SCA
How does it feel....?Nervewracking...exciting...stressful....worried.....butterflies in my tummyDay 3 of Leg 8 and we are smashing upwind in 30-35 knots one busted lip and some bruised and tired crew. Sleeping is hard as first you have to crank your bed up so high you feel like you are in a toast rack, then you basically end up getting compressed into the bottom half of the bunk with every wave and it is cold, at least I have got my packing wrong. The simple things now are just plain difficult.The 1240 postion report came in and the fleet has split.
The nerves at the Nav station onboard I can tell you have gone up three-fold. It wasn't a surprising move but none-the-less people asking why they tacked, is it for shelter, sea state, shift, analysing the gain loss when we reposition ourselves.
The race is wide open, the next 24hours are key, with our first call being when do we tack east.It is a different position to be leading the fleet and making the first moves or seeing the fleet make a move you chose not to.
We haven't been shy to make the first move or a different move before but when you are leading it feels like so much more is at stake.Sam fortunately for me very calmly takes it all in as we discuss and agree our plan and then gets on with running her watch on deck.
Everyone is working to find a good mode in a nasty sea state pushing for that last 0.1-0.2 knots of boat speed while hanging on.
The chat begins again about trying to win the 24hour speed record even if it is in an upwind mode!24hours on some legs has been no time at all but on this leg it is huge, and these are the critical hours.
We have lost the added comfort and insight to the fleet of AIS range and being able to see the boats, so now we are ever more impatient for each position reportKeep following and supporting Team SCA pushing hard with their slightly more nervous than usual navigator, your support is fantastic
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