Race 2 - Day 27
Skipper Report
12 October

Today our magnificent sailing machine took off like a startled stallion running across open fields. The winds were blowing 20-ish knots and with our Code 2 Spinnaker up, we whizzed along. The record for the day was 18 knots (Sam, although I’m not sure it was verified), and more importantly, 16 knots was commonplace, so our average was high.

All this excitement was just too much for our Code 2, which spontaneously decided to part right down the middle. The consequence, if you are looking for a positive, is that we now have two Code 2s (in reality, the only beneficiary of this is the sailmaker).

I have to tell you that James, who is our on board sail repair person (as well as an enormously valuable crew member and on board Google), has a huge amount of emotion invested in our sail wardrobe, so he is devastated as you would be with the loss of a goldfish or gerbil.

As of 0200 UTC, we had 397 nautical miles to go. We hope to maintain 10 knots plus so you can do your maths re arrival times. We are rather jealous, as those quick chaps at the front are now not so quick but in the bar. I’m trying to convince the crew that they are getting better value for money because they are spending more time at sea, but that’s proving to be a tough gig!

Now if you’re not a sailor, I need to explain that us sailing chaps often use the term VMG, that’s velocity made good. It’s the true speed towards the next mark or turning point. We have taken the liberty to amend sailing terminology and made it VMB. It was necessary to do this because of our biological (and psychological) need for a dam good beer. So VMB now stands for velocity made to the bar… you can use that one on us (the phrase, not a drink).

We reached 45 degrees west today, so we had the 15 degree ritual of moving our clocks back one hour, which means that we are now operating on the boat at universal time minus 3 hours (4 hours behind British Summer Time). We do this to keep day time relevant and maintain a sense of normality, otherwise we would be having breakfast at night or tea as the sun rises. The great thing is that with every time change, some lucky bugger gets more time in bed. The really, really great thing is that there is no jet lag because all our time adjustment is already done.

Again, thank you so much for all you guys who have so positively responded to our call for help over Unicef. A new page has been set up under 'Team Imagine your Korea' in JustGiving under my name. We have limited comms outside of race comms, but I have been advised that we are making progress, so if you have already made a donation or taken some imaginative action to raise funds, thank you. If you are about to, thank you. The link is: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/imagine-your-korea19-20

Normal love and regards,

Mike and the crew of Imagine your Korea