GOLD COAST 190600ZMAY12 SKED – PANAMA TO NY

LAT 21 20.7N
LONG 074 37.6W
DTF 1128
ETA 27 May 2012
SOG 5
COG 340

WEATHER WIND 090@5kts, Sea Calm, Swell Low Var, Cloud 4/8 Cl, Baro 1007

As Gold Coast Australia excitedly rounded the western end of the scoring gate we hoisted our light weight spinnaker and bore away to reach towards the Bahama’s.

The wind gradually died off and before sunrise we were left drifting on a flat sea, sails drooping from the mast and lifeless. The spinnaker was exchanged for the wind seeker but Gold Coast Australia only crept along at 1-2kts at best on port tack.

By mid morning apart from the occasional “gust” of 5kts, Gold Coast sat lifeless in the mill pond. To our horror we watched De Lage Landen and Derry Londonderry charge up with spinnakers on starboard tack with about 12kts of wind, and bringing the wind with them. Team GCA prepared the spinnaker again so when the wind hit us we were fully prepared. As De Lage Landen screamed alongside with the new wind they suddenly ground to a halt, their sails backing under their own momentum before settling to rest in the same mill pond as us.

There was not long to wait however for new wind to come from the North East, and before too long we both had our Y1 headsails up on port tack and the race was back on. We have been racing along ever since.

The light winds offer a good chance to get any maintenance tasks done, and today was plumbing day. Nobody likes playing with plumbing, it is messy and smelly, but our grey water tank pump seemed to be straining so I took the pipes apart to investigate the problem. Not thinking that the grey water pipes were linked to the heads, things got rather messy when a crew member went in to used the heads and flushed it. I guess it could have been a lot worse as it was only No 1’s but the thought of what was happening and my near miss still made me gag. The problem was found to be a collapsed pipe and wont be fixed until NY, but at least it has been found and the system is back to normal again.

For the last 12 hours we have been in a close battle with De Lage Landen heading towards the Bahamas’s, and sailing for best speed wherever the wind takes us. It has still not been decided weather to head north through the crooked passage or west through the old Bahamas channel, this will ultimately be decided by the wind.