Race 1 - Day 29
Skipper Report
18 September

Sssh.

Right now, we are in secret Stealth Mode...I am under strict instructions from my crew that I can't share where we are going or what sails we have up. What I can tell you about is yesterday evening though...

The night of the run-away train.

We were sailing along quite nicely about 30 miles behind Unicef, in 20 knots of wind with full Main and our Code 2 (mediumweight spinnaker), and we thought we would try to get some more wind closer to the Brazil coast, so we gybed. Everything was going well with the Code 2 spinnaker, but it got a bit awkward to helm so we reefed and then more wind came, and more wind came, and the angle was wrong and we hit 19.6 knots and then we broached. Then we broached again...and then I remembered what Sir Robin said about the sea giving you a warning...so we raised the Staysail and dropped the Code 2 spinnaker as quickly as we could. Fortunately, the damage only extends to frayed sheets and quite a few people getting wet.

“It was like being on a Run-Away Train” said Tony Dickinson. “We just did seven evolutions this watch” said Ann Marie Davis.

I have learned how hard each crew member is willing to work to keep this boat going fast. And I have also learned when to call the limitations of flying each sail, I hope I don't forget...

There is a light patch of wind up ahead and it feels like another re-shuffle of fleet positions could be on the cards. Hopefully we can come through the other side with favourable winds to the finish line.

Conall