What a 24 hours it has been. This race has been at a continuous relentless pace. Whether it has been trying to keep the boat moving in the light winds, handling 60 knots of wind in the sprint, or last night, when we entered the Luzon straits with a spicy swell, so many commercial vessels around, and quite a bit of wind. It has kept us invigorated on UNICEF and we can’t believe we are under 1,000nm to Ha Long Bay already. The team on this leg has been incredible. Pushing themselves and one other. Having the close company of Zhuhai and Qingdao, who we are forever chasing or being chased by, has been a huge motivator, and has helped us keep these great speeds this far. Morale and excitement onboard are high, so much so that Sue organised us all to write secret love poems to each other to read out at happy hour today. Bit bizarre but I’m sure it will be a giggle. Think we will have to bar off access to the sail locker for the afternoon… Temperatures onboard have finally dissipated, and as I write it is 33 degrees Celsius and only 77 percent humidity – what a treat. To the many supporters coming to Vietnam, I can only say your loved ones are incredibly excited to see you, and we have all been chatting about the reunions. It is super special to race around the world, and even greater to have family and friends who support us all. We’ll keep sailing as fast as we can, and we are stoked to see you in Nam!
Cheers,
Dan and Laura