Since the onset of the easter holidays I have been out on "bluQube" everyday. The dissertation put to one side (for now) to focus on boosting confidence and getting back into the groove onboard.
I've been sailing with my human autopilot come double handed co skipper Hannah Jenner, world circumnavigation extraordinare. Having someone sit and watch every procedue and manoevere has been invaluable, as hints or adjustments can be made to my old procedures to make them more efficient or maybe even easier!
Its also a perfect opportunity to test out the sail wardrobe in a variety of conditions, and I'm taking the opportunity to draw up the polars for the boat in all the conditions we've faced. This will leave us with a wealth of information for the coming season. I've also increased the effiecieny of my reefing to the point that it can be done in less that 3 minutes.
Already this year the boat seems faster and better tuned and i'm feeling very comfortable onboard. In my own opinion sea miles is the key in the run up to the OSTAR, and preferably a variety of conditions so you are not left with any nasty suprises. So far we've had 0 to 27 knots.
I've met a few people recently who have competed in the OSTAR in recent years. One said that it was the best race in the world and I would tough it out but ultimately I would love it. The other called me crazy and said it would be the worse times of my life. I guess its just going to be a case of getting out there and finding out what its all about!
The weekend coming up is a busy one, combined with my trip to the US Embassy on the Friday, the RIOW solo , and the Sunday sees a few OSTAR competitors joining to learn from top sailing meteorologist, Chris Tibbs. With less than two months remaining until dissertation hand in, and of course, the OSTAR, and the list of things to buy gets bigger rather than shorted, the next few weeks are going to be full on.
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