GOLD COAST 070600ZFEB12 SKED AND BLOG

LAT 04 52.4N
LONG 109 45.3E
DTF 2022
ETA QINGDAO 0600z 22 Feb 2012

WEATHER WIND 338@6kts, Sea Calm, Swell NE 1.5m, Cloud 2/8 Ci, Cl, Baro 1011

As we sail through the South China sea the race becomes increasingly tactical with yachts trying to make the best course to
windward. The fleet has basically split into three groups, with the majority of the fleet to the north, us and Singapore in
the middle and DLL and NY to the south. The winds in this area are notoriously fluky and so it becomes apparent as the
skeds come in every six hours when we watch different groups of yachts accelerate in localised wind and then fall away again
when the wind disappears. Occasionally the yachts become visual, or at night we see a light in the distance and the AIS
lights up, but for most of the time we are on our own, sailing as best we can with the performance of the other yachts unknown until the next sked.

At the moment we are sailing ENE in only 6 kts of wind but with 1-1.5kts of current with us doing 5kts over ground. Our
main tactic is to find the big eddy of current that I know is in the area and use it to sling shot us towards our next mark
of the course 250nm to the NNE but without the information that is normally available in modern day racing such as satellite
thermal images and tidal prediction we are doing it all by feel and constantly monitoring the sea water temperature.

Added to the challenge of navigating in this area is the unreliable weather information. Forecasters do their best to
determine what may happen in the tropics, but it is extremely hard. Above us we see the low clouds streaming past in the
direction and speed that the GRIB predicted, but unfortunately the wind does not reach the sea level. At the moment all we
can do is play the sifts, watch the clouds, and use all the information available to sail in the direction in hope that my analysis is correct.

The light wind is giving us a chance to do some maintenance on the boat and make some small light weather improvements. The
light wind also gives us a chance to do a thorough check over the boat and ensure that everything is in perfect order for
the stormy weather that awaits us in the weeks to come. It has been a while since we have had to sail the boat in these
light airs upwind, and this time we are looking at it from a different angle. Now the crew have more experience they are
making adjustments and experimenting with sail trim a lot more to try to get that extra 0.1kt of speed.

Without the wind, life onboard can be likened to living in an oven, and the small 12v fans work overtime as crew try to
sleep and work in the heat. The watermaker works overtime as we drink water by the litre. Team gold coast make the most of
the calm conditions however, and there is always time for a laugh and a smile, especially during air guitar competitions
during happy hour as we train ourselves up to be Karaoke rock stars on our arrival in Qingdao.

Richard Hewson