now unable to re-submerge into its wondrous home below, and thus unable to find its next meal. It was a stark reminder of how we are slowly destroying these beautiful oceans we have the pleasure of sailing across.
I would urge you all to try and do your bit to help. I know it's very cliché, but every little helps. It sadly may not make much of a difference in your lifetime, but think about the generations to come. Let's make sure these oceans and its many spectacular inhabitants are still there to be enjoyed in the many, many years to come.
Love to all back home, can't wait to see you all soon.
Steven Smith
Punta Del Este