Sport-heute: Sailing - PUMA LEG ONE DAY 15 QFB: received 0214 GMT

25. Oktober 2008, 14:45

PUMA LEG ONE DAY 15 QFB: received 0214 GMT

TELEFÓNICA BLACK LEG ONE DAY 15 QFB: received 25.10.08 1004 GMT

Three's company out here in the Atlantic. We have been accused of making this a match race so far because we have been in very close contact with E4 for just about all of the race. So today we lost E4 off to leeward and on comes Telefónica Black to take their spot in the rotation. They were quick jib reaching so we got another chance to go to school on our trim and learned a ton. Finally the breeze came aft and we got to put up some big gear and put them back on the horizon behind us pretty quick. Very nice feeling aboard "the monster" to find a nice angle that we like with a sail combination that we knew we liked and see it all work in short order.

International Ocean Race (mk) So, a rest for the stressed you may think? No boats in sight for a while and we get to relax and enjoy one of the most beautiful nights I can ever remember? Forget it! As soon as we found a combination that put some distance on Black, all of a sudden E4 appears right in front of us about 3 miles away! Good news is we are slowly gaining on the two boats ahead. Bad news is the stress metre remains high. Actually on reflection I wouldn't call it stress at all. Just the competitive juices flowing at
fairly high levels. All part of the sport I guess.

The horrid heat is slowly backing off and life down below is becoming a bit more tolerable. Doesn't mean it smells any better, just a bit more tolerable. We have one luxury on this yacht. One fan per person in each bunk. And you protect the health and well being of that fan as if it was your child. During the hottest days the fan was the only reprieve and made sleeping almost manageable. Remember, we have a black boat with a red cockpit floor. Pretty much a heat absorber on a good day (thanks Antonio).

Mix in light winds creating almost no circulation below, 11 stinky guys (a couple with terminal gas problems) and some bad freeze dried food--and you have the makings of a living condition that would be condemned in most states in the US. Check that- all states.

Besides that, life couldn't be any better. 11 boys getting along and pushing quite hard. Having company around us all the time tends to do that.

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Hi everybody
As you can see, we are sailing at a pretty speed in 16 kts of breeze, reaching, so life on board is a little easier. We can boil water without having to hold the kettle so that it does not jump out of the galley!

The night passed with not many surprises, we still keep in sight with the Puma and still in the leading pack with Ericsson Int. and Green Dragon, who are sailing fantastically.

Yesterday we had a number of problems with the communications system on board, and we had to stay nearly all day dealing with resetting, shutting down computers and testing cable connections, but in the end we all managed to put everything to work.

We are sailing alongside the Brazilian coast, in search of the easterly winds which will take us to Cape Town, and we hope to be there as scheduled, around the 2nd or 3rd of Nov.

But first we will see what happens today. And tomorrow. And the next days.
And I will be here to tell you.

Mikel Pasabant - MCM

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