Race 6 - Day 22
Skipper Report
13 February

Ian Wiggin
Ian Wiggin
Team Unicef
Back to ReportsView Team Page

Hello there,

The good news is that we are in Stealth Mode. I am not sure if you are familiar with the TV program called Embarrassing Bodies. The basic premise of the show is that someone with a hideous or unsightly medical condition decides to flaunt their abnormalities… to the world. Well instead of exposing our flabby, delicate bits to the world we have opted to suffer in private. NB: We don't have any odd medical conditions, I was referring to our poor mileage. The other good news is that our dignity has therefore been preserved.

The best news of all is that YOU have felt no pain by having to watch us wriggle and squirm like a dying earth worm in the sun over the last 24hrs. Nor have you felt the need to give us the "oh look at them trying" style sympathy. Behind the screen, the final pieces of good news are that we were not overtaken for the first 16hrs and in spite of all the flogging, we still have some sails for the Hyde corporate sail day in Subic Bay.

In other news, we found a large twin outrigger canoe adrift. No people were on the vessel, and we reported it to the Philippine MRCC. Meanwhile our extended half time team talk with our core team of Round The Worlders is ongoing. We will sit again in a few hours to reflect, drink tea, and plan how to maximize the remaining 22,000nm that we have together. Shortly after making a flippant bet that we would not see any breeze over 15 knots before we crossed the finish - you guessed it. I might be a few Pesos out of pocket at the marina bar. This led to some interesting talk on deck at sunrise focused around finance, inflation, cost of living etc. My “get rich” scheme of buying lots of burgers in the Philippines and selling them when I get home may be misguided however as I might have taken the Big Mac Index too literally. Finance aside, we also mused about how this race is able to give (or reinvigorate) a sense of drive, determination, ambition, hope, and joy. At sunrise we also explored ways to possibly replicate these values in mainstream 2020 society, specifically with young people in mind. It is such a privilege for us to be here and to wake up feeling alive and excited.

Prepared to be whelmed when we come out of Stealth Mode.

Here we go.

Ian and Mike