Hello chums.
Firstly I have to apologise for my disgraceful lack of blogs during the first leg, I have a long list of excuses the best of which are, Tommy dropping and smashing the crew e-mail computer, not wanting to get in the way of high pressure navigational decisions by hogging the nav station computers. The general stress, and hardship of life on board drying up the creative juices. And finally realising that I am actually a sailor and not Oscar Wilde.
I am now in Cape Town, the boat is in a million pieces and not at all looking like we are going to start Leg 2 to India in just over a week. We of course are going to be ready and in much better shape then when we arrived! The race down from Spain really had a bit of everything and exposed many things for the boat and crew to improve on, what the results have highlighted is how well we have spent the short time we have had since the team has been came together at the end of the summer. I had the usual dramas to contend with on the leg, mostly my body turning into a general plague zone, anyone who has seen the film ‘Planet Terror’ will have some idea of what ocean sailing can do to your body, sweat, heat, salt water, and a general lack of hygiene don’t mix (...well they do mix, just with pretty gross consequences). You know when you watch riots on the news and there is the big line of riot police all kitted up with helmets, shields and batons looking menacing, and a of course a crowd of angry protesters. If you look closely there is always one bloke who thinks he can charge the police and take them on with a roar of COME ON THEN! Ploughing headlong into imminent catastrophe. This sums up the mentality of the Green Dragon in big breeze, she just loves picking up as much speed as possible, 35+ knots then smashing as hard as she can into the biggest nastiest wave in that particular part of the ocean, (once resulting in us having both rudders out the water and the boat standing on her nose). I have never been scared on a yacht until this leg, but when you pick your self up from the cockpit floor and realize that you are still alive it is the best most exciting feeling ever. I strongly recommend it!
We are all so pleased with the results and more so of all the support that we have been receiving from not only Ireland but all over the world. It makes such a difference when Ian comes on deck having just got an email explaining that people are following the boat and sending messages of support, it really lifts the whole crew.
Its bed time for me now had a long day servicing winches.
speak soon
be good
f.
