What a finish! With 27 miles left to the finish and Dare To Lead just 0.5nm ahead of us we knew it was going to be a tense battle. The team did phenomenally. After some great helming, tactics and trim we managed to be 300 meters behind Dare To Lead with eight miles to go. It was a tense final hour and a half, we played on the wind shifts and tactics to come parallel with them, but on a slightly deeper angle, meaning our distance to finish was just marginally less at 0.1nm closer.. In the end, we finished just 200 meters ahead.
They sailed fantastically and kept us motivated since Mandatory Finish Gate 1 which was awesome and well done to Ryan, Charlie and the team. We loved how close the racing was all the way to the line and it really could have gone either way!
Since then, we started the 1000 mile motor to Panama (routing via Costa Rica for a refuel stop). Morale is good on board, and the sense of achievement for a team that started the race with some bumpy conditions and a steep acclimation was felt today during happy hour. We also celebrated Fausto’s birthday with cake and a whoopee cushion!
Motoring fun agenda has begun today with yoga and workout session, tomorrow beckons the beginning of the chess and backgammon competition, and we might even whip out the old putter (rusting away under my bunk since leg 1!) for crazy golf on the way down.
To handle the heat, fickle wind and immensely challenging elemental conditions this crew have worked together very well. All rising to the challenge and pushing to learn more about trim, helming, kite hoists/gybes or whatever they could get their hands on.
All the while, bashing out phenomenal meals in the galley and keeping down below in relative order, which in 43 degrees Celsius is no easy mission. Even sewing the C3 in that heat!
The wildlife has been good, with dolphins dancing around our bow and boobies in abundance most of the race. We are all now taking some time to rest, manage our sweat levels and get very excited for hopefully some time dancing on the rooftops in Panama!
Love to all at home,
Laura, Dan and the Team