CoCo / ARC – Day 2

26/11/14 12:00 UTC
DIST SAILED: 315 nm
DIST TOGO: 2350 nm
PRESENT SET: SPINN

A slower 24 hrs than previous. We kept the spinnaker up until 23:00 hrs last night to try to compensate for a calm afternoon and night. Our original plan to get into night mode at 20:00 was waived, and today we have made some adjustments to the watch system to cater for longer periods of racing mode, and at the same time ensure a more (or less) stable rest pattern. We sail and we learn.

Through the night, despite a lack of pressure, a favourable wind angle gave us the opportunity to position ourselves a bit further south, based on new devevelopments in the weather. Small things in a big picture, but to evaluate, discuss and act on such issues keeps us all focused, and it’s fun!

This morning saw more wind. The spinnaker is still up, and with Henrik at the helm we logged 13.5 knots in a great surf on a decent atlantic wave. So far the voyage record. As our first in class position slipped this morning, everyone is eager to fight.

(Before the above sentence was completed the writer was interrupted by a call for all hands on deck. The wind went to 25 kn with a sharpening angle and it was safest to take the spinnaker down.)

Even without the spinnaker CoCo is making good progress, and we now have planty of spare hands to prepare lunch.