Race 14 - Day 2
Crew Diary - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MATT!
01 July
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MATT!
Yes yes, there is sailing to talk about but most important is to wish the crazy ginger-bearded man of mine a very happy fifth wedding anniversary. Matthew, I still can’t believe you’ve put up with me for this long but I greatly appreciate that you have stayed with me through way more trials and tribulations than we ever expected and yet just enough fun and mischief to keep it going. I miss you so much and cannot wait to see you in London… prepare for a full contact hug and a snog ;). You are the best partner in crime I could ask for and I look forward to many more years of chaos and shenanigans with you on and off the water. Happy birthday as well to both you and Papa Grim tomorrow, I hope you two celebrate in style. I told Thunder to be a good pup and give kisses in my absence, we’ll see if he listens.
On to the racing bit! As has been the theme with me and stopovers, the NY one was quite a blur. Sailing into New York is something that I will never forget as long as I live. It was breathtaking to cross under the Verrazano Narrows bridge and turn the corner to see Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Being moored in sight of the city was such a treat, and the marina was a fabulous host - 10/10 would absolutely recommend mooring at Liberty Landing Marina.
There was so much to do in NYC and having the ability to be right near the action made it easy to tick off some of the to-do list but I still have more I wish I had done. Some highlights were taking a bike ride to Central Park and wandering around. I had no idea the park was so big with so many hidden treasures inside. I paid my respects to John Lennon at Strawberry Fields. Before I knew it the stopover was over again and it was time to cast off. Special kudos go to our very hard working maintenance team for all of their efforts to get the boats turned around and ready to cross the Atlantic.
Motoring out of New York was almost as emotional, after all it is an experience not many get to have! We bid NY and NJ adieu and then were out on the ocean heading towards the start line. It’s back to chore rotas and galley meals, steak and espresso martinis are a distant memory already! Special kudos to Leg 6 & 7 crew member Boele’s family, the gouda and stroopwafels are DELICIOUS. As you all know by now, we have played our Joker card meaning any points we score this race are doubled. We are hungry for that podium so did some drills to help make sure we are dialled in to achieve that goal. I want a little flappy pennant to put on my little happy boat at home darn it!
Race start was the usual Le Mans, this time I got to run the foredeck which was an incredible treat. I truly do love the pointy end. We got past the 10 minute mark and quickly got our reef out and kite up less a couple of problem solving opportunities. The pack stayed together for a while but then the question became which way we wanted to go when the pack started separating into two. Fortunately we chose the right option of gybing with friends Zhuhai, Unicef, Ha Long Bay Viet Nam, Visit Sanya, China, and GoToBermuda as we are all at the front of the pack. We are hungry for the podium so look out, friends!