GREEN DRAGON LEG ONE DAY 23 QFB: received 02.11.08 1339 GMT
The Green Dragon has 260 miles and a couple of gybes to go before arriving in Cape Town. We are now moving OK but still 10% slow due to whatever damage is under our boat. This should be enough to hold off Telefónica Blue who is 100 miles back, but you can never be sure of anything I am told approaching Cape Town.
Things have calmed right down on board and attention is now focused on getting job lists sorted out for Cape Town and on looking forward to some days off. Our shore crew on the other hand will go from having had some time off to working every hour that God sends.
It has been an amazing leg with something for everyone. Four or five boats have held the lead, we have had tight tactical battles and then, of course, a week of battering by strong winds including a record 24 hour run (or several I suspect).
The strangest thing for us is not actually knowing half of what has gone on. We are not allowed news of the race so we have no idea why Telefónica Blue stopped in Gibraltar, or why Telefónica Black is so slow now. Others must be wondering why we are so slow now. Without our collision, we would be comfortably holding 3rd place.
I hope there have been no serious injuries but I am sure there will have been some bumps. Guo Chuan’s nose is nice and swollen and bruised now and we have told him to tell everyone that Tom Braidwood punched him.
There is only one thing for it in Cape Town and that is to get in the bar and trade some war stories as sailors love to do. My story will be of our nighttime collision and the ensuing panic-stricken thoughts and of a multitude of nosedives from which I saw no escape. Somehow, we did escape and the rig is still up.
The last thing our sponsor said to me in Alicante was to ‘not sink the boat’ and I have a feeling we came closer than we intended but so far so good. If we can get 4th with the stage win at Fernando, this will have been a very good leg for us. It has certainly been an amazing experience and makes me wonder what lies ahead. If anybody reading this is already in Cape Town, I’m the tired looking, balding bloke with a beard and mine’s a pint of lager please.
Ian Walker - skipper