Leg 5 Race 1.. Into the Doldrums… again.

January 31 2024

It is so so so hot. So hot. We are now reminded of what these tropical climes bring, experienced first in Leg 1 this heat was well removed from memory to save any more unnecessary trauma. The airflow is limited below deck and any self respect when it comes to clothing attire disappears as you sleep in your underwear with your leecloth down, when possible, for some slight airflow; little is left to the imagination as you sleep gleaming with sweat like some dormant Magic Mike act ready to spring into action. At night it’s cooler and the preferred choice of clothing is topless with shorts to soak up as much of the cool as you can, at daybreak the clothes counter intuitively come out to cover any skin as the heat is too much, those who don’t are left lobster-like, strange formations cover shoulders and backs as futile attempts to apply sunblock leave obvious streaks across the skin and life jackets imprint their clawing white grasp semi-permanently across a red canvas.

Our entry to the doldrums this time round was grand as it could be. Our lovely trip up, sailing through calm seas and fair winds had come to a terrific readjustment as we rounded the virtual mark to head north. Before us in the near distance lay a grey-brown broccoli behemoth projecting broachability like an evil tarot card jumping out of the deck as you shuffle; we had no intention of being battered and dropped our kite quickly in good time before we could smell the rain; looking around us we noticed the four other yachts in our company had decided the same, we watched keenly as they each loosed their headsails which disappeared like sea anemones faced with the low tide sun. As we closed in we noticed the beginnings of a water spout reaching down from the sky towards Perseverance, and watched as it grew into a water throwing tornado, it painted the scene of an anime battle as shards of wet were thrown from the base of this great worm in the sky. We later heard over the radio that Perseverance ran from this battle and opted to turn the engine on and flee from this poked bear. We kept course and entered the unknown of the darkness ahead. The wind picked up instantly and Rick, Urgent, and I rushed forward through the stinging warm rain to the foredeck to receive the wildly irritated Yankee 1. Our first attempt to drop was dismissed swiftly by the now forty knots of wind, the obvious winner of this short tug of war contest. We re hoisted and Rick took the helm, turning into the wind allowing a quick drop to the deck as the power was removed; in doing so, however, our course was deviated and we lost precious ground. But, we were safe, tired but still happy as we rejoined amidst the downpour in the cockpit and began to shower with the new fresh water. Shower gel was shared and we crowded below the sail to take advantage of the pooling water inside the fold of our reef. UNICEF had the gaul to interrupt our bathing with a mayday call, momentarily creating a very serious mood on deck, but one that was thankfully cancelled swiftly after, just a misunderstanding from one of their crew.

We exited the squall after about an hour, eager now to see how the rest of the fleet faired, and whether we had lost any ground resulting from the mess of the storm. Lightning forked around us at this point, prompting an instrument shutdown to save the electrics. We had lost two places as a result of our slow Yankee downing but we were safe; on the other hand we had gained miles on the fleet behind us. It was time to switch back into race mode. Once we knew we were free from the random wind we returned to the foredeck to exchange our Yankee 1 for the storm ready Yankee 3. We went through an absolute beasting changing the sail, the evening glow offered a bright rainbow that dove into a dark moonless night as we took an hour to finish the effort. After the hoist we cheered out as we continued our drive forward.

The night came and went with calm seas that prompted the other watch to reverse our change in a much more civilised fashion and we finished our watch with a valiant gain on the boats ahead of us. We now sit comfortably in third position with sixth place over eight miles behind.

Will x