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Skyelark of London - Day 18



Day 18

As the destination of Saint Lucia draws tantalizing closer the intrepid Skyelark crew remain in good spirits. Now operating as a finely tuned team Skyelark continues to surge thru the field chasing a podium position. Well led by the experienced and capable Captain Dan and first mate Richard the crew appear to be in top form, although there is, as always, room for improvement. For instance crew work in the cockpit at 4.00AM in rising seas is sometimes, not as smooth as it could be. When Captain Dan commands "Please put the starboard running backstay on the winch" he can be met with a befuddled and confused look from the crew. A moment later a call of "just pull the yellow rope on the right hand side " eventually achieves the required result. Helming at night takes on a whole new dimension when ocean swells and winds take on a much more ominous appearance in the pitch blackness of night. Helming Skyelark, a 25 ton guided missile in 20 plus 

knots of breeze at a speed in excess of 10 knots in total darkness is both an exhilarating and terrifying experience. The outwardly calm appearance of the helmsman being in total and full control is often shattered when the helmsman quietly asks after 10 minutes into his 30 minute watch " How long to go". As we near the end of the fabulous Skyelark ARC crossing the one thing which has become very clear is that when faced with a challenge , good humour, determination and respect for individuals will all ways win the day, no matter the odds.


Bill



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