A line of wind was visible as we progressed along the Atlantic coast of South Africa. Amazingly enough, Finland caught the first edge of it from only a quarter mile away. We moved along slowly and waited to reach the line of wind – it looked so close yet so far away!
Once we got there we quickly progressed to one reef, two reefs, and finally three reefs to keep the boat under control (Note - a reef means to make the main sail smaller so it does not get overpowered in windy conditions, it keeps the boat from heeling over too far). We went from our biggest sails to our smallest in a matter of a couple hours.
We were beating into the windiest upwind weather of the race thus far, even more so than out of Rio. Wind speeds were upwards of 30 knots, with gusts to 40 knots. The seas were also bigger as we neared one of the world’s great capes – The Cape of Good Hope. Keeping good speeds, we worked our way up to second place with only a few miles from first. In fact, we could see Spirit of Australia, our first place competitor, for quite a while last night. Our course set us south of the fleet, hoping to catch the approaching weather system.
As the sun set on our first night at sea, we pushed straight into 35 knots of breeze. Helming through the waves carefully, even our smallest sails felt quite powerful. After a wonderful week relaxing in Cape Town, the change in environment was a shock for most, especially the first two days.
A few didn’t emerge from their bunks until day two. Others felt under the weather but dragged themselves up on deck. Even people who are usually not sick felt unwell for the first couple days.
My personal experience mostly involves “contracting” of the stomach and low energy levels. I am lucky to avoid seasickness, but have trouble eating more than small amounts of food for the first couple days of rough upwind sailing. I force myself to eat, but most of the time I feel like there is a rock in my stomach, leaving no room for food. When I lie down in my bunk and relax it settles down.
With the stomach muscles being so tightened up, the breathing becomes shallow, and energy levels drop. At the same time, high energy is required to move around the deck and complete sail changes. I suppose it is a form of survival mode until the body adapts to the conditions. Motivations from those around you help you carry on.
The other night, I was so tired and trying to drag myself up for watch. I had only slept maybe 4 hours out of the past 24. I hadn’t eaten much. Someone mentioned Spirit of Australia was in sight. I rolled out of my warm bunk and got into my already wet foul weather gear. It seemed to require a lot of energy just to get dressed. I wondered how I would last 4 hours on deck, especially if we had to do a sail change.
Once, I got on the helm, and started chasing them down, I seemed to recover my energy – the motivation to gain miles on them kept me going. Plus fellow crew Jim saying, “Whose boat is this anyway – go get’em!” A bit of cheering on never hurts!
Now heading into our third day at sea, I am starting to eat reasonably sized meals again and regaining energy. The other crew seem to be coming alive as well. Winds have lightened up to 20 knots or so, and we await the arrival of the first low pressure system of the trip. We are working hard to stay in front of the fleet and keep up the mileage.
So far, it has been more challenging than the last 2 Legs – just what I was hoping for. Let’s keep this momentum going and prepare for the big seas of the Southern Ocean!
On a personal note, I’d like to congratulate my sister Alanna and her husband Dave on the birth of their second little girl! I wish I could be there, and can’t wait to phone and see pictures when I arrive in Australia. Miss you guys!
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