LAT 09 39.4N
LONG 110 34.5E
DTF 1752
ETA 0600Z 20 FEB 12
WEATHER WIND 035@22kts, Sea rough 1.5m, Swell North 1m, Cloud 3/8 Cl, Baro 1012.7
Conditions have changed from the fickle winds of the tropics to strong NE trades overnight and Gold Coast Australia has been
changing gears to deal with the increasing winds and sea state. As I write there is a regular call of “wave” followed by a
crash, splash and the pouring of water along the deck and into the cockpit making for some exhilarating sailing. With only
150nm to go until the scorning gate we should be through tomorrow an our current position in the fleet places us in a good position to gain another three points.
Yesterday at midday we changed form a Yankee 1 to a Yankee 2 as the winds increased past 14kts. As the winds continued to
rise in the evening we put our first reef in, and by this morning we had two reefs, Yankee 3 and Staysail as we power along at 7 kts to windward in 22kts of wind.
This is the first race of the series that is almost entirely upwind and with the renound conditions of the pacific and
yellow sea Gold Coast has adopted an entirely new ethos of how we are sailing the boat. This race is about endurance and
survival the the only way we are going to win is to first of all finish the race. Consequently our new ethos is about
changing gears early, this means putting reefs in well ahead of time, and changing down sails. Though the wind at the
moment is only blowing 22kts, we still have 27-30kts over the deck from our apparent wind.
The sea has changed dramatically from the calm waters of the tropics that we were experiencing yesterday, to moderately
rough conditions of short seas with no backs, This means that if the helmsman is not 100% on the ball the yacht will
continue to slam off the backs of the wave, causing a jarring motion of the boat and rig as the pressure wave of the wave is
transferred through the boat when it slams into the trough of the wave. Such conditions are almost not good for the
integrity of the hull and rig and make it almost impossible for the crew to sleep in. It is only out of pure exhaustion
that the crew finally get some rest, more often than not while lying in their bunks gripping onto whatever they can.
We have been quite lucky this race as the conditions are only gradually increasing allowing the crew to build up their
tolerance to such conditions, unlike in New Zealand where the conditions went from calm to rough in a matter of minutes
shocking the crew into action. (No offence Kiwi’s, New Zealand still offers some of the best sailing in the world xox).
Survival will be the key to this race in the weeks to come, and it is preservation of crew, boat, equipment and sails that will win us this race. Crew are instructed for each manoeuvre to:
1. Brief – watch-leaders brief the crew on the procedure from my procedure guide, 2. Allocate positions – Everybody must know exactly what they are doing
3. Prepare – Make sure everything is ready, check the rigging to ensure nothing is caught
4. Conduct the manoeuvre fast and efficiently – Minimise flogging of the sails and possible damage 5. Tidy up
6. Check everything is secure
7. Debrief
Last night putting in our first reef was a good example to crew how things can go wrong when the above steps were not
followed. Lucky the wind was reasonably light and no damage was done. Adding up the damage tally that could have occurred
if we were not so lucky came to over 1000 pounds, this means three points taken from our race tally. Even in the Volvo race
things can go wrong, and the recent loss of a V70 mast due to rigging damage that occurred while reefing is a perfect
example. It just proves nobody is perfect, and everybody must check and double check the equipment and procedure to ensure
no damage is done. I am happy to say that our subsequent reefs and sail changes were some of the best in the race so far,
so now the cobwebs are dusted out of the attic we should continue to dominate the racecourse.