OK, so we got the Code zero halyard fixed- that was the reason we were so slow the other night- I can't tell you how irritating it was to be in light airs for most of the night and be denied the one sail that could have really helped. Of course sod's law is always going to determine that if you are going to replace all of your halyards just before the race-all except one- guess which one is going to snap just when you need it. Anyway, that's sailing and we take the rough with the smooth, having remedied the issue we had a fantastic day working Challenger in the way she was designed- as a pedigree race boat- but that doesn't always mean huge speeds and big waves- today our crew learnt a huge amount about how to get the most out of very little wind- lessons made necessary as I don't think we saw over 10 knots for the whole day.
Below decks everyone is getting used to life afloat- the food today was amazing thanks to two main elements coming together; number one the expert pre-race organization of the food by Diane Reid, a very experienced Canadian offshore sailor who joins us for this race and number two the dedicated efforts of our quartermasters for the day, Lionel and Michael. Cooking for 14 is no mean feat at the best of times but with no room to move, only one burner to cook on, no preparation area and the comings and goings of 12 other people to negotiate in a tight space could you whip up egg hash for breakfast, bean salad for lunch and thai lentil stew for dinner? Thought so.
Ok, so whats' next? Maverick has made a fantastic job of getting West in as short a time as possible-out of sight for us now (damn bunny) we though have got far enough across to be in the same weather system as them with Path, Aragon, Campagne De France, Stay Calm and Nemesis so the game is still afoot- the question now is who will flinch first and turns South- will the GRiBs play out as we think or will breeze push in across the board meaning those far out West will have overstood and those on the great circle route will reenter the race? Its the game we all love to play out here- Ocean Chess and the outcome is anyone's guess. On board Challenger we will continue focusing on developing the skills necessary to make the most of each opportunity get.
