Very, very scary. This is one way to describe last night's sleigh ride down past the north-west coast of Spain. Whilst most of the rest of the fleet appeared to have headed further west, we made south in search of the stronger winds off Finisterre which skipper David has encountered on numerous occasions when sailing in the opposite direction - towards home - with his wife Kate.
We certainly found them. Or perhaps I should say they found us... and we got more than we bargained for. Designed to take up to around 12 knots of apparent wind, the 1.5oz kite suddenly had to contend with over 18 knots. First we had to gybe the kite, and in the rolling seas the boom crashed back and forth over our heads while it was centered. Later the wind strengthened again and and we pitched and rolled ever faster through the gloom. The moon made a hasty exit, to be replaced by ominous clouds, and on deck we felt as if we had been plonked aboard a highly-strung, out-of-control horse and told to gallop blindfold downhill with no reins.
Those in their bunks tightened their lee cloths and offered up silent thanks that they were down below in relative safety. Some clinging to sleep even slammed shut the forward watertight bulkhead door to drown out our shouts (this later raised a smile!) In the snakepit we tried desperately to continue to think logically and swap and change seven urgently-required ropes between the three winches whilst receiving barked (and inevitably different!) instructions simultaneously from bow and helm. The latter meanwhile was managing to oversee the whole operation whilst narrowly avoiding a nasty broach which would have seen us over on our ear and risking boom and crew. Hearts pounding, ropes everywhere, pouring sweat and with a few bruises to show for it, we just about managed the situation and emerged shaken but not hurt, the only losses being an expensive spinnaker sheet and an irritating number of mugs overboard.
On the plus side, it looks like our wind hunt has paid off. At least we have our fingers crossed that this is the case. At 22.00 GMT it appeared (and the position reports came in very sketchily over the VHF) that we had widened the gap between ourselves and those behind us.
Unfortunately it does not seem that we managed to make up ground on Spirit of Sark at all. No doubt the imminent position reports at 11.00 local time will shed more light on the
matter. Meanwhile we continue the merry-go-round. Having spent most of the early hours with our headsails poled out (or 'goosewinging'), we are now 100 miles off the Portuguese coast and back to flanker (a heavier spinnaker) and
enjoying the ride.
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