The race
in brief

Some rather good news this morning. We were able to hoist our first big headsail during the night, the code 0 to be precise. The wind came around and we were able to adopt a route that was no longer upwind as it has been for 9 days. The speeds benefit from that and at times we have practically doubled our speed. In the past hour, we had an average of almost 20 knots with the boat flat on the water, sailing quickly. The keel is whistling, which is an indicator of the speed. The routing looks good, as we should finish in less than four days, so on Monday night or at worst, Tuesday morning in Martinique. I think there is still the possibility of catching most of the pack with their southern option. Not the leaders, of course, but at least the second group. That would be fantastic, seeing we set sail 36 hours after them. 

We were stuck in a calm for most of the night with the sails flapping. It wasn’t forecast.  It was demoralizing, but we remain determined. It’s not over until the finish line is crossed. We had a chat with Amarris (Nebout / Mahé) over the VHF, which was nice. Yesterday was surprising. We were upwind although in theory in the trade winds. It took two or three fronts to get there and now we have two more than the other racers who are enjoying themselves in the South. Our routing indicates that we still have an advantage over the pack in the South. But if we lose ten hours or so in one of the hurdles left to jump over, it doesn’t look so good. We’d like to catch Xavier (Macaire) and Pierre (Leboucher), the other crazy guys who headed for the tough northern face. Today, the wind is likely to strengthen considerably and we should start sailing downwind, allowing us to try to reach peak speeds in excess of twenty knots. 

Some rather good news this morning. We were able to hoist our first big headsail during the night, the code 0 to be precise. The wind came around and we were able to adopt a route that was no longer upwind as it has been for 9 days. The speeds benefit from that and at times we have practically doubled our speed. In the past hour, we had an average of almost 20 knots with the boat flat on the water, sailing quickly. The keel is whistling, which is an indicator of the speed. The routing looks good, as we should finish in less than four days, so on Monday night or at worst, Tuesday morning in Martinique. I think there is still the possibility of catching most of the pack with their southern option. Not the leaders, of course, but at least the second group. That would be fantastic, seeing we set sail 36 hours after them. 

The finish wasn’t as rough as the start! It’s nice to arrive early in the morning. It was a discovery for both of us and on boats like this, it was an incredible race. Apart from the technical aspect, it was an opportunity to get to know each other and become friends. When we were in the squalls, that’s when you have to remain focused. It’s different from a monohull. You want to stay in the race and yet obtain a high level of performance. We kept at it throughout. In the Bay of Biscay, it was rough. Downwind in the trade winds, you are fast and so we could only relax this morning at the finish. It was nice to be at sea, see the sun rise. Everything suddenly changes 5 minutes out from the finish, because you are surrounded by other boats. It’s suddenly back to civilisation. The welcome here is really special, a real island atmosphere.

It’s not going too badly today on our little boat. We get the impression that we’re learning something new each day. Yesterday, we tore our big gennaker. Alan (Roberts) had to climb along the stay to try to repair that and it seems to be holding. We’re going to need it until the finish in theory. 
Today, it’s hot inside the boat and it’s more like the real trade winds. We had squalls this morning, but there aren’t any clouds now and there’s 20-22-23 knots of wind. At the helm, we’re bouncing up and down a bit and it’s like a Turkish bath in there. We’re pleased to be where we are. As keen racers, we would have liked to have stuck with those ahead, but we’re doing what we can with what we have.

We’re in a group of boats that have chosen to head south. We got slowed down with the trade winds being shut off when a front came down from the North. We were well positioned in our little group, but now have been caught by those behind us, which is a bit frustrating. We weren’t expecting the wind to back either. 

A lot can still happen. We’re still well-positioned for the major wind shift ahead, when the wind is expected to veer. We’re keeping to short watches to try to get the most out of the boat. That extra tenth of a knot. The end of the race looks uncertain with the wind being absent, which could well lead to the gaps narrowing in the fleet. It’s very motivating to have boats so close to us.

Living in such a tiny space isn’t easy for two people, so that’s why we try to take care of each other. As in a couple, you have to think of the other person. We get on well together in any case.

Sailing double-handed is for me half-time solo sailing. For two hours, we are alone in charge of the boat. We only wake the other person up for manoeuvres. Apart from that, we deal with it all alone. We get together to discuss our strategy twice a day at seven in the morning and evening.

During my two hours off, we decide what we will do - sleep or eat or read. A 90-minute or two hour rest is luxury in comparison to life aboard a Figaro. So you could say we’re pretty well off.

We had a scare half an hour ago, as we lost our satellite dish connection. So I’ve been busy repairing the connection. It was right at the end of the tunnel inside the boat, so I had to stack stuff. In the end, it was just a simple cable that had become loose.

We’re feeling some stress, because we went for an option with the wind veering further West, but the wind isn’t as forecast. The change in direction should happen at some point.  We’ll see in the next 24 hours.

Things are looking good for the two Jujus (Justine Mettraux et Julien Villion). It still looks like they will cross in front of us. There’s going to be a lot of suspense for the finish. 

The trade winds have been more unstable since this morning and we have a few wind shifts to deal with, a move to find areas with a little more wind, but nothing complicated. We do a couple of gybes a day and have to be trimming all the time. Completely different from the skippers to the North, as they face a tricky sea state and have sail changes, so must be getting exhausted. It is hard too for their boats. We have seen that in the North, some boats have had technical problems. With our boats, we don’t really like entering such conditions. We have a new boat that hasn’t been tried and tested. The older boats that are reliable, like the former Charal, Teamwork, can withstand better that sort of option.

Since the Canaries, we have noted that we are a bit behind in terms of speed in comparison to For People. We have done a lot of work on trimming and adjustments and after five days in the trade winds, we feel more at ease now.