Elisa's Journey - Drag Race to Rio

We had a successful upwind sailing period after our equator crossing, working hard to secure second place in the fleet.

Just when we thought we escaped the light winds of “The Doldrums”, Cape Breton Clipper managed to get stuck in a wind hole – that didn’t appear on the weather charts! After several hours of working our way back into the winds, it was disheartening to see the reports. A lot of ground was lost, and we were now sitting in fourth place instead of second. Spirit of Australia was ahead by 20 miles, and Jamaica had just closed in.

The pressure was on in our fight for a podium finish. Last night, our course converged with Jamaica, and we popped out just ahead of them! Back in the game, it has been a drag race between us and Jamaica for the past 12 hours. Our courses diverged, and we are no longer in sight of each other. We’ll have to wait for the fleet update to see if we pulled ahead to third place. Of course, the distance to Rio doesn’t always mean as much as the course chosen to get there…

The mood on board is more serious than usual as we close in on the last few hundred miles of Leg 1. Every move we make counts at this point, and we’re trying to maximize the skills learned in the last few weeks. Of course we’re still enjoying the benefits of life on the water – sunrises, shooting stars, dolphins, and plenty of sunshine – but our focus on the race is at an all time high.

I’m noticing my competitive side emerging more than ever as we get closer to the finish, particularly when Jamaica was in plain sight! Although I’ll strive to do my personal best, it’s how we work together as a team that will make it count. And perhaps some good winds to boost us along!

It’s hard to believe we’ve been at sea for 24 days – I had to ask someone what day we left La Rochelle. You can easily lose track of time out here, especially when you wake up and go to sleep four times per day. As my full focus is placed on racing at the moment, I’m looking forward to reflecting on the experience as we arrive in Brazil. It still seems surreal that South America is just west of us! Stay tuned – the next couple days should hold some interesting race developments!