jueves, 19 de febrero de 2009

_MG_8914.JPG by unknown


Cosas que puedes hacer desde aquí:

_MG_9666.JPG by unknown

Enviado por Ignacio a través de Google Reader:


Cosas que puedes hacer desde aquí:

_MG_6838.JPG by unknown

Enviado por Ignacio a través de Google Reader:


Cosas que puedes hacer desde aquí:

Ericsson Racing Team (SE) - ERICSSON 4 CONTINUES TO WRESTLE FOR LEAD

ERICSSON 4 CONTINUES TO WRESTLE FOR LEAD

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Feb. 18, 2009) - Ericsson Racing Team's
International crew continues to wage a one-on-one battle at the head
of the fleet on Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

As if stuck together by bungee cord, Ericsson 4 stretches out a bit
before Puma reels in the lost miles. This has played out over the
past three days, since the conditions have abated from the full-on
blow the first two nights of the leg bound for Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.

At today's 1300 report, Ericsson 4 led Puma by 4 nautical miles.
Ericsson 4 was about 24 nautical miles east of Puma as they made a
course due southeast to the east of the northern Mariana Trench.

The International crew's lead is down from a peak of 9 miles at the
0408 report, but still better than the even pacing the two were
recorded as at last night's 1918 report.

"Racing-wise, things are going really well," said Ryan Godfrey,
bowman aboard Ericsson 4. "The boat loves these reaching conditions
and with every sched we gradually build our lead over the chasing Il
Mostro."

As the leaders cross the 20th parallel, the conditions have warmed
considerably from the first two nights. The leaders are still
anticipating reaching the northeasterly trade winds tomorrow or the
day after, but in the meantime they're taking an opportunity to pack
away some of the cold-weather gear for awhile, until they dive into
the Southern Ocean.

"Dry-out time aboard today," said Godfrey. "The temperature has
really made a change for the better and this afternoon has been a
great opportunity to pack up the double layer sleeping bags and
mattresses. It's also been nice to see all the condensation moisture
that forms throughout the boat start to evaporate away."

Life is similarly pleasant aboard Ericsson 3, which has been at sea
for all of the past seven days, save for two hours, after departing
Taiwan to complete Leg 4.

Firmly entrenched in third place, Ericsson 3 was pacing 142 nautical
miles behind the fleet leader. The Nordic crew has welcomed the two
newcomers with jokes and tales.

"There is good mood among the guys," said media crewman Gustav Morin.
"Everyone is joking, telling stories and laughing while we are trying
to make the boat go as fast as possible."

Newcomers Arve Roaas and Magnus Woxen are race veterans, but Roaas
has never sailed the VO 70 before. Woxen did the last race as a
member of Ericsson Racing Team.

"The VO 70s are better in every way," said Roaas. "They're a lot
quicker and actually a bit drier, under deck that is. And if the
swing keel system is as reliable as I hear it is, it's a lot better
than the water ballast system."

VOLVO OCEAN RACE LEG 5 LEADERBOARD
(Feb. 18, 2009, 1321 GMT)
1. Ericsson 4, +10,886 nautical miles to finish
2. Puma, +4 NM
3. Ericsson 3, +142 NM
4. Green Dragon, +207 NM
5. Telefónica Blue, +284 NM

ENDS

For today's vodcast from Chris Bedford, Ericsson Racing Team's
meteorologist see
http://www.r2prod.net/ERT/folders/FLASH_FILES/preview.php?video=videos/BEDFORD_WX

ERICSSON 4 CONTINUES TO WRESTLE FOR LEAD


STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Feb. 18, 2009) - Ericsson Racing Team's International crew continues to wage a one-on-one battle at the head of the fleet on Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
As if stuck together by bungee cord, Ericsson 4 stretches out a bit before Puma reels in the lost miles. This has played out over the past three days, since the conditions have abated from the full-on blow the first two nights of the leg bound for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
At today's 1300 report, Ericsson 4 led Puma by 4 nautical miles. Ericsson 4 was about 24 nautical miles east of Puma as they made a course due southeast to the east of the northern Mariana Trench.
The International crew's lead is down from a peak of 9 miles at the 0408 report, but still better than the even pacing the two were recorded as at last night's 1918 report.
"Racing-wise, things are going really well," said Ryan Godfrey, bowman aboard Ericsson 4. "The boat loves these reaching conditions and with every sched we gradually build our lead over the chasing Il Mostro."
As the leaders cross the 20th parallel, the conditions have warmed considerably from the first two nights. The leaders are still anticipating reaching the northeasterly trade winds tomorrow or the day after, but in the meantime they're taking an opportunity to pack away some of the cold-weather gear for awhile, until they dive into the Southern Ocean.
"Dry-out time aboard today," said Godfrey. "The temperature has really made a change for the better and this afternoon has been a great opportunity to pack up the double layer sleeping bags and mattresses. It's also been nice to see all the condensation moisture that forms throughout the boat start to evaporate away."
Life is similarly pleasant aboard Ericsson 3, which has been at sea for all of the past seven days, save for two hours, after departing Taiwan to complete Leg 4.
Firmly entrenched in third place, Ericsson 3 was pacing 142 nautical miles behind the fleet leader. The Nordic crew has welcomed the two newcomers with jokes and tales.
"There is good mood among the guys," said media crewman Gustav Morin. "Everyone is joking, telling stories and laughing while we are trying to make the boat go as fast as possible."
Newcomers Arve Roaas and Magnus Woxen are race veterans, but Roaas has never sailed the VO 70 before. Woxen did the last race as a member of Ericsson Racing Team.
"The VO 70s are better in every way," said Roaas. "They're a lot quicker and actually a bit drier, under deck that is. And if the swing keel system is as reliable as I hear it is, it's a lot better than the water ballast system."
VOLVO OCEAN RACE LEG 5 LEADERBOARD
(Feb. 18, 2009, 1321 GMT)
1. Ericsson 4, +10,886 nautical miles to finish
2. Puma, +4 NM
3. Ericsson 3, +142 NM
4. Green Dragon, +207 NM
5. Telefónica Blue, +284 NM

Volvo Ocean Race: PACIENCIA Y DETERMINACION, MAXIMAS DEL TELEFONICA AZUL

- Sin bajar el ritmo, el "Telefónica azul" muestra cautela y mantiene distancias con el "Green Dragon" y el "Ericsson 3"

PACIENCIA Y DETERMINACIÓN, MÁXIMAS DEL "TELEFÓNICA AZUL"

Qingdao (China), 18 de febrero de 2009.

"Tenemos que ser muy pacientes y esperar". Así de contundente y optimista se mostraba el caña y velero del "Telefónica azul", el campeón olímpico Jordi Calafat, al explicar cuáles eran las opciones del barco español tras los primeros días de la quinta etapa de la Volvo Ocean Race. "Hoy sigue igual que ayer, poco cambia en estos días –continuaba explicando el regatista mallorquín. "Lo bueno es que tenemos el jamón pata negra y el queso parmigiano reggiano directamente desde Italia. Los únicos dos lujos que nos permitimos en el barco. ¡El día se pone bueno cuando se sacan!"

Desde el barco español son conscientes de que acercarse a la cabeza de la flota va a ser una tarea de paciencia. Las esperanzas están puestas en las calmas ecuatoriales y en el propio Ecuador, una zona para la que todavía quedan 1.200 millas pero a la que poco a poco se va aproximando. "Poco a poco empezamos a entrar en la regata. El 'Ericsson 4' y el 'Puma' siguen distanciándose, pero comenzamos a coger el hilo del 'Green Dragon', y ocasionalmente el del 'Ericsson 3', así que en breve tendremos algunos amigos con los que jugar" afirmaba Tom Addis.

El navarro Xabi Fernández afirmaba esta mañana, desde el Océano Pacífico que "si empezamos a tener el viento mas a favor y podremos empezar a recortar distancia con los rivales". Personalmente el doble medallista olímpico de 49er expresaba la duraza de esta etapa "¡por fin! en el cuarto día he cogido el ritmo de navegar. Después del gran cambio que es pasar de estar en tierra con una vida normal a embarcarte en un VO 70 en regata. Después de haber estado mareado y con mal cuerpo hoy es el primer día que me siento bien por lo que empezamos a disfrutar de la navegación"

Enfilando hacia el Sur
A una velocidad de casi 17 nudos y después de haber recorrido 382 millas durante la últimas 24 horas, el barco de Íker Martínez se coloca  a 80 millas del barco chino-irlandés comandado por Ian Walker. Afortunadamente para los españoles, navegan en una zona de buen viento del Nordeste, y empieza a enfilar su proa un poco más hacia el Sur, su próximo objetivo.

Sin prisa, pero sin pausa, el "Telefónica azul" continúa arañando millas en un través que se inició desde la salida de esta etapa, en el puerto chino de Qingdao. La clave ahora, según Tom Addis está en "seguir trabajando y avanzando poco a poco. Estamos en los primeros días de una etapa muy larga, y no es momento de tomar grandes riesgos en la ruta".

¡Botas fuera!
Aproximándose al Ecuador, y dejando atrás el increíble frío que venía acompañando a la flota desde la salida, por fin los tripulantes del "Telefónica azul" pueden empezar a disfrutar del buen tiempo, al menos de un tiempo mejor. Tom Addis comentaba al respecto: "Jono acaba de cambiar las botas por las zapatillas y creo que en breve los demás harán lo mismo. Sigue estando bastante mojado en cubierta, pero están lo cierto es que las temperaturas están subiendo".

CLASIFICACIÓN PROVISIONAL ETAPA 5
QINGDAO (CHINA) – RIO (BRASIL): 12.300 millas (22.780 kilómetros)
Día 4 – 13:30 hora española – 18 de febrero de 2009

1º Ericsson 4 (Suecia) a 10.944 millas de la llegada
2º Puma (EE.UU), +7 millas
3º Ericsson 3 (Suecia), + 127 millas
4º Green Dragon (Irlanda/China), +193 millas
5º Telefónica azul (España), +273 millas
Telefónica negro (España), DNS
Delta Lloyd (Holanda), DNS
Team Russia (Rusia), DNS






FVCV: I Trofeo Serramovil en el CN Santa Pola

El Club Náutico Santa Pola acoge este fin de semana el I Trofeo Serramovil  de Crucero
La regata es puntuable en el Campeonato Autonómico de Crucero de la Comunidad Valenciana

El próximo sábado, día 21 de febrero, se celebra el I Trofeo Serramovil de vela crucero, evento organizado por el Club Náutico de Santa Pola. A falta de tres días para que se cierre el plazo de inscripción son mas de 20 las embarcaciones que han confirmado su presencia en la regata.
Embarcaciones que representan a los Clubes de Santa Pola, Guardamar, Alicante, Torrevieja y Campello. Sin duda un éxito para la regata que estrena nuevo patrocinador, el concesionario de automóviles Volkswagen de Elche Serramovil, que a pesar de estos tiempos de crisis se ha mostrado muy ilusionado. Hay que destacar que su presidente, Andrés Serrano, es uno de los socios más antiguos del Club y ha manifestado que tenía ganas de colaborar con el club en sus eventos.
Aprovechando la presencia del patrocinador, el domingo durante la entrega de Trofeos, se realizará también  la entrega de los Premios a la Regularidad de la Temporada 2008, trofeos del circuito Volkswagen Sailing Experience del Club Náutico de Santa Pola.
La organización ha dispuesto dos recorridos para cada uno de los días en el que se recorrerá la bahía de Santa Pola de este a oeste, rodeando la isla de Tabarca, recorrido que si acompaña el viento hará las delicias de los participantes.

Volvo Ocean Race/ IKER MARTINEZ: EN EL ECUADOR PODRIAMOS ATACAR



- El "Telefónica azul" navega de lleno en el Pacífico con la vista puesta en el Ecuador

ÍKER MARTÍNEZ: "EN EL ECUADOR PODRÍAMOS ATACAR"

Qingdao (China), 18 de febrero de 2009.- Después de cuatro días de navegación, el "Telefónica azul" continúa luchando en el Océano Pacífico. A 1.200 millas de la fina línea que separa el Hemisferio Norte del Hemisferio Sur, Íker Martínez, patrón del "Telefónica azul", narra los primeros días de la embarcación española en la etapa más larga de la historia de la Volvo Ocean Race

Después de tres días de navegación, ¿a qué condiciones se enfrenta el "Telefónica azul"?
Navegamos de través y la verdad es que el viento está siendo muy inestable, algo que no es muy comprensible ya que estamos en la mitad del Océano. De repente el viento sube, después baja, rola hacia un lado y hacia otro; y de ahí que haya muchas diferencias de velocidades entre unos y otros. La verdad es que estamos un poco sorprendidos con estas condiciones que nos obligan a trabajar todo el tiempo.

¿Cómo han sido estos primeras días de la etapa más larga de la historia de la Vuelta al Mundo?
La verdad es que salir con semejante frío ha sido un choque muy duro. Durante estos días hemos tenido muchísimos cambios de velas y la verdad es que todo ha sido muy complicado, pero vamos cogiendo el ritmo. Yo, personalmente, cada día que pasa me encuentro mejor que el anterior y creo que todos a bordo nos estamos recuperando.

Afortunadamente parece que las cosas se van tranquilizando, pero lo cierto es que hemos tenido un par de días con unas olas enormes y siempre estábamos empapados. Durante estos días hemos ido realmente rápidos -entre 25 y 27 nudos, velocidades muy altas para este tipo de barcos- siempre por debajo de las olas, pero también hemos estado muy incómodos, con muy mal cuerpo; y es que al principio de etapa siempre cuesta adaptarse. Lo malo es que aquí, al hacer tantísimo frío y estar tan mojados, los días de adaptación han sido difíciles Malestar, mareos, frío… Hemos estado muy incómodos.

¿Cuál crees que será el momento clave para dar caza a la flota?
Nos estamos acercando bastante al "Green Dragon", y  también no hemos aproximado algo al "Ericsson 3"… Los demás barcos están más o menos a la misma distancia que cuando salimos.

El primer punto donde vamos a poder tener variaciones importantes va a ser en las calmas ecuatoriales, ahí podrán estar los primeros movimientos. Hasta entonces, pocos cambios vamos a tener con respecto al "Puma" y al "Ericsson 4", ya que los dos van muy rápido. Parece que vamos cogiendo milla a milla al "Green Dragon", y ojalá lleguemos a las calmas ecuatoriales cerca de ellos. Creo que es en el Ecuador donde podríamos atacar fuertemente a los de delante

Una de las grandes novedades de la etapa son los nuevos timones del "Telefónica azul", ¿cómo están respondiendo?
El barco va mucho mejor, y al verdad es que cuando al situación se pone dura tenemos mayor control del barco, y eso se define en que vas más rápido. La pena es que al haber tanta diferencia con la cabeza de la flota, aunque hay algunas ocasiones en las que les coges, en otras ellos te sacan millas. No sabes exactamente las razones, pero lo cierto es que a pesar de que vamos muy rápidos en el parte te sacan millas. Lo cierto Son 200 millas de diferencia, casi 400 kilómetros, y tenemos que pensar a largo plazo. Vamos mejor, pero la pena ha sido salir tan tarde y de momento es difícil de momento explicar qué diferencias hay con los nuevos timones.

Esta prueba se caracteriza por bajar hasta el Pacífico Sur, pero de momento navegan hacia el Este, ¿podría explicarnos esta decisión?
Todos los barcos navegan hacia el Este a causa de la zona de compresión de vientos en el Ecuador. Si bajásemos directamente hacia el Sur nos encontraríamos con una zona de poco viento para cruzar el Ecuador o las zonas de calmas ecuatoriales serían mucho más grandes. Ir hacia el Este implica que la zona de "viento malo" es muchísimo menor.

Se trata de una inversión de futuro, dentro de una semana o diez días empezaremos a ver resultados.

¿Cómo ha sido la adaptación  de David Vera y Michael Pammenter al "Telefónica azul"?
En el fondo es gente que ya conocemos, trabajamos en el mismo equipo aunque en diferentes barcos. Yo estoy en las guardias con David Vera, y puedo afirmar que la adaptación ha sido rápida y sencilla. Lógicamente siempre echas de menos tu equipo, porque estás más acostumbrado a la gente con al que empezamos compitiendo en el mismo barco. Claro que se nota, pero son cosas tan pequeñas que hace que casi no haya diferencias. Estamos contentos con ellos y ellos con nosotros. Lo importante es tirar hacia delante

Quiero aprovechar para enviar un abrazo a Pepe Ribes y a Daryl Wislang, que están en casa fastidiados y eso no le gusta a nadie. Ojalá estuviese aquí, todo sería más normal para nosotros, pero creo que tenemos los mejores sustitutos.

ERICSSON 3 LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB: received 18.02.09 1012 GMT



ERICSSON 3 LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB:  received 18.02.09 1012 GMT

There is good mood among the guys. Everyone is joking, telling stories and laughing while we are trying to make the boat go as fast as possible. This is the seventh day at sea for the guys who sailed the boat from Taiwan. The new guys, Magnus "Bagi" Woxen and Arve Roaas, have been blending in well with the old crew.

Arve sailed the race with the Norwegian syndicate Djuice 2001-02 with the VO60s. And he is thrilled about the new boats.

"The VO 70s are better in every way. They are a lot quicker and actually a bit drier, under deck that is… And if the swing keel system is as reliable as I hear it is, it's a lot better than the water ballast system."

Magnus Woxen, 38, is one of the most experienced ocean sailors of his age in Sweden with experience from the three latest Ocean races. Just after a couple of hours sailing with us he was amazed with the differences between the old VO 70 and this one.

"It's a complete different boat, so much quicker and more controllable."

How does it feel to join the race so late and for the longest leg?

"I have been keen on doing this leg since I heard about it," he says and continues:

"It includes everything, tropic conditions, Southern Ocean, Cape Horn and finish in Rio. Very challenging, of course, but fun. And it feels good to be on the Nordic boat. It very seldom happens that I can speak Swedish when I sail, so that is fun. I only knew two of the guys from before, but so far I like everyone and it feels great to be a part of this crew."

Arve Roaas adds:

"Yeah, I feel the same. There is a good spirit in this crew and I feel I am blending in quickly. Also I start to get a good feeling on how to handle the boat and I get more confident with it every day."

Today the sun is shining and the temperature is really comfortable.  But the wind has been very shifty and it's been tricky to keep good speed and making the right choice of sails. We have between 10 and 20 knots of wind and the angle has constantly been going back and forth from 30 to 55 degrees

Obviously the other boats are in the same situation. The results we see on the scheds are a lot up and down.

Everyone is pretty happy about having less wind and warmer air and water. We have been punched around pretty hard in the cockpit the last couple of days and everyone is a bit bruised. Some have twisted their knees and ankles and hit their ribs, but nothing really serious.

"It has really been an inferno of water," Arve Roaas says. "But my body is now getting use to this environment. I am also starting to get use to taking on and off the wet clothes, knowing were to put your boots and  socks while sleeping and how to fit in to the sleeping bag and climb up in my bunk which has only 20 cm to the roof. It feels like we have a good setup for making a good result to Rio. We seem to have alright food and fortunately a lot of snus," he ends, laughing.

Gustav Morin - MCM



ERICSSON 4 LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB: received 18.02.09 1125 GMT



ERICSSON 4 LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB:  received 18.02.09 1125 GMT

Ahoy from Ericsson 4

Dry-out time aboard today. The temperature has really made a change for the better and this afternoon has been a great opportunity to pack up the double layer sleeping bags and mattresses. It's also been nice to see all the condensation moisture that forms throughout the boat start to evaporate away. It's still high speed and crashing waves on deck, but the warm water and relatively dry interior make life so much more pleasant aboard the mighty Ericsson 4.

Racing-wise, things are going really well.  The boat loves these reaching conditions and with every sched we gradually build our lead over the chasing Il Mostro. Our team mates aboard Ericsson 3 have done a top job getting back into the race after a late start and it's a great reflection on the skills of our shore crew that that boat is up and racing at 100% so quickly and that Ericsson 4 is so well prepared that we can be pushing at the front of the fleet in what, at times, have been pretty full conditions.

There is already some talk of bets on when we will round Cape Horn, but with 11000nm still to go to the finish, I think I might hold off a while yet before making my call.

I hope all the families and shore guys got home alright and perhaps even get some time to relax and enjoy the break from Volvo life.

Ryan Godfrey - bowman








PUMA LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB: received 18.02.09 1006 GMT




PUMA LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB: received 18.02.09 1006 GMT

When we started this journey Sidney Gavignet promised me that we would do some phenomenal sailing that I would remember for the rest of my life. Clearly the last two days were the ones he was describing. Fast, warm reaching down the Pacific. A little moist on deck, but a little water is always involved when you mention the word fast.

As for the race itself, we are pretty pleased at this point to be holding on to Ericsson 4 in conditions they have excelled in on past legs, and we are constantly stretching on the rest of the pack. And it really has been a flat out drag race. All of this ocean to choose from and the five boats are essentially travelling down very similar paths. The goal is to meet up with the easterly trades far enough to the east so we aren't hard on the wind. Also, we will try to position ourselves to the east of some light air near the doldrums.

Hopefully we will make it though the dreaded doldrums a little more unscathed this time. So far, as Jochen Zeitz (the head of PUMA) pointed out, we are pretty much 0-2 while trying to get through the dreaded doldrums. Since we have two more passages though there we are trying in vain to even the score.

As Jochen said "I hate the doldrums!" Believe me Jochen, when I say that every sailor out here shares your sentiments exactly.

Life onboard has really settled in and fortunately some of the bumps and bruises that were received by a few of the boys in the first 36 hours are healing up. Doesn't look like anything terminal. Clearly Kirby's (Jerry Kirby/USA) storytelling hasn't taken a hit. Shannon Falcone has taken a breather in order for Jerry to hop back on board for this leg. As Jerry's wife Kim knows, the peace and quiet on board is now gone and Jerry can be heard laughing and bringing up another story pretty much at all hours of the day.

Don't tell him I said this, but he is the perfect guy for a leg like this. Believe me, there is never a dull moment with Mr Kirby around. And he actually knows when to take things serious as well. Something that I think it has taken all of his years to learn!

Tonight, the train may come to a halt as we run into some lighter air later and then the trades start up at a tighter angle. Still some nice sailing but not quite the bullet train that we are riding now. Plenty more to come.

Kenny Read - skipper








TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB: received 18.02.09 1052 GMT



TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB:  received 18.02.09 1052 GMT

Hi there,

When someone shook me awake this morning I was suddenly filled with optimism that we may have a sunny day ahead of us, however, by the time I had pulled my wet weather gear on, dragged all the stack forward downstairs to compensate for the ever- lightening wind and forced down some breakfast, the sun had once again disappeared and the light was flat and grey once again.

This has been the story for the last few days, grey, overcast with little life around us.  Every now and then we see a ship in the distance and this morning we sighted the first bird for several days.   Even the flying fish seem to be scarce in this part of the Pacific.
 
With so much sailing on the same angle in similar conditions you could easily think it's Groundhog Day!  This is the way it looks to continue for the next few days at least.  Reaching, reaching, reaching....  The wind will steadily head us and we will slowly curve down to the south to pick up the trades to take us south.

Despite a slight feeling of monotony amongst the crew, everything onboard is going well.  The cuisine is as good as ever, with Spanish jambon, Italian parmesan and even a few fresh oranges are a treat to the palette with while stocks last!  Conditions are now also much warmer so the thermal clothing is slowly being peeled away.  The only bad things we have to deal with at the moment are a few people's smelly feet!  So bad in fact that Jono (Jonathan Swain/RSA) was moving around downstairs wearing a ski mask on his face!  The worry is, if the smell is this bad now, what are we going to do in 30 days!!

For me now it's lunch time, then sleep and the owners of the smelly feet are on deck so I best get to sleep before they return!!

Cheers,

Simon Fisher – strategist/helmsman


TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB: received 18.02.09 0602 GMT








TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG FIVE DAY 5 QFB: received 18.02.09 0602 GMT

Just another day reaching really, but we are starting to get into the leg a bit more now. Ericsson 4 and Puma are still stretching, but we are starting to reel in the Dragon and occasionally Ericsson 3 so hopefully we'll have some friends to play with soon.

Slowly coming into better breeze so we may be able to stop the bleeding soon, but we still aren't seeing any major passing lanes - perhaps a bit of a compression in a few days, but nothing much more exciting than that at this stage. Just have to keep chipping away - day five of a long leg like this is no time to be taking big risks on the routing.

Me, personally, I'm really looking forward to having some shifts and clouds to pick once we start getting south. There's not so much value that I can add in these reaching conditions where options are much more limited. In the last sail change I managed to give myself a small cut on my head on the back of the daggerboard, ever since then I've felt heaps better about this leg - so that's what I needed - a swift hit to the head to get me into the swing of things!!!

Jono (Jonathan Swain/RSA) has just made the change from boots to shoes. He's always the last one into boots and the first one out but I think others will follow soon. It's still very wet outside, but it's getting warmer and the wet isn't going to stop anytime soon knowing these boats, so the call will probably be made by most soon to get out of the heavy gear.

Back to reaching on port tack.

Tom Addis - navigator

Powered By Blogger