RACE 12 - DAY 7 SKIPPER REPORT

This race has been a bit of a nightmare. Leg 7 is notoriously plagued with light winds and this race has been no exception. We had some nice pressure out of the starting blocks and following the first breeze we came up towards a big hurdle: a 100 mile void in breeze akin to the one experienced in the previous race. Whilst arriving at the front as per the previous race we watched as our positions fell one by one. The forecast was inaccurate. Even the current flowed strongly against us with the meek winds allowing for wind angles that barely made any progress up the race track and often we spent time going backwards.

We were in good company with Unicef and then joined by Punta del Este who had come right from the back of the fleet. We took it on the chin and had to accept that three boats had got away and were untouchable.

We hoped to beat Unicef and Punta del Este with a view of fourth.

Then last night we sat and watched them sail away. 7kts versus our 3-4 for much of the time. This put them ahead by a few miles that led to another gain as we trailed them up past Inagua Island. They didn’t stop. They didn't really slow. We did. The forecast suggested we would be fine with them and the three boats would make it out. However, we stopped sailing completely with no breeze for a couple of hours, then, it returned as if it had been there all along. But Unicef and Punta del Este were gone 50 miles ahead. 50 miles through no fault in sailing. Just a couple of miles ahead. That's not a great deal compared to the 150 miles WTC Logistics and Visit Sanya, China made on us out of the wind hole.

You just have to take a deep breath and say what can I do. "How can we make the boat go faster?" This race feels like the sailing equivalent of rolling a dice, or maybe more accurately snakes and ladders. Onwards and upwards.

We are here, sailing in the fleet. We are pleased to be back and there’s a possible six points to be had plus the lottery of who gets the best wind in the Ocean Sprint. We have been quite lucky with those recently and we will certainly do our best. We are back under pressure now so there is some boat speed and tactics to be had once more. Let's hope we aren't becalmed any further.

Thoughts are with Unicef who lost places in the wind hole but they have now done well to be racing in 4th position. Zhuhai had a brilliant time in the first part and I hope they are keeping their chins up now.

Sam Clarke is on the helm. An unsuspecting man as Sam is quietly brilliant. He's precise in a diligent way and performs behind the scenes. Sam has been brilliant with our numbers too - he helps me with tactics, he's proven a steady hand on the helm and it's been a pleasure to have him on board for Legs 6 and 7. I'm sure we'll all miss him when it comes to Leg 8.

I'll leave you with the most important question on Qingdao… How can we make the boat go faster! Here’s to hoping for another snake in the race. Not an Iguana like we had onboard transiting the Panama Canal.