Sam Davies fra SCA fortæller om at krydse

Bouwe Bekking, skipper fra Brunel, er under tre sømil efter førende Mapfre i Volvo Ocean Race. Han skriver på facebook:

Nearly a week onboard the fine vessel Team Brunel, time flies. Is it as we expected?

Yes and no: some really nice days just after we left Capetown, blasting along, always pushing, but knowing you are in full control, it was the kind of sailing why we love this race.

Now doing the less interesting part of the job, bashing upwind in 25 knots, wet on deck, several difficult sail changes,because of the unpleasant seastate.

Once down below it is not much better as it is getting sticky warm. Some of us produce plenty of “gas”as a result of our delicious freeze dried food and with the hatches closed it smells like a pig farm.

By now we know by smell who are the offenders, no way to hide. Also have been running the engine nearly continuously since we left, as we try to to burn the excess fuel we had to take for this leg.

We had to leave Capetown with a required full tank of diesel and knowing roughly long this leg is going to take, the excess burning goes terrible slow , but adds the extra couple of degrees of temperature down below.

But even with that we are all smiles, a good bunch of guys, doing what we like: sailing and competing.

Cheers,

Bouwe Bekking