Crew house is in full swing (well almost – last three hopefully in the air). Practice lined up today for spinnaker and fractional zero work, and a chance to head down the racecourse to the first mark. Practice has taken it’s toll on some boats (and aging bodies) – two boats lost masts, and one trimaran capsized. We’re all good as long as the repaired head is ok. Anyway the pic is for those that told us to bring home the bacon – we’re having it for breakfast…
Our glorious leader, after seeing today’s crew bar bill, has decided we need sponsorship to keep the programme on track. He has engaged a highly reputable Antiguan PR firm, and has potentially landed a significant title sponsor for this year’s campaign – Momzy’s Burgers. The local sail loft has hurriedly made a new spinnaker for the boat, and we are hoping contract negotiations complete soon so we can use the sail in the upcoming race.
Joe’s search for sponsors continues….
Welcome to Scottie – joining us for this race. Now Scottie is a Kiwi, so the crew are expecting a new extensive yachting vocabulary if Brad’s Aussie terms are anything to go by. The international crew now includes Americans; Canadians; Brit/Bermudian; Italian; and our two Antipodeans.
Today was a full work day – 6 jibs are now battened, race packed, and loaded aboard. The mainsail was bent on after a couple of hours hard work in the sun; and the head has been taken apart a dozen times in an effort to make it work.
Crew continue to arrive as they escape the storm in Canada. Cold beers are waiting for them.
The work has started to remove the moth balls and empty the storage containers as we put the boat back together for racing. Everything on the boat wants to go into storage, and everything in storage wants to go on the boat – or that’s the way it seems. Crew are being taken out of storage as well, dusting off race gear and looking at their harnesses with puzzlement.
The first sail is due this afternoon, and then 4 days of training and set up for the boat ahead of the Monday start. We’re berthed next to Kuka, an Italian Cookson 50 – will have a sistership to race with. They won the transatlantic race and will be stiff competition for us – all good.
Yesterdays highlight was fixing the head. It’s a glamorous sport.
Our glorious leader has been talking to journalists again: “For Joe Mele, a 55-year-old retired doctor of internal medicine in New York City and fantastical stunt diver, ocean racing is about more than the competition….” More…