It is funny to be living on board a different boat after so many miles travelled alone on my Roxy boat, but the change is nice and it is great to learn how to get the most out of Aviva in this "sprint" around the British Isles. It is also nice to be sailing as part of an efficient team, and Dee seems very happy to share her boat with us! We have been working very hard since the start, as predicted the wind has changed non-stop, so we have been full-on with helming, trimming and sailchanges. We have had the whole sail wardrobe up (and down) several times already. The longest rest any one of us has managed is 45 minutes and my muscles are starting to ache from the physical effort.
At the moment, Dee is at the helm, Alex trimming and Miranda is snatching a ten-minute cat-nap whilst I hog the chart table. The wind is light and we are behind the record pace, but this is expected. We are making the most of this temporary respite as the wind is forecast to build over the next 24h to gale force and we will be running fast towards the Shetlands. The crew share the same habit of tea-drinking and the flapjacks today have been a great treat. We are all trying to decide the clothing call for the next 24h which could be wet and uncomfortable: fleeces, drysuit tops and ski-masks... A big hot meal is planned in the next few hours, I have decided that mine will be spaghetti bolognaise (freeze-dried of course!) Despite the continuous hard work to keep boatspeed maximum, we have managed to have a great gossip amongst girlfriends. The subjects of conversation, of course, stay confidential to the crew! There has been a fair amount of singing (not all in tune) and laughing going on!!! A little last thought to our fifth crew-member - Isabelle Joschke - who could not come this week as she is racing Synergy (her Figaro) in the Quiberon Solo. We miss her and we really hope that she has had a good first day on the water.
More news soon.....
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