Ballytrim - retrospective log extracts..

Subject: ARC Europe update for friends and family

A short version of the first 24 hours or so:-

What a mixture of fortunes we have had over the last 24 hours!!
We had a great start at mid day on Saturday ( 2nd over the line, or was it first?) and led the pack of over 30 yachts down the Francis Drake Channel. Our first mark of the course was to leave Great Thatch Island to Starboard and head off toward Bermuda some 840 miles away.
It was a spectacle. "Champagne sailing" as some of my good friends would say ( we had celebrated the race the evening before with a couple of bottles of Bollinger, so this phrase seemed very apt). The fleet were spread out behind us, weaving their way through each others wake, heading down wind along one of the prettiest channels in the BVI.
It was very special to be there and even more so as we fought our way to the front and left some very good competition behind...... 
Once around Great Thatch Island we settled down onto a beam/close starboard reach, which Ballytrim particularly excels at and we made excellent progress extend our lead with only 2 or 3 yachts for close company.
I should explain that The ARC rally is divided into different division, depending on your handicap. Ballytrim is in the 1st handicap fleet and as a consequence we should have been right toward the rear.... Not to be - we very all thrilled to be 'creaming' through a moderate sea and often surfing beyond our hull speed: in the first 12 hours we had travelled 98.5 miles.
Over night the pressure stayed on as we continued to surf through the dark, but star lite night. All of the crew were up for maximising the best boat speed and at least 2 of the crew 'threw excess body waste away" - what companions Andrew and I have, we just couldn't match their enthusiasm!!
As dawn approached so did the fickle winds, turning more South than East and the wind spread abated somewhat. Not to be put out we hoisted the spinnaker and headed off again leading our pack of friendly yachts.
By noon Sunday 4th May we had achieved 190 nautical miles in 24 hours, which is not to be sneezed at.
Regretfully it then became a mixed bag of little wind or not enough to sail and we are currently under engine, recharging batteries and topping up the freezer as we head into the sunset, hunting and hoping for some wind.

Since last reporting, we have been 'blessed' with wind, no wind, lots of wind, lots of rain, greyness and then sunshine - more wind and now nothing at all other than a flat sea and a really nice sunset.
We are actually going to enjoy a meal together for the first time, as there appears no likelihood of further wind before morning tomorrow (Weds 7th May) at the earliest. We haven't abandoned the 3 hours on  and 3 hours off, just made a sacrifice of our own down time to share a little time together as a team.... ( It might also have something to do with the fact that we have all made the most of this 'quiet time' aboard to shave and shower. Everything is so much 'fresher' now!!!
The meal tonight is a boys suprise, but will no doubt involve something to do with curry!!!?

What a day we have had though.  Highs and lows, as the wind fills in and then swings/moves to a direction that doesn't work for the yacht traveling under sail.
I have made a log entry along the lines of.....
"Insufficient wind to make progress in a sensible direction that warrants the effort to try and sail". Quite proud of that! Perhaps I should take up writing?

We were still doing extremely well with our position against the rest of the fleet, ( earlier today ) but nobody really knows what each other are doing until right at the end: Engine hours and distance covered under engine work against your handicap, but non of us know how they work that one out....
We have covered 517 nm between the start at noon 3/5 and noon 6/5. We are all quite proud of that. Long may it continue - 266 miles or there about's to go.

A little true story: We had a few 'little friends' join us over the past 24 hours.....? Given we are over 400 miles out at sea its unusual to see any bird life. Yesturday about this time two little sparrow like birds were circling looking for somewhere to land. They looked pretty exhausted, as their tiny wings flapped almost constantly to keep pace with us. Several 'fly pasts' were made, but no successful landings. It seems they were weighing up the prospect of sharing a safe 'perch' but with humans, or carrying on!!! Poor things. Anyway one did eventually land. It looked at Les and I. It then hopped from my hand to his hand. It looked around and saw that his/her mate hadn't landed - took another look at us two and flew off again - never to be seen..
We wonder what the moral to that story can be??