Race 2 - Day 26
Crew Diary - Race 2, Day 26
11 October

A rude awakening

Hello trusted supporters, friends and family.

Hard to believe we have been at sea nearly four whole weeks. Whilst in many respects everyday is the same, everyday is also completely different. You never know what you are going to be faced with or what your watch is going to be like when you get the shake on the shoulder from your watch leader telling you it’s time to get up and start your watch. Today my 4am watch did not start with a shake of the shoulder. Instead, it began with what sounded like crashing noises on deck and a jerk which moved me from my mattress to my lea cloth – a sure sign the boat had gone well beyond a 45 deg angle with the likelihood that it had broached.

When I appeared on deck it was easy to see why. The wind was whistling through at over 30knots and the wave height was LARGE! Dan was expertly hanging onto the helm and Skip was contemplating the sail plan with purpose and urgency. He announced we should decrease from our Code 3 Spinnaker to a Yankee 2 sail. No sooner had he said it when we broached again. We were quickly allocated tasks and the sail change took place swiftly. Midway through ‘sausaging’ the kite, Skip was thrown to the deck. He reappeared unscathed other than a bleeding nose. Dan sympathetically told him to put two Tampax up his nostrils!

With the new sail plan, our boat became much more manageable but we remained in exhilarating and exciting conditions. I think we were all in awe at the power of the wind and sea and the splendour with which Black Betty sleeked her way through it. As if that moment was not magical enough, as the sun rose so did the dolphins. In groups of two’s and three’s they surfed along beside us for a brief, but wonderful moment.

As I write this it is almost 24 hours after that event. We are stuck in a wind hole and going nowhere fast. We have less than 300 miles to go and have made amazing progress on the other boats. The race is most definitely on as we have the potential to come as high as 4th place. We need the weather Gods to be kind to us and provide some constant breeze so we can actually sail. We will give it everything we possibly can and hope to provide all the Race Viewer addicts with a thrilling, nail-biting finish.

Lots of love to all my friends and family and to you all, for supporting this most exciting journey we are on.