Morning, it's Dan again
Drifting at around 2-3kts, alongside Dare To Lead and Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, to find the rest of the fleet catching us! In light winds, good helming is key. The smallest of turns here and there can either gain you 200m on your closest rival or collapse your Windseeker and lose you 200m. Sailing is a sport requiring patience, of which I'm not well known for.
In the middle of the night, a group of six of us found ourselves all drifting very slowly towards a line of fishing buoys, which courageously Josh on Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam went first and successfully made it through! He graciously radioed the fleet to let us know it was safe to pass. As soon as we passed these buoys, the wind ran out and the worst possible thing happened...we started drifting back towards them on the current!
This lack of wind overnight meant boats to the west of the course are now struggling to make the end gate of the Ocean Sprint resulting in the entire fleet being back in eyeball range.
On board, the motivation is still high but the patience is being tested, unfortunately the light wind isn't great training for the North Pacific, but we must try to get the new joiners to get involved as possible. Rachael and Kaz, our Watch Leaders, are doing a fantastic job coaching on the helm as we drift our way ever closer to the northern end of the course.
Anyway, back to sailing!
Black Betty Out