After a great start, coming in on a starback tack, gybing on the starting
line just behind the starting vessel, we came off in free wind and the ride
began. Only a few boats ahead of us and soon they were left behind. For a while
only Brunel, a former Volvo Ocean Race boat, were ahead.
We hoisted the kite and took off. Kind of a crazy ride down the coast of
Gran Canaria. Constant speed of 15 to 23 knots, flying through the waves and it
felt like we were partly submerged. It was like sailing in a car wash, extremely
wet and rocking!
To avoid the wind shadow of Gran Canaria we took the gybe 20 nautical
miles south of Gran Canaria and went westerly, keeping Tenerife 50 miles to
starboard. Also at that distance the wind shaddow from Tenerife and it’s high
volcany Teide were very clear. Coming in from the gusty and accelerated wind on
the waters between Gran Canaria and Tenerife we got some valuable rest when the
wind fell below 15 knots. But then it all began again. Lots of squalls and the
boat was flying. We had a 3.5 minute ride with never under 18.5 knots of speed.
A lot of the time we had to depower and run on the jib and reef in the main,
instead of the medium spinnaker. But fianlly the Medium Spi were ripped. Needed
to gear down to the Petit Spi, but that was nearly as fast and far better
controle.
Today we had wonderful weather, sun and mainly 20 knots of wind, increasing
to 30 knots trough the squalls. Bob Marley singing in my head, “Sun is shining,
the weather is sweet. Makes you wanna move – your dancing feet”. But for us more
like it “makes you wanna trim – your sailing sheets...”.
All fine with everybody onboard, wet, tired but a great smile in our
faces!
/Mikael, Skipper.