The sport of sailing is like no other – world famous sailors compete with and against passionate corinthian sailors.

Today we ran through the light air combinations, as the race looks like a light wind, not trade wind, challenge. Settings tested for these conditions, and data gathered to work out our optimum route and sail selection. An early tune up with another Cookson 50 helped see the effect of these changes – all positive. New rudder working well.

So we’ve come to the end of our preparation, training, coaching, and boat building, and thanks to the incredible professionals on the boat, the amateurs (muppets) have now been upgraded to muppet plus. This exercise has probably been more of a challenge than their various round the world yacht races or olympic campaigns. Anyway we’re a cohesive crew and all ready for the challenge of racing round these island and the odd active volcano – start is tomorrow morning.

Success! After a night in a vacuum bag, the carbon had cured ok. Next up was fairing at dawn! This involved smearing filler all over the carbon, letting it set, then sanding it off leaving the filler now on the boatyard team. It was suggested just to cover the team in filler and bypass the rudder, but there were unamused looks.
Rudder reinstalled and afloat by 2pm, and out to sea by 2:15 for an afternoon of preparation in the now lighter winds. Two chutes and a jib were tested, plus instruments recalibrated in the smoother seas. Plenty of jobs ticked off. Provisions mainly loaded – so with a day to spare, we’re pretty well set for racing.

Crew party tonight and then full day on the water Sunday ahead of Monday start.

Great work by the crew in the boatyard today – shaping, laminating, heating, vacuum bagging, and other esoteric tasks to do with sticking carbon fiber to the rudder and remaking the tip. Tomorrow a bit of fairing and then back we go in the water. A challenge to overcome for sure, but overcome none the less.

Meanwhile others were working on their projects, including the big shop for provisions (we already had the dehydrated meals, this was the snacks, fruit, perishables, etc).

The day ended with a well earned swim, some went to see the sunset from Shirley Heights, and now all waiting for pasta Friday in the main house.

After Sandy was given the keys to the North Sails van, the day went a bit downhill. Tristan diving on the boat to clean the bottom noticed that the tip of the rudder was missing – eaten by a passing shark; torn off with all the recent boatspeed; or like sailors everywhere, just buggered off to the nearest bar. Anyway our 9′ rudder was now a 7′ rudder, and apparently the drivers needed those extra inches, as Sean said, “ever inch counts”. They didn’t however notice that the rudder had shortened itself whilst driving around the ocean. Go figure.

So boat hauled, rudder out (we’re very good at this now), and calls made to source carbon fiber in Antigua or on yachts. The boatyard workers and crew got to work and the plan is that the new, improved rudder will be ready for a launch Sunday morning and a final day of training/testing. Fortunately we have had plenty of time on the water so far, so just a schedule change for the rest of the week.

Meantime the head has been replumbed and raised, the watermaker serviced, and the food packed – not by the same person! Safety briefing Saturday and a walkthrough of the race course/weather/etc., followed by the crew party at the Yacht Club, where it will all be quickly forgotten.

Almost ready for the off…

Whilst the Formula 1 cars are doing winter testing in Spain, we’re winter testing in Antigua – warm, wet, and sometimes not raining. Today’s work included man-overboard recovery, practiced in the harbour using the system devised by Volvo round the world crews. Excellent system and very quick and easy – in a harbour in daylight, good training though we hope never to use the skills and system. The sea was nice and warm!

Afterwards we tried out the new A3 on its furler – fast, wet and stable. All good. Next the new spin staysail – again a great sail and improvement over the last one.

So mainsail reefs in and out, lots of tacking, and a final high speed spin run (20+ knots) to Falmouth Harbour, and the day was over, didn’t break anything, and crew relaxed and happy.

More tomorrow!