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Exody - Day 2 - Bugs, Broken Pole, Breeze



We were not happy campers on Monday morning! Two out of three crew had bad nights with tummy bugs, one bad enough not to be able to keep watch so we were all rather drained!

It was a squally night by which time we had already settled into to our downwind rig of single reefed and poled out genny. However the front end of a 5am squall backed the genny and, before we could regain control, had taken apart the telescopic pole into its two pieces and broken the end fitting. We managed to secure one part of the pole that was loose on deck but the other part, hanging as it was from the end of a flapping genny and tethered by guys fore and aft, was dancing on the foredeck like something demented taking stabs at the deck, risking both the hatches and the fuel cans. With the genny furled I managed to catch it safely and secure it for repair. Very sobering to realise the impact of equipment breakage so very early on in the rally - and the need to improvise solutions!

We carried on for most of the day under reefed main alone- losing speed over the previous day but not much - as we still made about 160 miles to noon in the substantial winds, again helped by the current. Exody is still sitting somewhere near the middle of the fleet.

A gust of 44 knots came with the leading edge of a later squall which saw my brother and I sitting under the dodger watching with awe at the curious flatness of the sea when the wind is high, the spindrift flying and the horizontal rain - meantime the Aries safely steering Exody through the lot.

Monday was Exody's turn to run the daily SSB Radio Net- morning and evening roll calls - all went went but as yet there is nowhere near as much informal chat and banter as on the ARC+ net!

Peter (Skipper)



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