I have come on watch this morning at 0500. We are 390 miles from the finish, still holding 7 knots boat speed most of the time and surfing a few waves at 8 or 9 knots. The skies are particularly dark as the moon made its journey yesterday afternoon and early evening. As yet we have not seen an update on the fleet rankings.
Before leaving Las Palmas we heard a talk from Chris Tibbs. Following the talk the crew were very apprehensive about experiencing Atlantic squalls. Now that squalls seem to feature on most night watches and have become part of every day life they are considered a benefit. Not only do the squalls increase boat speed but often provide a fresh water shower for those on deck! Last night we got hit rather suddenly by a front coming through and the wind veering considerably, it sent us off course for a while until we got sorted and gybed back the way we wanted to go.
The crew are 50 50 split on clothing, at one extreme some of us wear shorts and a life jacket for the night watch, at the other extreme one crew member puts on several layers of clothing. Likewise the occasional rain showers leads to two outcomes, some grab the wet weather gear and cover up while others leap on deck to catch every rain drop they can.
Looking forward we will soon be returning to civilian life. Its been two weeks since any of us have heard a mobile phone ring, sat in the morning traffic jam or opened the mail to find it's all bills. We have not heard the news for 2 weeks and for all we know the Euro has collapsed and the world changed for ever. More likely however is that the news will be the same as ever!
Doug Innes
Skipper
Cheeki Rafiki / Stormforce Coaching