We now seem to be clear of the light patch in the lee of Tasmania, and the wind has held favourable for us so far - I’m touching wood as I type! The Nasdaq crew's light wind helming skills have improved, with our new multi-legger Hannah Grainge leading the way.
Keeping the boat moving in light airs requires very different skills from heavier conditions - you're not wrestling to keep the boat on course, just coaxing it along with a delicate touch here and there. Both watches did well to maintain speed and direction overnight, and morning found us still within sight of GREAT Britain.
We were treated to a show of whales during breakfast as a group (of 4-6 though they didn't stay still to be counted properly) surfaced between Nasdaq and GREAT Britain., and kept pace with us for around 15 mins. Round the World crew (RTWer) Alex Weaver was so excited to finally see the whales she has somehow always missed on other occasions, that she even left her Nutella toast to come on deck and watch! Anyone who has sailed with Alex understands just how big a deal that is.
The racing is still very close - we have GREAT Britain., Hotelplanner.com, Liverpool2018 and now Garmin all within AIS range, all making similar course and speed, which keeps everybody focused on squeezing the last few fractions of a knot from the boat. With Ineke van der Weijden on Nasdaq Bistro duty with Kat Cordiner (lots of singing and dancing to entertain the diners), Phil "Henri Lloyd" Wilkinson is leading Starboard Watch for the day. His motivational speech to them this morning went something like: "You'd better make sure we get in before those other boats, because I don't want my dockside arrival beer getting warm whilst they faff around with mooring lines and team photos!"
We still have 300+ nautical miles to the finish, with the potential for another
patch of 'interesting' weather, so we'll have to wait and see if Phil's speech
did the trick.
Cheers,
Rob