Race 12 - Day 17
Crew Diary - New York, USA to Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland
07 July

Another race down, another ocean crossed, and only two more races til we're back at St Katharine's Docks.

In case you couldn't tell by the introspection of the last few entries, race end is more and more on everyone on board's mind. The two races between us and the finish are both short, both could fit in to the race we've just finished and leave days over.

So, the race we just finished. For some of us on board, our first Atlantic crossing, for others, our third, and fifth ocean of the race. The wind gods weren't kind to us, and we didn't get the result we were hoping, but it wasn't through lack of hard work and motivation. But if there's one thing we've learned out here is that the wind is a fickle mistress, and is always likely to give you too much or too little from the wrong direction.

As I write this, we're beating towards Derry-Londonderry, unable to point directly there because of aforementioned fickle mistress. But by the time you read this we'll be headed up the Foyle, or maybe already alongside, back in the same time zone we left from all those months ago, giving Garmin the TLC she always needs after an extended period of time at sea. We're looking forward to the stopover; we've been looking forward to it for days, and it was hard to point away from our destination to head up to Rockall.

But we're here now, we'll get all the work done, and soon we'll be focused on the next race, still fighting for points and pennants and podiums.

Pints first, though. I hear you can get those in Ireland?

Rich Perkin