Race 2 - Day 22
Crew Diary - Race 2, Day 22
07 October
Countdown to Punta!
Hi everyone, James here for what will be my final Clipper Race blog as we enter the last few days of sailing on our approach Punta del Este and the end of Leg 1. It’s a strange feeling that the 18-month journey from signing up for the Clipper Race, completing the training and departing London is now almost over for me after just six weeks but for many, I know the adventure continues or is yet to begin. Leg 1 has certainly over delivered with such a great crew, amazing wildlife we’ve seen and a wide variety of sailing conditions we’ve experienced.
Today was no exception as we navigated through some strong winds of up to 40 knots early this morning that Skipper Chris was keen to leverage as we continue to tussle for a position with Visit Sanya, China and maintain our gap to Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam behind. We know the light winds forecast over the next couple of days will compress the fleet so continue to look for gains wherever we can.
The wind came a bit later than anticipated but the change was swift. Kevin and I had been up on the foredeck preparing some sails and wondering why there was a lull in the weather when suddenly the wind changed direction and within a couple of minutes a set of huge waves began to crash over the bow and side of the boat – there was no escape and everyone was soaked through by watch changeover when we headed down below for some well-deserved breakfast prepared by George and Jo. Fortunately, the sea is still relatively warm and it counts as having a shower, right..!?
It’s great to see how our team has developed over the first leg as we all seamlessly worked together to quickly change sails and put a reef in the mainsail. Our exclusive CV30 sundeck that we have been enjoying for the last few weeks was also given a nice clean ready for the new crew arriving for Leg 2!
I hope everyone at home is enjoying following the fleet on the Race Viewer as much as we enjoy the latest fleet position updates we receive each day – particularly as we enter the final few days of the race. We are all at the mercy of the wind and we hugely appreciate all the work that Chris and Rhiannon are putting in to ensure we are in the best possible position. If anyone happens to be sailing off the Brazilian coastline and spots Visit Sanya, China then please let us know as they’ve disappeared into stealth mode…
I look forward to speaking to all my family and friends when we reach land, but until then I’m signing off and heading back on deck to try and dry out my foul weather gear!