Good morning friends,
It has been a busy 24 hours since I last reported. I crashed and bashed through the Gulf stream with winds from the North East which made for fast and wet sailing. With the 2 to 3 knot boost from the stream the boat was moving over the bottom at between 13 and 21 knots. I am told we have legged out on our competition, with the next boat "Wazimo" being now 200 miles back, but that is unconfirmed. As we exited the stream the winds became very light and fickle, as is often the case, and we were completely becalmed, with the boat rolling crazily and the sails slapping back and forth for about 45 minutes before the wind filled back in from the NE.
When the moon rose in a crescent shape and yellowish color, partially obscured by a cloud, I could not at first identify it, so naturally I went below to arm myself and prepare to defend the alien attack. When it became clear that is was just the moon, I realized I needed some sleep and crashed in the cockpit for about an hour, completely exhausted. I awoke with a start and got the boat going again and have been puttering along now at 7 to 10 knots, trying to coax the wind into the west so we can fetch Bermuda.
Talbot Wilson reminded me that the Bermuda 1-2 first leg course record of 67 hours was set in 2005 by Kip Stone aboard Artforms, with yours truly coming in a close second. If the wind fills in from the west, I would have a chance to best the record, but I need to average 8.7 knots and the winds are not yet cooperating.
Keep your fingers crossed for a finish before 6AM Tuesday. Unless you're Kip's mom!
Cheers,
Joe
