The fast, downwind sailing under Mainsail and Staysail alone continues, with the wind increasing and the waves getting bigger and bigger. We now have the big rolling swell the Southern Ocean is famous for. With less than 50 nautical miles to the start of the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint, these are the conditions we need to get a good time.
Dare To Lead is only 5 nautical miles north of us and therefore within AIS and VHF range. It is always good to have another boat close by to compare our speed and course to theirs. This keeps everyone motivated to get the last bit of speed out of our boat. It is also nice to know that there is someone else out here, so far away from anything else but sky and ocean.
Fair winds and a following sea!
Chris