Skippers log #40
43 24s 149 01e at 11:00 GMT with Auckland 1470 miles away
It has been a hectic day in the field office. Did not get much rest last night with the wind shifting and closing the Tasmanian coast. Sighted land about 2 hours after daybreak. On this leg I rounded 3 of the four famous Capes...Cape of Good Hope, South Africa; Cape Leuwin, Australia; and this morning South East Cape, Tasmania. Now all that is left is Cape Horn and I will have sailed the worlds most famous Southern Ocean regions. At day break I poled out the genoa and started to helm. I pushed staight for 5 hours with no break. The winds were freshening and I am determined to close the gap with Minoru. At 3:30 am, I set the boat back on windvane. The wind was blowing about 25 knots, with a sea running. Had a full mainsail and genoa. Windvane could cope, crash gybing 3 times. During one of the crash gybes the boom vang lower block just exploded. I expected to have shrapnel coming at me. Oh well, don't need it any longer. Have no spare blocks to replace it with. Put 2 reefs into main and half genoa. At 4 am spoke with Neil and Minoru, but had to keep going on deck to tend to the boat. Staight after the radio sked, I grabbed a box of cookies, a drink and headed back on deck and helmed another 6 hours. Every muscle is hurting in my torso. I had 3 reefs in the main and some genoa. I was flying along. Then I had to gybe. Waited 30 min for a lull in the wind, and gybed. Set up and pushed again. The winds got up to 45 knots. Then the guy that goes to the spinnaker pole and onto the sail parted. It had chaffed through at the pole. In less than 4 minutes I had it replaced and sailing again. Put up some more headsail. I was flying. I hit my new record surf of 18.2 knots. I was not just throwing a rooster tail, I was throwing spray from the beams like I had wings. I got soaked twice, but that was fine. The Tasman Sea is warmer and the sun shone. Each time I surfed over 10 knots, which was almost every 5 min, I would think, one more boat length reeled in on Minoru. I have never pushed this hard, but conditions were perfect and I had control. It paid off because Minuro is now only 70 miles ahead of me, and I am still closing the gap. To reward myself, I heated one of Gwen's curries and added raisins and my favorite peach chutney. Now I am going to take the pole down and get a bit of rest.
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Skippers log #41
43 02s 152 09e at 12:30 GMT with 1,333 miles to go.
Please send me some wind. Any direction will do, for now, but some wind to get moving again will be appreciated. A huge high has come over me and I am in the Tasman Sea parking lot. Minoru is still in wind, and walking away. He has so far pulled 32 miles out on me today. He is east of me, so it will take the high a little longer to get to him. So I hope that I will get wind first when it comes back. I put up my huge Netcare spinnaker for a few hours today, tried to get some movement. Music bleared out of the stereo as I helmed. The sails just flogged in the swell, and each time we got a puff, it pushed me south of east. There was no point tacking north, as it would put me further into the high. At sunset, to cheer me up, I ate the last of Gwen's curries. I have a few soups left, and then can food. Its time to get to port. One of my best friends, Malcomb Goodbody, will fly in a few days after Gwen. This is going to be a fun stop-over, if I can just get there. Since I started the race, I have been concerned about getting the right nutrients. An associate recommended that I try blue green algae, and a good friend of mine who is a marathon runner, swore by it. So I tried some Super Blue Green Algae. It comes in tablet form and in sweet bars containing nuts. I ate the bars on leg one, and burnt myself out on it. I took 4 tablets a day, but on this leg I have been taking 8 a day. I feel fine. I don't know if it is just eating well and/or getting all the nutrients I need. I have never felt better, health wise, while at sea. Now if I can just get wind, I will feel even better.
