I am writing this during my ‘grave yard’ shift for the night. I am on deck from 2am to 7am tonight, but as the winds are so light behind the Canary Islands the crew are scattered all over the boat doing their own things as much as sailing the boat.
we have been stuck in light air conditions for three days now and it is proving very frustrating. Everyone is keen to push on and start making some headway on the 3,000+ miles left to go to Rio but when you can only make on average 11 miles each night it seems like we might be out here forever! a lengthy wish list is being compiled of the things that each of us would like to do first upon reaching Brazil: taking a shower and having a fresh, cold orange juice being the favourites today.
With the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, otherwise known as the
Doldrums) still to overcome we are settling down for a few more days of frustrated racing – time to start whistling for the wind.
Lauren
