Good morning,
A settled 24hrs under Spinnaker has brought us to the South China Sea. Later today we will hopefully be around the top of the Philippines and will then be able to point the bow down towards Subic Bay.
The racing at the front of the fleet looks fierce and we would like to position ourselves for their next race. We have some ideas, some time to implement them in Subic Bay, and as there is no change over, we will have continuity of crew. We might even have some time to catch up on that thing they call the news, although I can think of plenty of more exciting things to do.
Dare To Lead has done especially well with a cleverly timed Stealth Mode and great boat speed to propel themselves towards the finish line. My only hope is that the Rob on Imagine your Korea (AKA Purple Rinse) will finish the race before the 15th as they continue their merciless stereotyping of each Skipper blog style in order. Our focus is firmly on catching Zhuhai. It is personal. As first mate Mike Miller was a watch leader on Wendy Tuck's winning entry in the last edition of the race. I am sure that Mike would not be able to live it down if things remain unchanged.
Even as I sit here, the wind strength is beginning to decrease. The final 300nm is going to be a test. I am sure chess will be a feature on board to keep our minds stimulated. Much like the board game, we are hoping for a bit of luck and an opportunity to find a way to salvage a few extra points from this race. Regardless, we must get to Subic Bay for Michiel's Birthday on the 16th!
Here we go.
Ian and Mike