It was a slow but exciting start to ARC 2023 - whoop! Having a pod of dolphins swim by just before we put up our genoa and headed for the start line was extra special and we will take it as a good omen of protection and good luck. Never having been in a race situation onboard Uno, we have been sailing conservatively and keeping a close eye on all the boats around us on AIS. We've never sailed in such a crowded sea! We caught our first fish, a Mahi Mahi, in the late afternoon but threw it back as it was just a baby. Night one had a beautiful sunset, made extra special with a fly-by from the current race leader, Berenice Cube (90ft Swan), who yelled out in their beautiful Italian accents "What's for dinner?", as they whizzed past us. Sadly, not Mahi Mahi.. Dinner on board was a Tomato and Bacon Mac 'n Cheese prepared a few days earlier, and eaten as we rolled into the night shifts. All went well with only one close encounter with another boat who thankfully changed their course, and with very light winds we managed to fly our Genneker through the night until 430am when we switched out to our white sails again.