3/22/24 10:38 AM Central time
Less than 20 nm to go. Just got in my bunk and trying to warm up. It is bitterly cold. I had to actually fight to get more food for breakfast—was given a CUP of porridge. I had to pitch a bloody fit to get more.
3/21/24 2:20 AM Central time
We are in a wind hole this morning at dawn, drifting with the current at about 1 knots. At least drifting in about the direction we want to go. We’re finally around the turning mark. Had to start the engine because a freaking fishing boat came way too close. It was bitterly cold last night. Maybe upper 30s. The sun is warming things up nicely now just before our 7am breakfast. We had bread and butter AGAIN, but with two slices of bacon! This afternoon is wonderful! We’re going fast with the code 2. It’s not too cold. Unfortunately, we won’t arrive at Qingdao until too late on the 22nd, so we will have to float around until 9am on the 23rd.
3/20/24 5:13 AM Central time
I had good day with the nice weather and was able to sleep some in the afternoon at least until they started repeatedly tacking around fishing boats. It’s amazing how many fishing boats and markers there are. We are dodging them nonstop. Each tack is incredibly loud, so no one can sleep through them. Each time I have to adjust the angle of my bed and the lee cloth so I don’t fall out of my bunk. We were 38 nm from our turning mark at our 1 pm team meeting. Hopefully we will pass it on my 7-11 pm watch tonight. We should be able to bear away on a more comfortable point of sail. I got all my chores done in the morning. Cleaned the heads and helped Ronen on his bilge duty. We were able to open up the boat and get out all of the condensation that’s accumulated over the past few days. So much better!
3/18/24 2:33 AM Central time
Today has not been too bad. The wind has moderated. We are dodging lots of Chinese fishing boats and markers. It is getting much colder. BCF is just in front of us. They blew out their yankee 1 and yankee 3 yesterday, so that gives us a better chance to beat them.
3/16/24 8:32 PM Central time
BCF blew by us this morning doing 10 knots while we were stuck in a wind hole. We’re dead last now and it’s very demoralizing for the entire crew. Hannah has just quit updating positions. I’m continuing to have GI issues. I was graciously excused from cookie duty, thank goodness. I guess no one wants me touching their food!
3/15/24 8:50 PM Central time
We ran the main water tanks dry this morning. When we checked on the emergency water jugs in the laz, we found that all of them except one had split and were empty. The one that hadn’t split was half full—only 10 gallons on the entire boat. Thankfully, Bob was able to get the water maker working. He found a loose hose connector on the high pressure side. That’s what’s been filling up the bilges and shorting out the pump. We can see the islands of Taiwan to the north and three Clipper boats near us. I was surprised that Ella was also sick in the rough weather. That tells you just how bad it was. Two days ago, we pumped literally two tons of water out of the laz. Ella did most of it herself. I went down in the laz to pump out when it was rough and got bounced around like a ping pong ball.
3/15/24 1:19 PM Central time
Last night were the roughest conditions I’ve ever experienced on a sailboat, but it has calmed down quite a bit now.
3/15/24 6:49 AM Central time
I’m struggling to have the energy to do anything at all. Mostly sleeping in the cookie berth this afternoon. The conditions continue to be awful. The water maker is broken and can’t be repaired. Both of the boat water tanks are empty so we’re down to emergency water jugs.
3/13/24 10:59 PM Central time
Much rougher yesterday with lots of pounding. Probably the most uncomfortable conditions we’ve had on the race. Things are pretty bad on the boat. Lots of friction within the crew.
3/12/24 7:43 PM Central time
We had a great start from Zhuhai. We have a secret trick we use for Le Mans starts. Using it, we’ve been first off the line every time. After the start Ella drove and we had good speed even compared to the rest of the fleet, even Perseverance and Qingdao. I went down for a quick nap and dinner and when I started my 7pm watch, most is the other boats were ahead or to weather of us. Once again we seem slow compared to the rest of the fleet. Not sure what’s going on. I’m helming second and looking forward to getting back on the wheel again. Unfortunately, Bob was sick in Zhuhai when his daughter was visiting. He also had bad GI issues and looks rough. I’ve started coughing again along with a few others. I am trying to shovel down as much food as possible. I had three sandwiches and a bowl of noodles for lunch. We are going to windward, but the waves are small, so not much pounding.