As we enter week 19 and heading for the finish line, the lightning storm has passed and we can go off watch safe in the knowledge that we won’t be struck by a lightning bolt. To be fair, we weren’t too sure what would happen if we had been struck by lightning and the consequences, probably best not knowing, but might just ask Google when we get signal!
Currently chasing down Qingdao. Not sure why they’re so much slower than us, but we’re on it and all the helming training is paying off as we rotate every 30 minutes keeping the helm fresh and confident. We’ve taken 5 miles out of them in the last 4 hours and through the dark night sky, we can see they’re lights less than 8 miles away. It’s going to be a fun run into the finish being so close. Hopefully a good few days racing into Airlie Beach – oh wait hold that a moment, life has just got complicated. Seemingly there is a cyclone building to the north of Airlie Beach which may restrict us in getting across the barrier reef and into Airlie. Let’s hope for a fast few days.
Mother again, which is a bit of a worry as mother’s duty and spinnaker flying does not bode well for me. It’s always got in the way of a good rest. Up and at them at 01.30 for my watch, dressed and ready for action, hoping we’d closed even further on Qingdao only to find us becalmed. Not a breath of air, just the sails flapping as we gently rock back and forth on a very flat sea. So now Qingdao have gotten away from us and it looks like it’s going to take a while for the wind to fill in. We constantly trim the sails trying to make some headway but all we can do frustratingly is just sit and wait for any wind to get to us. A couple of hours go by and we can see the ripples from a breeze building a few hundred yards away, slowly coming towards us, our windex (wind instruments) jump into life, before we can feel a breeze on our faces and we’re off again and in the right direction, I go on the helm for a while then come off to start my mothering duties at 06.40 but it would look like all the gains we’ve made earlier on Qingdao have gone and they’ve gotten away from us. It will be tall order to close the gap, let alone overtake them.
We’ve got some fresh baked bread from yesterday and a few tins of baked beans, I mean a breakfast to die for! Plus some wheatbix and granola. We then set about getting lunch sorted, a pesto pasta, when Gavin shouts, “There’s a hole in the bloody kite, all hands on deck”. Bugger, it’s happening again. The watch had just recently changed, so most of the off watch were already up, so it didn’t take long for the guys to get up on deck. Same routine as always. Down comes the anti wrap net, up goes the Yankee 1 to shield the kite, then down comes the kite, before the rip in the kite gets any bigger. We have our own sewing machine on board for sail repairs but it’s been playing up and despite all of Petra’s efforts to sort, is still not working correctly. The tear in the code 1 this time was a recent repair from our wrap earlier in the race that has probably failed due to the knackered sewing machine. Luckily it was spotted early enough to get it down before it ripped apart. Now we have the code 1 down. The Code 2 is dragged up on deck and we go through the same routine in reverse. Up goes the kite, down comes the Yankee 1 and up goes the anti wrap net and back to racing again. Once all sorted, Jo & I are back down below to prepare lunch. Petra, bless her, has stayed up again to start repairs on the kite so that it’s ready for use. She’s been trying to get the sewing machine to work properly without much success even with the online help from Martin at Hyde sails. Looks like it’s an internal adjustment that will be needed, so unfortunately we won’t have a sewing machine until Airlie Beach. So, Petra repairs the Code 1 by hand stitching the new repair. It’s then wooled and repacked into its bag in the sail locker and ready again for its next flight.
Jo & I continue to get the evening meal sorted. This leg is fairly complicated and takes a bit of planning. We have 1 vegetarian, 1 person allergic to chilli, 1 person allergic to nuts and 2 people who are gluten intolerant. We’ve got 4 rings and and 1 oven, the boat is bouncing around between 45 to 50 degrees and I’ve been on the go since 01.30 in the morning and in the galley since 04.30. As we’re getting towards watch change over, it’s been decided to drop the code 2 with both watches, which I fully appreciate, but I’ve got everything ready for 17.15, so the guys can get on watch at the correct time. Rice is on the boil, everything has been cooked and warm, but as the kite is coming down. The gas to the cooker needs to be switched off as it’s a potential fire risk with a bloody big spinnaker being dropped into the galley. Jo & I stay down below to receive the kite and down it comes. When we’re working in the galley we’re to wear our fouley Salopettes in case we spill any hot stuff on ourselves when cooking, so we’re now pulling this massive sail down into a galley which is steaming hot and eventually have the kite down and laid out for re-wooling. It’s now 18.30 and the decision has been made not to feed anyone until the code 2 has been packed and put away, which didn’t go down that well for those who’d been on watch. Some went to bed without being fed, some I fed anyway but the food was ruined! And some of the guys with special food requirements didn’t want to eat anyway, which was infuriating. To say I was a bit grumpy is an understatement. By the time we’d fed and washed up it was past 22.00 and I’m due back on watch at 06.00. I know it’s all part of racing and stuff happens, but it happens to me a bit too much for my liking and I head off to bed knackered and grumpy. A little apology may be required in the morning!
When I wake for my 06.00 watch, the news has filtered down that the race has been called short by the race committee due to the imminent possibility of a cyclone. So, unless a miracle happens we’re not going to be catching Qingdao who’ve been able to keep the same pace as us and we are approx 25 miles behind them. With the possibility of a cyclone developing off Airlie Beach and with the treacherous reefs on the way into port, the race committee have been able to give the race skippers a bit of leeway to make the call themselves in the last few 100 miles into Airlie Beach, head for another port or stay at sea. So that’s it. Looks like we’re in 6th spot and I suppose it could have been a lot worse. We just need to get into port as safely and as soon as possible to get some serious rest and defrag from a very tiring race. It’s the 1st time I’ve really struggled to get out of bed and I’m not the only one. We think it may be because of the time spent upwind sailing with no respite as the boat position and movement makes it so hard to move around the boat.
We’ve all been woken to be together as we cross the virtual finishing line. A big cheer rings out on the boat and lots of congratulations and hugs after finishing a fairly gruelling leg. So now we have a day or so to make our way through the narrow channels through the barrier reef and into Airlie Beach. Up for watch and the sun is shining, the wind is steady and the mood is upbeat. A great watch sailing and as we go down for bed, I hover about for a drink and a snack of some sort and then realised, bugger I should have gone straight to bed as Craig nips into the galley, clocks me, still in my sailing gear and asks for assistance on deck to drop the code 1 and put up a code 3. It’s something that happens a lot on our boat, watches supporting each other. We might grumble at the time, but it’s the LBS culture. So, a few from our watch, Mark, Claire and I get our life jackets back on, go back up on deck to help. A couple of hours later, back down below and into bed and out like a light bulb. Back up again for our 6-hour afternoon watch and the sun is blazing and the wind is steady. The sail change last night was more about preserving the boat and sails. We’re sort of on a delivery run now. No point in risking anything so a very conservative sail plan has been set to cover the expected heavy winds in the early hours of Saturday morning. It’s a great time to get everyone on the helm and another great day on the helm was had by all. At the end of my watch, I nipped back up on deck for a quick head shave. Got to keep up appearances for arrival in Airlie! Some of the girls, Nicky & Sarah, suggested I should shave my beard off, obviously not fans of bobby’s beard, but their comments have given me some thoughts, watch this space!!! Not long to go now. If the cyclone behaves itself, we should be tied up by 10.00, a few beers and a rest.
We work our way through the Whitsunday Islands. I didn’t realise there would be so many islands and so many trees. It reminds me a little like the west coast of Scotland without the heat. It’s windy, chucking it down with rain and warm. If we weren’t nearly into Port, I’d have run down below and grabbed my shower gel for an outside shower. In any case we’re trying to get in before the cyclone hits.
So, it’s normal protocol as we’re finishing, to drop all the sails and put up our sponsor banners, flags and podium pendants. Out comes the media rib to take photos and the crew rib to guide us in. Once secure we get the welcome chat from the support crew and at last a few beers to remind us that we’ve finished another leg, and in distance travelled terms, halfway round. Considering all we had to deal with, 6th place isn’t too shabby. Time to chill and recharge the batteries and see what Airlie Beach has to offer.