Hello team,
Happy Independence Day to all our American cousins. How is the week going for you? It’s just a day away from Fizz Friday, then it's the weekend, time is flying. Although now the wind has eased, we aren’t speeding along getting the high speeds we have seen previously, unfortunately.
Time is flying. We have been racing just short of a week now, and we have crossed into UTC-2, and the halfway point of this crossing, and the sailing has been ‘Champagne sailing.’ We are so privileged to be here, fulfilling our dreams, ambitions, and lifelong goals.
Yet yesterday afternoon in some of the most glorious conditions for sailing I was with a heavy heart and distracted. It wasn’t because the race is nearly finished, or we were off the pace a little, missing our Code 3, having to wait until the wind and sea state settled so we could pop out the Code 2 and pick the pace up again.
I am finding it very difficult to comprehend the destruction Hurricane Beryl is causing 2,200nm way in the same ocean we trod just a few weeks ago. We get regular reminders as the Sat C distress alarm goes off frequently. A distress message, giving an update on the storm centre and wind speeds. I am plotting its course on TimeZero, so the crew can see its path. To hear Union Island was left without any buildings standing is unbelievable. I was fortunate to stop and anchor there for 2 nights, in Port Elizabeth in December 2015. I have the photos on my phone. An idyllic setting with lovely friendly people, now left with nothing.
Can I ask if you haven’t helped us with our UNICEF funding to date, now would be an opportunity and if you have already, maybe you could help a bit more, please click on the link below. Without doubt UNICEF will be in the thick of it, supporting and caring for children who didn’t have much to begin with, and are now left with nothing.
There aren’t any real firsts or lasts for this blog, although I could push and say we have at last finished the first half of the race and are now entering the last half. This transit of the North Atlantic, west to east is one of my favourite, this passage to date hasn’t disappointed, the sailing conditions and the wildlife sightings have been fantastic.
We are nearly at the end of the Ice Limit, 160nm to goat the time of writing (05:10UTC).At our current rate we should reach that around breakfast time tomorrow. Then Friday and Saturday will prove an interesting challenge, with significantly more blue (light winds) shown in the weather GRIBs, than predicated for the political map of the UK for Friday. We are going to be influenced by a decaying front that will catch up with us. We will have to pick our way through that before we can once more get into a stable air flow and continue to make good process toward Oban, as with all transitions there will be opportunities and with the fleet this close, it's going to be interesting to seethe position of the boats afterwards.
Today (4th July) is National Caesar Salad Day. Being July, that sort of makes sense, personally I prefer a Greek one.
Think that’s all for now, standing by this Channel
David, Maisie and the Bekezela Crew (UTC-2)