Ocean Globe Race: Feb 3 - Serious breeze coming - Brian Hancock Daily Blog #122

by Brian Hancock 4 Feb 2024 22:53 AEDT 17 January 2024

The Ocean Globe Race is a no technology crewed race around the world sailing the the traditional four leg Whitbread Round the World Race course. The Ocean Globe Race celebrates 50 years of Whitbread Round the World race, boats and sailors. Brian Hancock, a noted Round the World sailor and writer is providing a daily blog for the Ocean Globe Race. Here's the February 3 edition - #122 in the series:

Maiden, Neptune and Spirit of Helsinki are around the waypoint and booking it south with a fairly decent northwesterly wind up the chuff, as the say in nautical terms. They are going to make some tracks toward that greatest of all Capes. Cape Horn. I will come back to this in a bit (funny story).

Galiana WithSecure and White Shadow are getting close as are Evrika, the outlaws on Outlaw and Le d'Espirit (Ugh that's a hard name to type but you know who I mean). They are getting some serious breeze up the chuff. We need, however, to keep an eye on Pen Duick VI and Translated 9. They are in it as thick as a brick. That northerly breeze in coming in hard and fast (like my old auntie Marge after we had stolen the scones from her dinner table). There is some serious breeze coming their way but that's what they signed up for and it's going to be a bit of rock and roll for the next few days.

So, since it's the weekend, I will digress (funnily enough) and I hope that you will (in advance) forgive me for this. What's the saying? Do the crime and ask for forgiveness later? My former wife (who I still love because she gave me two strong boys) was from Iceland and we had a friend of hers over to visit. We had a standing joke in our house that when anyone of our friends had a birthday we could give them a copy of my book and (an amazing) photo that I took of Cape Horn. It really is amazing. But anyway, we were chatting about this and our Icelandic friend was following along but looking a bit disturbed. She finally blurted out, "why are you giving your friends a picture of gay porn for their birthday?" Sorry, I know, this is a yacht race, but it's still a good story.

Looking back a bit, Sterna and Explorer are enjoying good southerlies and are making better than decent progress. Sterna with the great Jeremy Bagshaw leading the team were doing close to 9 knots. Now that has to be a wet ride. I'm holding myself back right now because I have something to say but it will annoy some people so better left unsaid. About the wet ride and a former girlfriend.

The crew on Explorer are having a similar ride and are doing 8.6 knots. Mark Sinclair and his great team are making strides and making tracks. They will soon be full into the Southern Ocean experience. By the way did you see that awesome (frameable) photo that Maiden posted? There is some real talent on board that boat and while their sailing talent is obvious, so is their gift for photography, and communication.

Let's just see how the weekend plays out. When you sign up for an adventure you are going to get an adventure. Stay safe everybody; and be kind. We only live once. Gay porn and all (sorry). I guess my message should have ended with 'be kind.'

That's enough to make this world a better place.

About the author: Brian Hancock (RSA) is a sailmaker, racing yacht sailor and writer. He has sailed more than 250,000nm; competed in many transoceanic events including three Whitbread Round the World Races - 1981 Alaska Eagle (U.S.A.); 1985 Drum (United Kingdom); and 1989, Fazisi (Soviet Union); he is a writer on sailing topics. For The Ocean Globe Race Ocean Globe Race Brian is writing a day by day account based on his previous experiences in the Whitbread Round the World Race and other events, often related to the current position of the lead competitors on the Ocean Globe Race course.

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