Race 12 - Day 1
Crew Diary - Race 12, Day 1: New York to Derry-Londonderry
27 June

John Roundhill
John Roundhill
Team PSP Logistics
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Back On Board

It's great to be back on board after a wonderful stop over in New York. For me and a couple of other rejoiners it is fantastic to return to the most wonderful bunch and the finest team in the fleet! I have noticed the difference in the multi-leggers and circumnavigators who I sailed to Uruguay with last year.

The team is well balanced and skilled with inherent knowledge and instinct rather than merely following instruction. It is also good to have four new first leggers with us as Ally, Michael, Oliver and Andre to share the experience.

The whole fleet got off to a good Le Mans start with an early split in the fleet - The Mighty PSP Logistics as usual have different tactics and are sailing our own race currently slightly further south than the rest of the fleet. After a wonderful and much deserved win on the race from Panama to New York spirits are high. Soon after the start we passed through an enormous pod of whales spread out over several miles. It was interesting to see large adults thrashing their tails on the surface of the water as if to ward away the advancing boats. We had a nudge and a slightly bigger thump on our hull from too of them but thank goodness no consequences to us or the whale. Those on Leg 2 were looking understandably concerned after our ruined race from Uruguay to Cape Town.

Other things also don't change - our aft heads pipework needed to be cleared of the blockage of calcium led by Dave Engines Wilson and Martin Lambo Lambourne. A messy task I last assisted with just north of the equator on Leg 1.

We are all working hard to make our Joker pay and the whole crew has settled into the daily tasks and work outside of the actual sailing. As ever laughs and banter are never absent from conversation so we have no doubt this race will be fun too.

A big thanks to our Mothers today Louise and Michael - we expect great things from you tonight!

We look forward to seeing as many of our supporters in the wonderful ports of Derry and Liverpool as possible.

Come on the Mighty PSP!!!!!

John Roundhill

PSP Logistics