Home  Blog Sailing Pacific Cup 2008 - Le Flying Fish - Day 13
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Pacific Cup 2008 - Le Flying Fish - Day 13 |
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Monday, 28 July 2008 |
We just made our 100 mile check-in, meaning we're only 100 miles from the finish line. Next check-in will be at 25 miles from the finish line. We got it by a huge cloud with some major rain and wind. For a while we were sailing 10+ knots and everything was great. Well, for the past 2 hours we've been sailing super slow... very frustrating to get those extremes from one minute to another. The wind is supposed to be in the 16-18 knots range in the area. Let's hope we find it soon so we make some headway towards Kaneohe Bay.
Last night was maybe the wildest night in my 3 crossings to Hawaii. It was cloud after cloud with no visibility. We were sailing in the low teens at all time. This morning we calculated we covered 65 nm in 6 hours, basically 11 knots average. The concentration was extreme. There was no margin for error, everything was going so fast. Let's hope our last nights is a little bit more relax.
Moore Havooc had a great day yesterday and there are now ahead of us. Congratulations to them for this great comeback.
We're probably going to arrive in the middle of the night, probably around 8am Pacific Time or 5am Hawaiian Time. We'll be first in line for breakfast. To arrive at night is not so much fun for the scenery and for navigation but we'll take it. Let's just hope tonight has a nice moon and some steady breeze (and no crazy clouds).
Below are some of the things I'm not going to miss for a while:
- Live on my butt, on my knees or on my back in a confined environment. I cannot wait to stand up and walk for a change.
- Drink 'room' temperature water, with or without Gatorade powder. We're looking for some fresh fruit juice, mai thai...
- Live with the same clothes on for days. Everything needs to be washed thoroughly after 14 days in this environment
- Prepare some hot water in an always in motion boat. Always dangerous to go from the measuring cup to tea pot to freeze dried food bag.
- Live without someone banging on the deck to call you on watch. That happens at least 4 times a day, sometimes more if we need to gybe.
- Live with a life jacket around my neck. It gets heavy after a while with the life jacket, harness and tether.
- Live with a head lamp on my forehead. It will be nice to switch the light with just an on/off button as opposed to 1 click is red light, 2nd click in white light, 3rd click is a beam light, 4th click to turn everything off.
- Live with crazy clouds dumping huge wind and rain; and then leaving behind in the middle of a wind hole. How about some nice steady breeze for a while?
However I'm really going to miss:
- The sound of the ocean: the wind into the sails and the waves passing by the hull.
- Spend the night sailing in short, t-shirt and bare foot. The temperatures are perfect.
- Being remote from civilization. So refreshing... No idea what happened in the past 2 weeks, probably not much but I'm sure the news media has created all kind of sensational news with nothing.
Slowly we'll have to adjust back from those 14 intensive days. What an experience!
One more night and we'll step a foot on land. The family has come to Hawaii. It is the first time for the kids so they are really excited. I cannot wait to hug them. It's going to be an emotional moment I have been waiting for a long long time.
Stephane
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