can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

EH01 - Life in it's simplest form...



Afternoon all,

Well its been a quieter 24 hours on board the good ship EH01. After writing
yesterdays blog I mentioned that the wind had gone just forward of the beam
so the kite had come down. The weather situation has roughly remained the
same (bar a period of about 2 hours yesterday evening where we ended up
poling out the headsail) so the crew have managed to have a slightly more
'relaxed' 24 hours. It was nice to be able to rota a few of the crew out of
the watch system to get a whole nights sleep after what has been a tiring 10
days. It was another stunning moonlit night (we are approaching the full
moon) so again it felt like sailing in daylight with the now consistent warm
trade winds blowing 24 hours a day.

With less to do in terms of constant kite trimming and other checks the crew
have taken up other activities around the boat. Most popular has seemed
practicing rope work and competitions to see who can tie the fastest bowline
etc. Sounds dull, but when you don't have the luxury of Sky TV or an Xbox
you have to resort to 'old fashioned' fun. What has been great is the
swapping of knowledge between all crew members of their own handy hints and
tips around the boat. The crew have been fantastic at taking up all the jobs
on board whether its washing up after dinner or checking for chafe on the
mainsail halyard. Everyone realises pretty quick on a trip like this that no
job on an offshore race like this is done for no reason. Every job is as
important as the last and nothing is surplus to requirement. It actually
makes life simpler in a way which is quite refreshing when you compare it to
life on shore, no time is wasted sending pointless emails, posting selfies
on Facebook (which I am horrendously guilty of), shopping for stuff that you
don't actually need etc etc. As I have said before this is our small
floating world where life really is in its simplest form!

The weather is set to continue blowing from the same direction so it looks
like no kites for the foreseeable 24 hours but as with all things yacht
racing... never say never! It's about 30 degrees outside with wall to wall
sunshine so the conditions on board today are getting a bit sweltering.
After todays position report it looks like we have gained slightly on the
boats behind us and roughly maintained the the distance between us and the
front runners in our fleet. As the race starts to reach its final stages
(just over 850 to go!) I have got some of the crew to say a few words on how
they feel the race has been so far! Here they are...

Celebrated my Atlantic birthday yesterday - apparently I'm 40 :D according
to my crew mates by Atlantic time anyway. Celebrated over 3 watches from
midnight to midnight, pannetone and candles, and birthday video from Fen &
Is - certainly a memorable one, if not quite the big 4-0 just yet. xM

870 nautical miles to go, St Lucia here I come, not sure if it will be rum
or shower first!! Have made some very special new friends, have felt safe
at all times & able to rely on my buddies on this vast ocean. Karen

Having great time with good winds. Well into watch system, but still tough
waking at 03.45 to go on, but worth it to sail in 15kts and a sky full of
stars. Seen some brilliant sunrises. Only 4 days to go, will be strange to
walk on dry land again. Trevor

Helming by the light of the moon reflections on the ocean is spectacular.
This is the first time I have been so far from civilisation for so long,
which has been so incredible. Now looking forward to counting down the miles
to St Lucia and the amazing achievement for me.
Chris

Well chaps, That's all from the crew today. Rest assured the rest of the
guys are fine but they are all just busy sunning themselves on deck and
can't face heading down to stare at a computer screen... Can't blame them! I
am off to go and throw copious amounts of saltwater over myself and enjoy my
shower for the day. Its sooo HOTTT!! Signing out for now...

Nick and crew

S.V 'EH01'
www.GlobalYachtRacing.com


Previous | Next