UPDATE: “I didn’t want to touch a thing!” Pepe’s wish for gaining 10 miles on Safran came true over night with his predicted “re-start” of sorts in the light winds of a high pressure ridge. The two skippers were dripping with sweat after hoisting the A3 spinnaker around midnight. And while Pepe slept, Ryan delicately urged HUGO BOSS through the dropping winds, pulling along at near 10 knots at times in 8 knots of wind and sailing to within 15 miles of Safran. “I didn’t want to touch a thing,” said a smiling Ryan on Friday afternoon. Yesterday, after several jibes, HUGO BOSS did not let Safran get more than 12 miles away. Though the chasers in the fleet have gained as well, Pepe has been studying the oncoming low pressure system moving East across the North Atlantic. Pepe and Ryan are scratching their heads as how to best position themselves for the breezes and have decided to sail jibe for jibe at the moment, staying between Safran and the low. The two skippers have settled into a rhythm. The signs of this are evident in their ability to hit their bunk and be asleep within minutes of finishing a three-hour watch and regularly making hot freeze dried meals for themselves. Earlier in the week it was hard to string an hour of sleep. Today, decision making has become efficient, figuring out routing through weather patterns and deciding how to react to competitor’s moves.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 14:04:32 +0000
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