07.07.2011
Blog From The Seas
From: Ken Read, Skipper PUMA's Mar Mostro
Date: July 7, 2011: Transatlantic Race 2011
Quite a moist race thus far. And, I mean moist in more than ways than
one…rain, fog, waves crashing over the deck. It makes for a moist boat,
and all of the cold adds to a problem with condensation dripping
everywhere. Sound glamorous?
There are a few up sides though. First of all, we are hauling ass. We are
already done with half of an Atlantic crossing and it seems like we just
started. Tactically, there hasn’t been much in it so far, and it’s kind of
a flat-out boat speed contest. With conditions that really suit our boat,
there is already talk on board that maybe we should have done a couple
easy things to improve our IRC rating...ahhh hindsight is a beautiful
thing.
I forgot to introduce our special guest on board in my first note. Hakan
Svensson, the CEO of BERG Propulsion, is with us on his first Atlantic
crossing. He’s a very good guy, and a friend, not just a sponsor. It has
been priceless to see his face at times during this trip. As we careen
down the waves going 30 knots, and you see a wall of water about to crash
over the deck, at first Hakan's eyes would get pretty big. Below, he is
sleeping in a make-shift bunk, and when big waves hit, or major squealing
or creaking noises came from the winches, he would pop his head up quickly
and say "Is that normal?"
"I'm afraid it is," I would return, trying to give him a bit of peace with
a friendly smile. I don't think he bought it at first. Now, after only a
few days, he is turning into a speed junkie like the rest of us, wanting
to hear those horrible noises as they mean we are going fast. He is
becoming a Volvo sailor. Be careful Hakan!
A strange thing noticed by most of the crew moving the gear around down
below was that Hakan’s personal gear bag was REALLY heavy. Nobody wanted
to say anything, and we just let it go. A short while ago, we found out
why. He presented the crew with a "half way there" gift of smoked sausages
that are terrific. I'm not what you would call a smoked sausage guy. But,
in contrast with freeze dried meals, anything tastes good, and those
sausages certainly made the crew forget the fact that his gear weighed
about 50 lbs!
The fast portion of the trip has less than 24 hours to go, then we jibe
and head for England. No sun yet and not much in the forecast. Oh well. If
it’s fast, don't complain.
-- Kenny
For more photos and updates, visit: www.puma.com/sailing
Track PUMA’s Mar Mostro in the Transatlantic Race 2011 at:
www.transatlanticrace.org
Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PumaOceanRacing
|
