29.12.2007
Please find the latest on Temenos below in the Barcelona World Race. Also, as
forecast, Francis Joyon passed Cape Horn last night on his solo round the world
record attempt and is currently an amazing 9 days 11 hours ahead of Ellen's
time.
Regards Kate
The New Zealand pit-stop for Temenos II takes shape
This latest gale has been beneficial in enabling Temenos II to close on
Wellington at high speed. For the first time the New Zealand pit-stop is really
taking shape for Michèle and Dominique. As forecast in the weather models,
little by little the wind is dropping off on zone, but the seas, which have been
manhandling the duo since the arrival of the front, reindex big as Michèle
confirms in her daily message.
"The past 24 hours in the company of the front have been hard, sailing on a
reach overly close to the wind in very big, confused seas. In these conditions
the boat goes fast but it’s laborious. Our bodies are really being put to the
test. This pace is tiring and even sleeping in the bunk has become tough. You
wake up almost fatigued by this chunk of 'bouncing, grating sleep".
Everything becomes difficult, including the insignificant day to day things. For
example filling a coffee mug is unthinkable, hot meals have been transformed
into energy bars and we’re avoiding undressing to go to sleep in case we’re
thrown violently across the boat. The energy you’d expend in doing this just
wouldn’t be worth it in any case.
One consolation is that at least the average speed has increased and with around
600 miles to go to Wellington, the pit-stop in New Zealand means something
concrete to me for the first time.
Temenos II has passed through this gale superbly well. We have reindexed prudent,
taking care of our ‘rusty’ appendage over the past days. It's not easy to find a
happy medium, not too much, not too little, but after all these miles together
the boat lets us know when it's at ease.
We had more than 20 knots this morning and we still have a few light, furtive
gusts, but there are short, big seas, which will doubtless take more time to
calm down than the wind. The boat is still being really tossed about and us with
it! We should make South Island on the back of the easing front, before falling
into light conditions, which will accompany us as far as the entry into the Cook
Straits.
We’ve put the active-echo on again and for the time being it's staying mute, but
our proximity to land announces the likely presence of shipping. We'll have to
remember not just to look up at the trimming of the sails or the birds, but also
ahead of us! It’s incredible to sail for days on end without seeing anything,
surfing at crazy speeds, without worrying too much about looking ahead of the
boat, except in the ice zones of course…
We're still being shaken about a lot here and I must have pressed all the keys
on my keyboard at some point (not always voluntarily!) I thank the lovely soul
who will have corrected all these typing errors and who, I hope will make my
text comprehensible…
See you soon
Michèle"
Kate Jennings
Expression.
P.O. Box 26,
Dartmouth,
DEVON.
TQ6 0YG
United Kingdom
+44 (0)7795 116699
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