GryphonSolo2: Globe40 Leg 7 upgrade
by Joe Harris, GryphonSolo2 11 Feb 17:07 EST
GryphonSolo2 © Martin Gunter / Instituto Fueguino De Tourismo
We are on Day 6 of Leg 7 of the Globe 40 RTW race headed from Recife, Brazil to the Caribbean Island of Grenada. I am remiss in not composing earlier however I admit it is so hot down listed below that I have actually not had the ability to require myself to sit at the computer system and type!
I will admit that I do not succeed in the heat – my body temperature tends to run a little hot, which is excellent for snowboarding in New England in the winter season however not so excellent for cruising past the Equator, which we just recently did! So I look for shade like a lizard from the extreme sunshine and eagerly anticipate the night when the sun decreases. We have actually been cruising primarily downwind this leg which is a welcome modification from previous legs and has actually permitted us to utilize our complete downwind sail stock of huge A2 spinnaker, somewhat smaller sized A3 masthead gennaker and smaller sized A5 fractional all-purpose sail. The A5 is the sail we exploded beyond repair work last Leg however rapidly had a brand-new one made and I chose it up when I went home over Christmas and brought it back to Ushuia.
We are power-reaching at the minute in wind speed of 18-21k, boatspeed of 10-12k and a True Wind Angle of about 100′, which suggests it is really quick however likewise really damp as we crash through the waves and spray is tossed back over us in the cockpit. Down listed below, it is a rough flight and fortunately we have 2 fans pointed at the bunk so sleeping is excusable, even in the heat. Roger and I are on our typical “3 hours on, 3 hours off” watch regimen, with a reasonable little overlap to collaborate on sail modifications. We both download Grib weather condition files and do the routing, where we have actually chosen a more northern course than our 3 rivals which is not looking excellent at the existing minute however we are hoping may pay dividends down the roadway with a much better cruising angle as we approach Grenada.
The heat has actually suppressed my hunger however Roger is his typical starved self! Lots of salami and cheese on crackers, perhaps some peanut butter and naturally, the freeze dried suppers. It ain’t too glam, however we are enduring. We are both eagerly anticipating the Grenada stop as our households will be going to and we are likewise eagerly anticipating concluding the Globe 40 after the 8th Leg from Grenada to Lorient, France. We ought to arrive in mid-March, which will be really cold in the Bay of Biscay (very same temperatures as New England in March). A research study in extremes.
So we eagerly anticipate completing in about 4 days- targeting Wednesday, Feb. 15- as we are now less than 1,000 miles out with strong winds on the beam projection, so we ought to have the ability to do 250 miles a day with a 10k typical boatspeed.
Go GS2!
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