Hey!
Things have been going well on Dare To Lead. The crew are properly settled into
the routine of sailing and after 10 days we’ve already sailed 2,000NM! The
miles are truly
flying by as we navigate the highs and lows (both literally and figuratively)
of the Pacific Ocean.
I know it's still early in the leg but the weather hasn’t been nearly as strong
or as cold as we were expecting. We had amazing fun in the low pressure system
that blew over us but it only really lasted 12 hours. It’s got to the point
where a lot of the crew are wearing their dry suits anyway almost just to get
more use out of them! We also had our first (and hopefully last) big sail rip
in a while, our Code 2 took a beating in an accidental round up. We managed to
get ourselves back on course but in the process the clue had flogged into the
front of the sail and just as we powered up again that rip propagated the
entire way up and down the sail, rapidly turning it from a Code 2 to a Code 5
and a Code 6 which we were now flying simultaneously. The crew did an excellent
job in getting it down quickly and without damaging it anymore, on first
viewings it looked petty dire with us thinking we’d blown out a large panel in
it however on closer inspection it’s just one rip, just all the way down it…
Our sail repair team have been on it nonstop since it came down and we’re now
about half way though it so we should have it back in time for when we need it.
Since then we’re trying our best to stick in the favourable currents and make our way up to the Scoring Gate, a challenge proving slightly harder than originally expected with the new high pressure system that’s been rolling over us too, giving us incredibly shifty winds, often swinging by over 60 degrees making for tricky helming and sail trimming to say the least. It’s a challenge that, as always, the crew have taken in their stride as we prepare for the next big weather systems to come over soon.
Charlie, Ryan and the Dare To Lead crew.