LAT 58 28.2N
LONG 006 30.7W
DTW 8Nnm
DTF 542nm
ETA 13 JUL 12
SOG 7.5
COG 080
WEAHTER WIND 030@15 SEA MOD SWELL CONFUSED SKY O/C BARO 1013
It has been a challenging 24 hours for Gold Coast Australia as we battle not only the elements but also the other yachts in the fleet fighting back to regain the lead, and now continue to fight to maintain our lead.
Yesterday we had a fantastic tussle with Singapore, and at one point we were only boat lengths away from them. It was a brilliant opportunity to take some photos and exchange a few waves before we managed to sail beneath them and make some more ground.
Conditions worsened overnight with wind up to 30 kts and a very choppy sea state making helming difficult and rendering over half the crew to bed with sea sickness. At one stage last night we only had two people from one watch remaining on deck, while others were sea sick and another two people below helping the sick people, pumping the bilges and cleaning up the mess left by a radically moving boat.
The resultant short handed crew means that everybody has to dig deep and put in 210% effort, as we are required to wake up the other watch for reefing, tacking and sail changes. As we are sailing along the coast this has resulted in the crew all getting very little sleep, but while we tack only a few miles from the coast to avoid the tide, everybody must pay complete attention to sailing and navigation as to make a mistake could be very costly indeed.
The wind and sea have calmed a little by the morning, and we are now seeing a few more heads on deck. Still weak from the sickness at least it seems everybody is on the road to recovery. Hopefully the crew will be fighting fit before we reach the ultimate challenge of the race when we sail through Pentland Firth and round Dunscaby Light tonight.