Hello everybody!
Well, our big tactical plan has happened and let me explain why. After electing to go north initially it became apparent that the large wind hole that was going to sit in the middle of the track, blocking the southern boats from coming up and giving the northern boats very favourable conditions along the 45-degree limit, had unfortunately shifted north. A council was called and eventually the decision was made that we take the hit fleet-wise and come away with the two Scoring Gate points rather than keep going north and take the chance that it works out in the long run. So here we are two points in the bag and in down the rankings.
The southern fleet has done incredibly well out of that decision and if we are lucky, we might come away from this whole thing 60 odd miles behind them. The idea is now that we are in a better position weather wise for the foreseeable future and we have around 3000nm left of racing to catch them up and get back in that top three. I am immensely proud of the crew for the way they have handled themselves, coping with the initial disappointment that the plan wasn't working and then collecting themselves and sailing their socks off to get to the Scoring Gate without losing too much ground to the other boats in the process. Spirits are high on board and we are very keen to get back in the mix with the other boats. Looking at the forecast there seems to be plenty of opportunities for that to happen so fingers crossed!
All the best from the crew, Mike and myself