Hello Qingers!!
Oh no! What have they done?!? What are they thinking...
I’m sure that’s everyone's first thoughts when looking at the Race Viewer at the moment and I must say, the six hourly position reports we receive have us thinking, but we are sticking to our guns.
Let me shed some light on what’s going through our heads...
A couple of days ago when we were going through the last gate, we had a choice to make. At the time, being the most southerly boat gave us the opportunity to chase the low-pressure system that is coming our way and be in it for longer than the boats further north. With this system comes a bigger sea state and stronger winds, giving us the opportunity to sail faster for longer. So, we all had a chat as a crew to discuss the pros and cons. This kind of ‘flyer’ where you make a decision which comes with the risk of leaving the rest of the fleet and rolling the dice has to be a team decision. We talked through the risks and the potential rewards. Everyone felt like going for it, and if nothing else it’s a bit of excitement and longer in the more fun conditions that come with surfing the back of a system like this.
We don’t expect this call to start looking good until about Monday, right now the rest of the fleet have similar wind conditions plus current pushing them in the right direction. So, we’re expecting this drop in positions right now. Looking and planning this far ahead comes with its own risks because the longer-range weather forecasts are more inaccurate so we will keep a close eye on changing weather and update the plan accordingly.
So, all you Race Viewer addicts, cross your fingers and hopefully over the next few days you’ll see why we chose this route.
Aside from this decision, life on board is good. The crew have been dealing really well with lots of changeable weather so far, the galley smells of fresh bread every morning and the snack cupboard is forever being topped up!
Love to those at home,
Henry, Phil and the dragon riders