Hello everyone,
what a fantastic race so far, after the somehow frustrating beat to
land's end where the wind was just in between full mainsail and first
reef and saw me wasting time and energies taking and shaking reefs, 6 o
7 times it must have been. Once past land's end i cracked off just
enough to let the Beagle trot (she's a very clever dog) and that's where
this boat becomes paradise (yes you read right, on a beat). On windvane
she goes effortlessly at max speed and needs no attention at all, i
cooked my dinner, and did just about nothing. I wanted to sleep but i
was just .3 of a mile behind De Frenchman, closing in and on the same
course. At some point he put on a funky strobe mast light on which had
me wonder if it was him at all. I called on VHF and we had a brief chat
then went on to our things. After a while i was a bit higher and now
safe to go for a rest. I always complained about trouble in resting and
getting enough sleep. I didnt dare do more than half an hour slots but
i must have clocked in at least 4 or 5 hours! i feel refreshed and in
excellent mood today we have 45 miles to go, a couple of gas platforms
to avoid but it is a lovely white sails reach.
I dont know where the others are, i presume all ahead, with this wind
angle they must be flying. My ETA is about 6pm at present, perhaps a
little earlier if the wind holds angle and speed so I assume the like of
Mary and Graham will be in in time for lunch, or maybe they are there
already!!!
Anyhow, all good on British Beagle, looking forward to a beer tonight.
Ciao!
Marco.
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