Apologies for the delay in updating the blog.  As always there has been an enormous amount of difficulty in using the onboard email system, which is highly unreliable.

 

Currently in New York enjoying two days rest before setting off for Canada for our final stopover before the final ocean crossing.

 

The journey here was nothing short of eventful.  Full of emotional highs and lows it really did have everything.  The re-start after two days of motoring to find wind was a Le Mans start.  The requires every boat to line up a few boat lengths apart and after a count down there is a race to hoist headsails and set off.  We had a blistering start and were doing terrifically well.  Once again I was on the foredeck calling the trim and to my absolute delight, although New York (one of the fastest and most successful boats) was just a few boats lengths behind us on the port quarter, they simply couldn’t catch us.  The same goes for Hull and Humber.  We spent the first four hours trimming continually and gradually catching WA who was on the port beam and about to be overtaken when I went below off watch.

 

The wind had been steadily increasing and the number 2 Yankee was ready to go when I left.  What followed in my off-watch was a simple mistake that was to cost us crucial miles and, ultimately, any chance of a podium finish.

 

As the wind speed increases we have a chart showing the correct sail plan for the wind speed and direction; a simple human error in reading off the wrong sail meant that the storm jib was hoisted instead of the number 3.  This meant that the other boats had more sail up whereas we did not have enough, causing them to accelerate away and gain a lead of around 5 miles over 4 hours.

 

We were devastated.  By the time I came up for my next off watch NY and WA and the rest of the leading boats were all well ahead.  A few hours later the wind dropped but eventually the inevitable happened and a squall picked up the boats that were ahead, leaving us to watch them get smaller and small until they were so far ahead that they were out of sight.  Of course then the wind died completely making it almost impossible to catch up.  We were in 8th place and then 9th place and drifting for two days.

 

It takes a lot to find positive mental attitude in that situation.  Obviously it could have been worse, we could have been 10th but that was small comfort.

 

With the loss of wind came speculation about the finish of the race.  The stopovers have been shortened since Hawaii and we could see that unless the race director called an early finish allowing us to make 8kts under engine we would have less than a day in New York.  We are a positive and happy crew but when there are individuals who have made plans to meet loved ones who are flying from the UK to spend precious time with them, there is a risk of low morale of they fear that they will miss the chance to spend time together.  

 

Happily, this time Clipper did make a reasonably timely decision.  We were given 12 hours notice of the race finish so we threw everything into making up at least one place

 

H&H were about a mile ahead on our starboard bow.  Over the next 4 hours we systematically crept up and ahead overtaking them and leaving them 2 miles behind four hours later.  Same sails, same wind; just out0sailing H&H.  An amazing feeling. We can sail just as fast as the ‘faster’ boats. To their credit as the race ended Danny radioed Mark and congratulated us on beating them and the entire crew of H&H cheered us over the radio.  Good spirit indeed.

 

Let us please have some good luck and no mistakes on this next leg so that we can be up there on the podium.