Elisa's Journey - Sailing the South Atlantic

For those following our constant efforts to catch up with the fleet, I can attest the mood of the crew does not reflect our position. The winning attitude of the individuals on board has emerged more than ever on Leg 2.

We’ve experienced some of the best sailing and boat speeds of the race over the past two days. It has been thoroughly enjoyable seeing our eagle surf down waves and perform in optimum downwind conditions.

We were a bit on the edge the other night with gusts up to 45 knots – two reefs were needed to reduce the size of our main sail. Currently we’ve settled in the 30 knot range for some spectacular sailing. The weather system underneath us is moving along at just the right speed to keep us going.

Last night I returned on deck after 24 hours on mother watch – keeping the crew well fed and watered. I hoped the homemade bread made up for the “hot dogs in a can” that went with it!

During mother watch, the winds built up to over 40 knots. It was tricky for making tea, but fantastic for getting the boat moving after our period of light winds. I timed my movements with the rolling of the sea, trying not to spill our dinner on hungry crew members.

I very much wanted to be up on deck racing, but keeping the crew well nourished is just as important and part of the experience. My time would come…

When 9 pm rolled around, I was ready to go up and take the helm. I got the first hour since I had just returned from mother watch. It was pitch dark with gusts of 45 knots behind me. Going by feel of the boat’s movement, and compass bearing, I navigated my way up and down the invisible waves. You could feel the boat speeding up by the sound of water rushing past the hull.

Sailing at night brings your sense of speed to a whole new level. It was exhilarating!

Things only got better from here. I just finished one of the most exciting watches of Leg 2 a few minutes ago. The sails were set for a downwind run, with the Yankee # 2 poled out to catch the wind. After a full day of strong winds, the swell and waves were building. I achieved a personal best while helming down a wave. All you could see was the spray of white water as the bow cut through the waves – 18.9 knots of boat speed was the result, with dolphins adding to the scene!

Our watch cheered each other on as we felt a good surf coming on, and agreed it was a watch to go down in the books. Team spirit at its best.

Returning to our warm, cozy living quarters after watch, I reflected on the events of the day. Moving at top speeds across the swells of the South Atlantic has an awe inspiring effect – how lucky we all are to be sharing this experience!