Hello everybody!
Hope you’re all doing well out there. Quick blog as it's a busy morning onboard Zhuhai. The past 48hrs or so have been difficult, desperately scrabbling for speed whilst watching the southern boats make huge gains on us. Needless to say, this hasn't been one of the all-time great tactical manoeuvres of the Clipper Race! The crew however have been fantastic once again, taking it all in their stride with ease (covering for my tactical mistakes) and in the process becoming a really tight-knit and effective team.
Weather wise, it's gotten cold all of a sudden. However, the sun is shining here and it’s a crisp blue day. Would be a lovely day's sail if we weren't racing! The wildlife has suddenly all appeared at once for us, with whales coming just meters from the boat which is a strange mix of entrancing and alarming at the same time. The boat is constantly circled by sea birds of various shapes and sizes. Yesterday I was told by our resident twitcher that we were very lucky to see a round-necked albatross.
Special mentions to Dave Allen who has been racing around the boat fixing all things mechanical and to Jess fletcher who produced an outrageous Thanksgiving meal.
Anyway, must be going, things to do! All the best from the crew, Mike and myself