Race 2 - Day 24
Crew Diary - Race 2, Day 24
09 October
Day 24 and I am back on social media ... today has been a day of some intensely detailed trimming as Visit Sanya, China is currently and has been all day 4.8 miles off to starboard neck and neck with only 485 miles left to run it's still anyone's after some 4,800 miles I find that incredible.
Today the suns out with very little cloud and a very pleasant temperature with little swell, so being on watch on deck or below off watch and sleeping makes for a comfortable change to being heald over at 40 degrees bouncing through the waves.
We have had, as usual, quite a number of sail changes trying to get that extra little performance in these very slightly changeable winds, which is keeping the focus on. Besides this we have had a number of close sightings of whales and a mass pod of dolphins, however the loss of the albatrosses having moved on which is a shame given their graceful gliding behind us just above the surface of the sea for hours and days, with what appears to be very little effort and minimal flaps of their wings.
Who’s on deck? Jody and James chatting up by the mast sat in the evening sun whilst George and Pip are discussing the finer details of sail trip. Rhiannon is at the helm with Geoff looking and comparing Visit Sanya, China’s speed and baring. We appear to have a slight advantage currently on both. Susan is on the active Code 1 sheet with Pip in attendance as her grinder, “Grind” Susan shouts. Pip jumps to the grinder as he gets there he hears “Hold” before he can start. All this in less than two seconds … he sits to await the command again. Keith ... he who never sleeps has just come on deck, but he is not on watch for another two hours … so I wonder if he planning the daily visit to check on our recycling now he has granted us an NVQ level 5 on recycling as he is our recycling champion.
Donna and Bertrand are in the Galley preparing tonights meal at least they have a much calmer and desirable temperature for this etc.
Michelle is sorting out below for when we get to Punta del Este such as the crew changeover, Skippers social diary and activities for us including wine tasting, local coach trip and a days beach clean up with the local Junior sailing club.
Chris (Skipper) is in the nav station checking, checking and re-checking weather course, speed, sail plan for us and what the others (Visit Sanya, China) are doing.
I could mention everybody as they toil and work around the boat but I hope from what I describe there is always things to do on board and in that way time just fly’s by.
So until I guess sometime in leg 2 I'll sign off for now … thanks for the support …