Good Morning,
Well this race is certainly living up to its LegenDerry name. For tactical reasons I can't disclose whether or not we found the Gulf Stream. There have been a few indications. These have included flying fish, decaying Sargasso seaweed, oh and crushing 14knt+ averages! WOW. What a ride. We did think about repurposing the medical thermometer to test the warm sea temperature, but a thrilling high speed surf, and spray hurling into the cockpit seems to work pretty well. It has been gusty at times with a confused sea state but we have come through unscathed so far.
After initially losing some miles with a more easterly routing option and a Yankee 1, we were somewhat surprised to re-join our compatriots yesterday afternoon as they gybed north. The age-old question about which sail configuration to use for the cross-over between 70-90 degrees apparent wind angle continues. Similarly, which heading is the best for both short term and longer term gains on this race has seen some reshuffling in the rankings. On Unicef we have several routing options available. The one thing they have in common is the need to go really fast to avoid falling off the back of this beautiful weather system. Long may this continue.
Here we go.
Ian and Dan