Race 10 - Day 18
Skipper Report
06 April

Hola from the Punta del Este boat, this is freezing Nano (the AQP or First Mate on board.)

Jeronimo is resting after huge amounts of effort from the last couple of days avoiding wind holes and changing sails; this morning we changed from a Windseeker to Yankee 1 and we are heading east pretty fast through a big rolling sea coming on our starboard side from a low pressure. The rest of the fleet is suffering. Big hug to all the rest of the fleet and good luck with the headwinds down south! See you in a couple of thousand miles east.

18 days already at sea and a lot more to go for sure. So it has been very challenging: upwind conditions, tacking and headsail changes, trimming, coaching the crew at the helm and getting into an efficient routine that every team has to have to be competitive.

Ocean sailing isn't just life on deck, there is also a huge amount of work down below making all the systems work: for example, five days ago we have been experiencing all kinds of trouble with our generator and it's been a great effort from all of us to make it work again but we that meant less sleep and a little bit more stress from the crew as we had to limit technology and mostly everything that is not vital. Today we fixed it again and we are being advised by Clipper Race Maintenance so thank you very much. Since day one we had to fix a satellite phone, a tap, filters, several times the internet, a fuel leak in the lazarette, a water leaking at the galley tap, the leech cord, a jammer, Sikaflex a hundred things, and many other small things that makes our boat feel special. She is taking care of us now and we know we are in good hands as we tested her on big seas already with 50 knots upwind and she performed perfectly. Big shout to Jeronimo Lestido also known as 'Lizard' for helming so well that day!

The crew is in high spirits and we are all very positive about the route north we took. We know it is hard to see the advantage now but we are very confident we are doing well and we will do better. Although it's amazingly cold, and your eyes hurt and we are all using two base layers and everything we have, the sailing is very enjoyable but the top moment is to have hot drinks (hot chocolate for me) on deck while you check what the wind does to be able to react fast.

I want to send a hug to everyone from the Yacht Club Punta del Este, especially the keelboat students who have suffered me for the last two years; I would have loved to have you boys and girls here with me: they are very good sailors. On the other hand I wanted to send lots of good vibes to the professional 49 team @Udsailing- Nan & Fer. They represent the Yacht Club Punta del Este around the world in the biggest events in the world and are very young boys that challenge the top top sailors in the world with the minimum budget- surprisingly good. They are going to race in the Torneo Princesa Sofia. So big hugs to you guys and remember to flow and be happy and results will come.

So it's been enough time in the nav station. I've checked the weather, figured out that it is delayed and a little bit south of us, checked that the batteries are in float and sent all our emails to the Clipper Race. I wanted to send a big hug to my brother in law 'Conde' for his birthday and thank you very much for all your advice throughout my life- I wouldn't be who I wanted to be without your help. To my family & friends, love you and be happy and live with IMAGINE ACTION!

Please do one more thing :) If you want us to push harder and harder please visit our UNICEF fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jeronimo-santos-gonzalez?fbclid=IwAR36uan3mharpTbxUu6fAgD7LU78LR_FbzJmUBxqus-L8mjaMu1RnPyzyPc and give us a little help over here so we can keep raising our numbers and help he kids around the world, specially the ones that are suffering the most!

Ta, Nano, off watch Jeronimo and Punta del Este crew (now trimming without having to ask for it) :)

Daily Stats:

Tune of the day: Huracan La Vela Puerca

Daily Run: 174 nm

Max boat speed today: 12 knots

Sea life spotted: Whales and surfers seabirds

Sailing manoeuvres to mention (sail changes, tacks and gybes): Windseeker down, Yankee 1 up, full main.

Drinks consumed: Vascolet

Meal of the day: I'm angry because there is no butter for breakfast, small portions and we are running out of snacks already

Crew of the day: Chip, because he has been helping me so much with the genny (generator) which is amazing.

Tip of the day: Bring your own Dulce de Leche Conaprole and don't share it with anyone, just one teaspoon per day.

Nano