TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG TWO DAY 5 QFB: received 19.11.08 0439 GMT
Hi There,
It still seems that the days are passing very quickly. Perhaps it is because we are headed east and night falls a little earlier each day or maybe it is the pace of life onboard.
Right now life is busy onboard, some would even say chaotic, with sail making, sickness and injuries, everyone’s day is full keeping the boat in one piece and headed down the track.
It has been a tough last 24 hours. We have struggled once again to keep in touch with the fleet in the windy downwind conditions. Everyone has slowly extended on us leaving us somewhat frustrated and left behind. Hopes of a good score at the waypoint gate seem to be slowly slipping away but with many, many miles to go before we arrive in India, I am hopeful that we can pull off a good overall result in this leg. This is what I am trying to focus on to stay positive.
Lighter conditions will no doubt suit us better and a return to the sunshine and warmer climes will no doubt raise the spirits of everyone onboard. Right now, it is cold and grey outside, cool and damp inside. It would be fair to say that the thing everyone looks forward to most at the moment is the inside of a warm sleeping bag!
Up on deck, things are kept interesting by the passing of squalls fairly frequently taking the breeze from 25-35 knots in a matter of minutes and changing the sea state from tolerable into a nightmare as our wet ride continues. However, even this looks likely to stop soon with the breeze now forecast to drop over the course of the day. Perhaps this will be a good thing; with change afoot as the scoring gate approaches, it might offer a little window of opportunity to take a few points off the guys ahead…. Here’s hoping…
Cheers,
Simon Fisher - navigator