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Exody - Days 10 & 11 - Delight tinged with Anxiety



So says the card on the chart table for the psychological state associated with Force 6 (22-27 knot) winds - graduating to 'Anxiety tinged with Fear' for Force 7 (28-33 knot winds). We have had mostly 25 knots plus and peaking at 33 knot gusts in the first 24 hours. No anxiety or fear on board Ex0dy- just respect!

Our treble- reefed main sail plan may have looked cautious for the start of the Santa Marta to San Blas leg on Tuesday 20th, but it was just right for the winds once we cleared the land. Our send off was as eventful as our arrival, this time with hose-spraying tugs, coastguard vessels and photography helicopter all in close attendance on the start line.

After 6 hours of broad reach to the waypoint off Baranquilla and the turn downwind, we dropped the main - since we have found in anything above 20 knots Exody does fine on speed and we have most flexibility with the genny alone unpoled. By the end of the night we had the genny well reefed and achieving 6.5/7 knots boat speed, sadly reduced to about 5.5 over the ground due to the adverse current. But we do not want to get there too quickly as the San Blas coral reefs and approach are strictly for daytime navigation!

We had Pentagram, Allegro, Afar VI all in site at nightfall - now down to Afar VI as Pentagram has pushed ahead and Allegro still close but out of sight.

Whilst on watch I heard a loud flapping noise in the cockpit - nothing broken as I feared just an eighteen inch garfish that had 'flown' in!

The seas are big and occasionally break by our back quarter drenching the on-watch and trying(unsuccessfully) to shift well secured gear on the pushpit. Our very recently repaired World ARC No '29' banner was an early casualty. Its one of those days when we are blessed to have the Aries do all the steering and that it's really not helpful to look backwards - since the Aries and Exody herself cope better with managing the breaking waves and swell than any helmsman could!



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