Welcome to The Wang Report! The Wang Report is an actual thing on Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam let me explain...
Josh likes to run an equitable boat, so on Ha Long Bay we do not have assigned roles. This means today's watch leader is tomorrow's deckhand, and the person sitting on the running backstay will soon be taking the helm. However, that said, many of the team have their natural home...
Haz's is dicing with waves on the bow
Jerome is king of trim
Jacq, Ivan and Stephen love to helm
Harpo likes nothing better than to be face down in the lazarette (garbage store)
Muriel's is behind the lens
JB's is in front of the lens looking suave
Manuel's is covered in engine oil
Mark's is rigging a contraption to make the boat faster or life easier
Lawrence is the master chef (in addition to his honorary role as The Admiral)
And then there is me...my natural home is in the nav station, looking at the weather reports and latest races positions, formulating optimistic predictions, and generally getting in the way of Josh and Hugo.
Initially I would just share my predictions with whoever was around. However, as the race progressed crew mates increasingly began asking for my updates, to the point they have now become an official part of the watch handover (with accompanying theme tune) - The Wang Report.
So today's somewhat abridged Wang Report is Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam is still consolidating its position in third place. Although we have lost a little ground to the leaders, Visit Sanya, China and Qingdao, we have gained over the rest of the fleet, including fourth placed Dare To Lead, who are now 166 nautical miles behind. Interesting winds ahead, with a strong northerly quickly veering into a strong southerly, and then the potential of some dreaded wind holes forming on the run in to Punta.
My thoughts are that the everybody onboard is just focused on holding third. The prospect of catching the leaders is remote, but we would all be absolutely devastated if we got swallowed in a wind hole and lost the third place we have held so comprehensively for so long.
p.s. our 2nd place finish in the Dell Latitude Rugged Ocean Sprint has just been announced - lots of cheering and happy faces. Don't tell the other boats but we weren't even trying this time!
p.s. sorry Hugo for accidentally making your tea with salt water.