Scarlet Oyster - Re: ARC 2015 Day 7 All fizzling and bubbling !

A big thank you to our readers who sent their comments.

Firstly an EU representative wrote ( unofficially, no names, Stefan )
" It is great to see a cosmopolitan yacht doing so well, we are all cheering
you on. A bit of good news diverts attention from the mess Finland is in
with the Euro and your jobs, boys and girls are all being given to refugees,
sorry, asylum seekers. Just a slight carp you are needing to work harder on
your gender and ethnic mix which is not EU compliant, mandatory by next 1st
April 2016.'

Our second reader Dave asked for a more technical blog " Who wants to know
what that skinny little rat Al is doing re parties and fireworks ?"

Well, we were first over our start line right alongside a warship. Doing 8
knots. A few seconds later Volvo 65 'Team Brunel' with 20 crew passed
through at about 20 knots. Looking mighty fine Guys. But a bit hair raising
for the spectator yacht you just squeezed by!

The tactics. First do not enter the Gran Canaria wind shadow and park up.
Next a judicious crossing through the 100 mile deep Tenerife wind shadow.
Cut the corners if you dare ! The rhumb line on the race tracker is roughly
the shortest ( Great Circle ) route. Try and identify wind holes and nasty
weather further down the line and sail as fast as you can. We took it easy,
dead down wind with a poled out headsail ( Goosewing ) which gave us all the
chance to learn to drive, we work a minimum of three on deck through strong
breeze, overcast, brilliant sun and fluctuating wind. The waves are our
enemy, rolling in from our quarter, roll, pitch, plunge, screw, slam, roll,
pitch, corkscrew, flip.

Day 7 and Ross actually has slept. Now our humungous spinnakers are pressing
us West in light airs with a brilliant blue sky and white fluffy clouds. At
nightfall we are first blinded by the setting sun and then it is pitch
black, the wind howls, we ride a carpet of bubbling foam, only Ross can hope
to cope on the helm. Finally after what feels like hours swooping through
the pitch black a near full moon rises behind us and we can see again.

Yaw, heave " Grind, grind, GRINNDD " Rattle rattle, slide, swerve, rock and
roll. Tell a joke, eat chocolate, split apples with our bare hands. Go
below. Thank goodness. Flop into a bunk. Snore loudly. Some of us. Croatia
has applied to the Olympic Organising Ctee for snoring to be an Olympic
sport. Wake up. Laugh, we're having such fun. . " Hello Guys , fancy seeing
you here."

Repeat endlessly. Sorry, Dave, that wasn't very technical was it ?

Yours, Al