LAT 15 38.5N
LONG 099 01.4W
DTF 1219
ETA 10 May 12
COG 110
SOG 4.6
WEATHER
Team Gold Coast Australia worked very hard to make up ground on the leading yachts last night in very light and unpredictable winds. At first light Gold Coast Australia had the leading yacht De Lage Landen in our sights.
Light winds tending north during the morning allowed Gold Coast to sail tighter angles and make ground to the North East and overtake De Lage Landen. At 14:06z we crossed the Acapulco gate in position 16 00 59N 100 38.95W approximately 2.5nm ahead of DLL giving us first place through the first gate which is a fantastic achievement for all onboard and a tribute to everybody’s fantastic efforts.
Shortly after crossing the Acapulco gate Gold Coast Australia crossed the southerly line of latitude of 16N for the Ocean Sprint at 14:57:10z. Whilst the distance between the start and end of the sprint was officially only 90nm, Gold Coast Australia travelled just short of 300nm as most of the time we were trying to make ground to the northern side of the course by sailing east. Our time for the sprint is unlikely to turn any heads as we had earlier decided to forgo the possibility of one point for the sprint in exchange for a better overall result. Team Gold Coast wishes to congratulate Welcome to Yorkshire on their time for the sprint and wish other yachts in the fleet yet to complete the sprint all the best.
Throughout the day the wind began to fill in and we sailed down wind to make the most of the fresh breeze, placing a loose cover on DLL and experiencing some fantastic sailing conditions as we sailed down the Mexican coast, with the breeze cooling the boat nicely. Lisa Blair got out her scissors and gave me a fantastic new hair cut which I’m sure is bound to makes us go even faster whilst at the same time deter any unwanted boarders we may come across as we sail further south.
As the sun set this evening the wind once again began to ease off as we left De Lage Landen following close behind in our wake. Hopefully the wind will maintain some strength throughout the night so we can continue to make good progress towards the finish in Panama.