Volvo Ocean Race - Team Alvimedica bounces back

by Amory Ross, Team Alvimedica on 19 Oct 2014 Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15, Day Seven onboard Team Alvimedica. There’s nothing like filling the void of a difficult day with some trade wind sailing. Yesterday was a tough one: we came out on the losing end of quite a few gambles and fell far off the lead pack, but the boys have bounced back well and the mood on deck in these near-perfect conditions has returned to one of humor and laughs.

It was the first time I’ve seen the group visibly bummed about a sched or two, and maybe it’s because everything has been so easy to see with all of the boats in sight. And all of a sudden they were not, we were alone, and Charlie came up to say that it was the first time since we left Alicante that no one was visible on AIS, the proximity-based vessel tracking software. So we took our medicine, rejoined the fleet from the back of the line, and they have been grinding hard to make up the miles ever since.

The fun sailing has helped for sure. It’s our first time seeing anything more than an occasional 16 knots since getting pasted by the low-pressure system, and the sustained twenties are a clear indication that the NE trade winds have arrived! These are the sailing days you will remember forever--beautiful downwind VMG running at 24 knots in wind and water that only continue to warm. It’s sailing perfection. But we’re rapidly making up the miles to the Cape Verdes, and then it’s on to the Doldrums and the Equator where variability and instability return to rule the roost. The closer we can get to the leaders before then the better—we want to make sure we don’t miss their window--so it’s hammer down for Team Alvimedica website