| British Soldier:Longing for air support |
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Land's End and 254 NM to the finish. An unremarkable 24hrs, sailing a very steady course in a very steady breeze. With only 8 knots of breeze, it couldn't be from a better direction to give us the best possible speed on a close reach. We're averaging over 7 knots with a flat sea and good visibility, pretty undemanding for a change. This seems to be the longest 'final approach' of any race, with the crew into all those psychological habits like collecting all their bits and pieces together, tidying up the boat etc - and there's still 2 days of racing to go. Talk is of full English breakfasts and long hot showers - so what's wrong with a nutrigrain bar and a bucket of sea-water on the stern? With luck and the breeze holding up, the router suggests a finish around 0600hrsA (GMT+1) on Friday. The Royal Navy are keen to come out and meet us with a helicopter high-line drop of some Cornish Pasties and a stiff gin, but since that would probably constitute 'outside assistance' and be against race rules we've had to decline the generous offer. Sightings of 6 large whales and an abundance of dolphins, plus one oil tanker. And just now a large racing yacht is on the horizon off our starboard beam. No idea who she is or if she's even racing, but its good to see some company. |
