novembre 12th, 2019 Miranda, Halvard and Campagne de France have been sailing off the Brazilian coast since last night! Crossing Recife this morning the trio remain some 400 miles away from the finish of this 4350 nautical mile race to Salvador de Bahia and the opportunity to indulge in all that Brazil has to offer.
The road to Salvador has been relatively straight forward since exiting the painful Doldrums and the trio have extended their lead to 250nm on the four chasing boats.
Campagne de France’s arrival into Salvador will not only mark the completion of a hard fought and beautifully run race but is also a significant milestone in the qualification process linked to the Vendee Globe. With a possible 34 places available and 37 skippers having preregistered, the number of miles built by each skipper onboard their chosen boat will be crucial.
News from Miranda!
« Moonlight bright enough to trim the sails without using a torch. After a quiet few hours, the wind is filling in again.
As there are only two of us on board, we don’t run a fixed watch system at all. It depends on the conditions, whether there are tactical decisions to take, sails to change or things to repair etc. If the weather is good, the off-watch person can get out of their foul weather gear and boots and into a sleeping bag. If conditions are difficult, the off-watch person stays fully dressed, ready to leap into action. The aim is to not both be in desperate need of sleep at the same time.
Nor are there any fixed meal times. Food is mostly self-service. The freeze-dried meals are eaten straight out of the packet, so washing-up is limited to spoons. We make enough water for drinking/ rehydrating meals and to wash ourselves. There is no laundry or shopping. No land e-mails or mobile phone. No internet. No toilet to clean – there isn’t one.
We try to keep the interior of the boat clean, and the sea – and sometimes rain – does the rest. So, while racing is often cold, wet, miserable, and at times dangerous and very frightening, on nights like the one we’ve just had (millions of stars, warm breeze, not a soul on our patch of ocean), it’s a huge privilege. »
Miranda
Télécharger le fichier joint
