The race tempo on this "short" leg is intense with positions continuing to change as we approach tidal gates and headlands. The beat out of the Pentland Firth was both exciting and awesome with the strong tidal rips, overfalls and races.
So we are slogging to windward in the comparatively shallow North Sea so the sea state is short and sharp displacing personal equipment from lockers as we tack or slam into waves.
The tacking will be short lived and there is a promise of downwind sailing under spinnaker to come, unfortunately there was also warnings of wind holes to be navigated around. This combined with oil platforms, commercial traffic, and very busy shipping lanes, the intensity of this penultimate race will continue to the line.
Cheers, Bob