I’d like to start one of our final blogs from this edition of the Clipper Race by thanking the people of Oban for their enthusiasm, warmth and hospitality throughout our stay. From our corporate guests of Argyll and Bute Council, through to Ronnie, the janitor at our accommodation. What a lovely way to be greeted home. Also, an enormous thank you to the Maintenance Team for all of its great work throughout the race, with a special mention to Martyn for all of his excellent and very hard work done on our boat in Oban. They are the unsung heroes of the Clipper Race.
Onto the racing and it’s absolutely no surprise that we’re currently battling tides and light winds as we try to get going for Race 14.
We had a pretty good start with a fairly non-congested windward end on the line start giving us a good run over the top of the line. The crew did excellently; stalling and powering up the boat to get us over the start in good time. It was pretty exciting for me personally. I’ve never helmed a line start, even in a dinghy, but I have had the good fortune to be able to watch Hannah on Washington, DC nail a few so I think I may have managed to pick something up there. It goes without saying, DC also had a great start.
The wind lightened off the further down the channel we got, but with a glorious sunset to mark our final departure of the race (one of the best we’ve seen all year), it brought a very poignant moment as we drifted down the Firth of Lorn. The Windseeker was amber with sunlight, the hills glazed in gold and just the gentle luffing sound of the kite to harmonise with the silence.
Hooroo cobbers,
Cam, Bob and the Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam team