A quick shout out to all the competitors and their persistence and ingenuity to overcome the many issues we experience being offshore. We all have issues, things don't work as designed or not up to the challenge of being offshore or what the sea has to throw at us. I imagine the crew of Aegir will be the fitest of all of us on the dock, doing all that water making/pumping across the Atlantic. Kudos to you guys, well done. The crew on Pata Negra for overcoming the electrical issues. No doubt others have had issues and been able to press through them. Excited to share a beer together on the dock, this group of Transatlantic Racers is a very special group of sailors and honored to be part of it.
We have a few more days of wind as we arch towards the UK. Have been having satellite communications issues, was able to resolve one of them today, will continue to chip at it and hopefully be going into the English channel with a full deck. If not, may resort to hoisting an iphone up the mast in a ziplock bag in hopes of getting a 3G signal.
Crew is in a groove and mentally getting geared up for the channel and lack of wind that we will face. Spirits are high.
Food stores are starting to also show their relenting to the humid and wet environment. The wonder bread ( which was bought not for its nutritional value but its ability to resist mold ) has begun to show signs it too can't hold up to the environment. The cabin is starting to be more and more a science experiment than proper living quarters. Should have brought some twinkies to see if they could hold up to the harsh environment. Do they make those still?
Chili Rice on the menu this evening, was a crowd pleaser last go around.
Hiro Maru out.
Aloha Race Fans.
We have been riding the 15-25kt winds up the great circle route, gearing up and down as appropriate. Life on board is good as we have been given glimpses of whales, dolphins and some fish who have found themselves on our deck.
Temperatures have dropped as we have moved off the Gulf Stream. Fog is the norm, so visibility has been somewhat limited at times. Below decks there seems to be more space as food stores are being consumed. The crew have developed a "dryness" rating scale given this has been a challenge since day one. While the gradients of dryness have slowly evolved, so too has the mold in my foulies. They have not properly dried since day 1, so now they are becoming a breading ground for mold cultures. Great.
I was spoiled last time I did this race on "Lady B". She had a generator room where one could hang their foulies between watches. Nice, toasty and dry foulies, what a luxury.
I have to admit the water coming out of the water maker is pretty darn good tasting. Have to add some sports drink to it, as the water maker essentially strips out all the minerals etc. Hiro said he filled the tanks while motoring up Long Island sound and making water. Hmmmm. Didn't think much of Long Island Sound water, but it was good.
Have been looking very closely at the weather and tempted to perform some rituals on the foredeck, offering spam to the gods in hopes that high pressure can open a doorway for us to pass through without hindrance. Ceremonies will be begin tomorrow at noon, for those wishing to join.
Today's extracurricular activities included seeing if we could repair our code zero. We kind of knew it was a goner, but thought we should look at it, as we may want to have it in the low winds off the UK. We don't have an infinite sail repair tape, we decided to put her back in the bag let the loft fix her up. Darn.
Fajita's for dinner this evening hit the spot. Hiro has squirreled away food in every corner of the boat, so each day like your birthday, being presented with more M&M's or fruit juice, or last years left over Halloween candy.
Satellite communications has been challenging, intermittent and always slow. Envious of the guys with broadband, feels like we are still using the old acoustic coupler modems.
Oh, geez almost forgot. Emily, Happy Birthday from Krissy.
Hiro Maru out.