Back into the Fray
I’m back aboard CV31 after a few weeks of landlubbers holiday, and it feels pretty sweet! Race 8 is a funny one at only 5-6 days long, a short sprint for those of us who only know yacht racing through the Clipper Race. Easier to keep mental focus, easier to summon the strength and the puff to hoist-drop-hoist in the middle of the night, and easier to ignore interrupted sleep or an unsatisfying lunch.
The conditions have been kind too! Some short wind holes, that have stung everyone more or less the same, and mostly brisk upwind conditions but never very bouncy sea states. Josh and Cam made a great call a few days ago to swing wide of the marks south of Hainan Island which meant we turned north toward Zhuhai in first place! So now we just have to keep pushing in rolling seas and light deep downwind conditions.
On my little holiday, I spent some time recovering from wear and tear, as well as with family and loved ones in Australia and Vietnam. I joined my girlfriend Macha on An Bang Beach near Hoi An and together we made our way up to Ha Long Bay soaking up all that Vietnam has to offer. It was wading in a river outside a beautiful cave deep in Phong Nha National Park that I realised my biggest fear was to find myself at the end of my life not having really lived. It’s part of the reason I’m sailing around the world aboard the good ship Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, but it’s also part of the reason I decided to step away from the boat for Race 7, to spend time in beautiful far-flung places with people I love. I don’t care what anyone says, life is long and there’s time for all things - but you still have to follow your heart and take the chances that present themselves to you when they show up.
Speaking of which, I better fire some coffee up to the on-watch on deck! What are you doing still reading this??! Get back to the Race Tracker, it’s gonna be a nail-biter!!