turn around point, and things have started going faul in the past 18
hours:)
We had a severe drop in the wind, which came as a surprise, the forecast
was not quite so… Followed by news that Australia passed us once again,
and put some milage in between. We have Jamaica, Cork closing on us as
well. The situation was confirmed with the latest weather forecast, the
wind was lower in force and more Easterly than the initial forecast,
putting a disadvantage on us versus the other boats; I have to admit
that a bit tension has creeped in on board, as well as more
concentration on trim & helming. Tough and unpredictable days ahead of
us… It feels like we are having a late lived doldrum scenario on scene.
So close to Rio, and yet so far
Our piece of bad luck was not restricted with the weather. We discovered
that our bilges (the space between the floors and the haul of the boat,
used mostly for storage, tanks etc) had a significant amount of water,
fresh water… We sucked out about 200 liters, or maybe more… We are
keeping on pumping it out as it builds? So much rationing for the fresh
water, and here are, having a leak which we could not spot yet, pumping
fresh water into the bilges. Also, quite a heavy weight sitting on the
wrong side of the boat, killing speed when we most need it. Auch.
Not ALL things were bad though, there was an amazing moment, another
milestone for sailors: we saw the green light on sunset. This is a
pretty rare occasion, and needs the right visibility and humidity to
happen. You can either see a green flash, or a green halo for about a
second at sunset. Miracles in life…
And another touch of wild life: we were visited by a school of WHALES,
not the biggest ones, but big enough to hold on to ensure not to fall
into the ocean. There were more than 10 of them, moving all around the
boat. We passed the inspection, they soon lost interest and left us
alone with our tension in the race once again…
Well, so much news for the day
Keep an eye on me:)
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