News Archive
To: Duty Officer
Subject: NEW CARDS
Rounding the Horn yesterday was an amazing experience. I have never been speeding so fast into the rounding before. It really lived up to the reputation. Big swell and lots of breeze. On top of that sunshine. One hour later and we are sailing in flat water and 10 knots of wind, and the whole last week feels like a mad dream. The wild jumps with the boat at night, followed by the crazy feeling of just falling and falling and falling deeper into the next wave…..while you swallow litres of salt water, watching the boat speed in the high 30’s and at times even completely losing the steering as Brasil 1 tried to get loose and fly uncontrolled. Am I going mad? Probably, but apparently it happened, and we made it through.
I will never forget the moment I was driving in darkness a bit scared as we were struggling to control the boat down the surfs, Marcel Van Trieste sticks his head out through the hatch yelling that Movistar is sinking!
Shit! This is bad. I thought of the guys I know there and then about us.
How far are we from a disaster? A few minutes later Marcel’s head is in the hatch again: We are the closest and they need assistance! Get ready for rescuing! Then a very quick brainstorming on how to gybe a VO70 in big waves and gusting 40 as quick as possible. Thank god they quickly fixed the leak…..Well again, some minutes I will never forget.
Right now we are just outside the Falkland Islands. The fleet is parked as we steer towards to no-wind zone. Three times I have been here before and three times the leg has been decided right here. Sometimes it has been good for us, sometimes a disaster. It is very hard, even today, to predict the local effect in a high pressure ridge. Even if it looks okay to cross in the grib file, the reality can be very different. Although both 4 and 8 knots of wind is light air. 8 is twice as much, and Brasil 1 will be more than twice as fast. In other words, whomever finds the breeze to bring the boat to the new wind filling in from north first, will have en edge on the others. But then again there are other parking lots waiting for us further north, so this is not over until the old lady stops……
We are all pretty tired onboard. Part of it as a reaction to the stress in the South finally being over, and then few would go to bed during the rounding yesterday. We spent last night doing a bit of housework, cleaning out the boat inside, although this evening it is full of oil again. We know it is going to be a very tough fight now, and we are very keen on winning it. But it’s not easy. You don’t necessarily need to be lucky in this game, but for sure you don’t need bad luck, and when the opportunities to gain are there, we are going to grab them and fight for them. Hoping to see some pirates soon. Lots of kelp around the keel doesn’t really do it. We have already stopped the boat and backed off twice now to get lots of kelp of the keel. I certainly hope the others have similar problems.
Need to go now and catch an hour's sleep before next watch. Rio is under week away, but for sure there are other ways of getting there which are much easier than the one we have in front of us. Wish us the best – we need it!
Knut Frostad
News Archive