Race 1 - Day 24
Crew Diary - Race 1 Day 24: Liverpool to Punta del Este
13 September

Philip Wilkinson
Philip Wilkinson
Team Nasdaq
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We're out of the Doldrums Corridor and getting closer to the Equator. We were a little concerned when we finished our 60 hours of motoring and the wind that was constant suddenly died. Frustrated, the crew started to set up the Windseeker on deck and prepared to drop the Yankee. Right before the call was made, the wind picked back up and the sea began to roll. The calm conditions suddenly became quite lively with waves breaking over the bow. Damien Egan and I got soaked when tying down the sail to the high side of the boat in preparation to deposit it back down into the sail locker. We were too happy to care about our discomfort during the remainder of the shift.

The past few days have been similar and the crew have been taking turns at helming. It's fantastic to how well the crew have improved since we set sail 24 days ago. Sail evolutions are quicker and people are moving around the deck with purpose.

Our biggest challenge has been dodging the flying fish that assault our deck at night. It's difficult to spot them and we've had one incident with Mikey Lodge being hit in the head by one.

The cooks: Peter Speight, Ken Schatz, Alex Weaver, and Clare Lavin have done a fantastic job making food on a 35 degree lean and the meals have been very tasty.

We are hoping to fly the spinnakers in a couple of days that will help us reach Uruguay faster.