LAT 35 23.5N
LONG 148 09.1E
DTR 4222
WEATHER Wind 293@30 Sea Rough, Swell NW 3m, Cloud Cl, Baro 1005.0
Its been another full on 24 hours for Gold Coast Australia as we sail in some exhilarating winds in the North Pacific Ocean and have faced a multitude of small problems.
As the winds started to abate yesterday I predicted at least a 12 hour reprieve of light winds, however king Neptune had other ideas and threw another gale straight at us. Thankfully this time by the time the wind started to increase it had veered round to our beam and we were reaching across it on starboard tack but as it continued to increase we began the familiar ritual of changing our way down through the sail wardrobe.
Putting in the reefs last night a multitude of problems occurred. Firstly a baton cam half out of the sail and was in danger of ripping the mainsail. While Annalise Nelson prepared to go to the end of the boom to recover the batten it popped out and was held there by the 1st reef. Some quick thinking and a nicely timed lull allowed us to winch in the boom and recover the batten from the deck. Then we realised the topping lift had chafed through in a most unusual position. At about the same time an intense electrical storm approached us quickly, giving us a awesome light display and showing us the power and fury the sky has to offer.
The long nights (it always seems to happen at night) have been wearing me down as I am on deck for every sail change and manoeuvre to help out and ensure that any problems developing are solved quickly before we suffer any gear breakages. Each evolution takes around 1-2 hours from start to finish, and with about 4 or 5 evolutions per night I have been no sooner getting my head down but I am called on deck again for another evolution or to check some approaching weather and make a decision (which normally involves another evolution). The crew have been fantastic trying to get me to sleep whenever possible, and during the daytime I normally manage to get a few solid hours in to catch up, consequently I am becoming a bit nocturnal. I do love the thrill and excitement of yacht racing however when sailing at these latitudes in such quickly changing weather it becomes very exhausting not to mention stressful as a skipper of a yacht in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
As the winds continued to veer we gybed onto port tack and a few hours later we were blessed with another light spell allowing us to replace the batten and re splice the topping lift allowing us full function of the mainsail again. We were also able to shake a reef out, and we now enjoy some exhilarating sailing down wind surfing at speeds up to 20kts with rays of sunshine lighting up the beautiful ocean around us giving us some breath taking scenery.
Whilst it is still windy and the surrounding sea still boiling with wind and white seas, our angle of sail makes it a much more pleasant place to be, especially when the sun is shining. The mood onboard today is nothing but triumphant, happy and proud, as it should be after the past few days of rough weather and the fact we have nearly completed one third of the race so far.
Unfortunately the wind has now veered a little too far and we have about 1.5kts of counter current which we need to head north to get out of so we are re-analysing our tactics and sail plan for the best option available.