Good morning Black Betty fans. You join us on another scorcher of a day in the Coral sea, it’s now Day 4 of racing, and despite this we still have other yachts in line of sight. Not long after sunrise this morning, we found ourselves battling it out with Rob and his team aboard Imagine your Korea, and Ian and the gang aboard Unicef. Each team seems to have been on the right and the wrong sides of squalls and wind shift this morning, with sometimes as little as half a mile separating the our little threesome of yachts, but each boat going wildly different directions, such is the way in the tropics. Miles that have taken all night to gain are won and lost on the cusp of a squall, as squalls approach trying to work out if they will help or hinder, it’s more like cat and mouse rather than the snakes and ladders of the last leg.
The big news of the day is it's Nigster's birthday, having joined us in Freo, Nigel, aka Nigster, aka Nigellea is having a big birthday at sea today. No one is quite sure which big birthday it is, but I'm going with not a day over 30. We had a sing song at out breakfast watch change, and cards and cake at the next. Later today Nigster will have his traditional birthday meal of a Burns supper (haggis an all) as it is also Burns night. All in all I hope it's a birthday to remember, the only thing that could make today a little better would be some wind!
The southern gate for the Doldrums Corridor is now just over 100 miles away, but ironically enough the current weather forecast suggests that there is more wind in the doldrums than there is at our current location. Where, or if to use the engine while in the permitted area is going to be rather important tactically, for a full explanation of how the rules regarding the motoring phase of this race work click here.
It's so hot in the nav station that I'm tapping out for today.
Black Betty OUT!