Race 5 - Day 17
Crew Diary - Race 5 - Day 17
09 January

Rick Whitehouse
Rick Whitehouse
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Lord Byron’s Snare

On our 1600 ( pre dawn) watch, we start with a nice breeze and it looks like one tack, tack back and we will clear the Cape. But it is like the spirit of Lord Byron has cast his net around us from the top of the lighthouse and thou shalt not escape from it. We make good progress and the Cape cast its shadow and knocks us as we tack. But what should now be a lift has disappeared and becomes a knock again and tacking angle goes from 90 to 180 degrees, and we go nowhere and we tack and we tack back, and still are in the net.

Mr Lucky, a yacht returning from the Sydney Hobart to Southport, whom we passed near Tasmania, comes motor sailing past us inshore, and brings us some breeze.

So two watches after mine we are finally escaping the net and clear the Cape. I go up on deck to the fresh air and finally see the Cape Byron lighthouse astern. Our next watch is blessed with a good breeze and we mostly make ground to the north with one tack out to clear the headland at the Tweed River mouth near Coolangatta. But even with a good breeze we can only make six and a bit knots. The inshore currents are playing havoc with us. Unicef has made ground on the outside and this puts us at the rear of the fleet. We are left to chase our friends Punta del Este up the coast who are now only 20 or so miles away having once been 200. Que sera sera, still a bit of sailing left. There's always a dolphin or two to cheer one up.

Rick Whitehouse