Nasdaq managed to maintain good speed throughout yesterday with both watches making small adjustments to sail trim to get the best out of the boat and the wind. We also managed to point at our destination, which to non-sailors sounds obvious (why would you point anywhere else?), but any sailor will tell you that it doesn't seem to happen very often. The settled conditions meant that Damien Egan needed another trip to the top of the mast to swap spinnaker halyards, and to take some more selfies.
An exciting night followed as the wind picked up just after sunset to around 20 knots - nearly the limit for the Code 2 (mediumweight spinnaker). We decided to keep it up for the moment since we were going so well with it, but an extra gust beneath a cloud caused a wine-glass wrap in the middle of the night watch. This time we were lucky enough for the wrap to sort itself out but decided not to ride our luck and that the Code 2 should come down. Members of both watches worked well together to pull the spinnaker down quickly and then immediately start woolling it and repairing the slight damage it had suffered during the drop.
Johnny Cole ran another edition of the pub quiz at watch change, and again the Starboard "Bulls" just beat the Port "Shippers" to the glory. Possibly this was because the "Shippers" had already used most of their mental energy devising cunning new ways to confuse and antagonise Mikey Lodge during their night watches. Whatever the reason, the "Shippers" want their revenge and have begun setting their own quiz questions for the next round.
Cheers, Rob