Less than 1000NM now to Punta del Este and the crew are eagerly awaiting their arrival on terra firma with plenty of discussions around showers, cool beers and their first meal (steak and a glass of Malbec currently the preferred choice) as well as how the dreaded 'land sickness' is going to impact. There is going to be a lot of wobbly people wandering the streets of Punta!
Still plenty to do on the sailing front though. With less than a week to arrival we are working hard to try to reduce the miles between us and the boats in front. We continue to head south under the Code 2 mediumweight spinnaker and while the crew enjoy a more balanced boat, it's not without its challenges. We've moved from star spotting to cloud spotting. Both day and night, the dark clouds dotted across the sky bring strong and unpredictable squalls. Gusts of wind in the high 20/low 30s, some of which are accompanied by a quick soaking. Teamwork and good communication are both key and the watches are working well to anticipate the squalls, react quickly, keep up boat speed and keep our Code 2 flying. It's hard work but the crew are enjoying the frisky sailing and competing to reach top speeds on the helm.
We're still chasing Visit Seattle and Sanya Serenity Coast. Visit Seattle has gone into Stealth Mode so we are eagerly awaiting this afternoon’s positions to see where she pops up.
Over the next few days we'll be watching the weather closely to determine our best route down to the finish line.
Cheers, Bob.