All is going well on board Punta. We are sailing without instruments, old school. We’ve tried everything to fix it and still no luck. We got them back for 20 minutes and we were so happy, but it didn’t last too much longer.
Last night was so much nicer than the previous. The first night we were upwind, reefed, overpowered, with big gusts coming in with massive shifts. We lost the front pack after a tack that went wrong. Unfortunately, the Yankee sheet managed to get trapped with a staysail hank, so I had to bear away massively two times to untangle it and luckily it did, but it cost us a decent windward distance that we were fighting for hours. What a pity, especially now that we are just a few miles behind the first three boats that are going through the Scoring Gate. Well done to you guys, but not very happy to be honest as 4this like nothing. As soon as we saw Zhuhai going for it, around 3nm ahead, we gybed away, we still went through in case they had a massive mess-up, but I don’t think so as they’ve shown great sailing throughout the race.
So, the Code 3 is up and collapsing and the repair is holding well, thank you amazing sail repair team lead by Laura and her Mom! Absolute legends! We are getting ready for a proper red downwind 48hrs of power sailing, which is gonna be nice and really good for our overall progress. California’s waters are going to treat us very well, I’m sure.
The leggers are feeling better, learning the basics and giving a huge hand already on every area. We are back in Punta Helming school, but conditions are not helping to put the brand new ones at the spinnaker helm yet. We are consolidating the others first and as soon as the conditions are kind, only new leggers on the helm. I’m already looking forward to seeing their faces loving it and hating it.
On the random news, food is ok, nothing exciting yet but USA snacks are so much better than the Chinese ones, my god, I just can’t do Chinese food or products. It’s funny to see people looking for a bed when they need to sleep, as on this three-watch system nobody has their own bed. The temperature is rising, layers have been taken off, not me of course, others. Our outhaul sheave snapped so now our Reef 3 is our outhaul. My secret stash of dulce de leche was smelling bad so I had to throw it away.
Nothing exciting apart from that we are sailing around USA and we are loving it, although it is hard work. We will keep pushing hard to stay with the pack and personally I’m looking forward to the strong winds today and tomorrow and for the future accumulation of wind holes where I think we can do very well and overtake them all.
Vamos Punta!!!
Nano, Angus and the Punta Riders