Mixed bag for Volvo Ocean Race crew on Team Alvimedica

by Team Alvimedica on 17 Jul 2014 Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 crew onboard Team Alvimedica updates us on the mixed bag of conditions they are experiencing at sea.

I have spoken too soon! Directly conflicting with yesterday's update on down time and easy living-today's note has nothing in common except the week in which it's been written. The last day has been 'full noise,' in the traditional Volvo sense: reduced sail, spray helmets, waves over the deck and a gas pedal firmly pinned to the floor. We are again pushing Alvimedica to the limits of what we know she's going to be capable of.

I still find it exceptional, how one day you're restless and rolling in your bunk because life is [tame] and you want to be productive, and the next you very simply don't have time to do anything but survive. The contrasts are enormous, and they often change in an instant. One minute you're on time, maybe ahead of your own schedule, and the next you're two hours behind trying to make bare minimum. Gearing up, gearing down, sail changes, meal prep-going to the bathroom-everything takes four times longer and is twice as exhausting and there are no exceptions. Maybe cleaning your coffee mug in the companionway. That's way easier today!

The great news is that time flies when you're wet. When there's no time to think about anything extraneous the hours cruise by and it's already tomorrow. And we're covering lots of ocean, too. 170 miles in the last eight hours which is on pace for another 500+ mile day. And we're back to data farming, which is a big reason for being out here. The guys have experimented with three sail combinations in the last few hours, just for the sake of trying.

So while life is definitely uncomfortably, it is definitely good. We're blazing towards Southampton and even from under the hoods and helmets, it's still easy to see the Team Alvimedica website