New York to Halifax Nova Scotia

A short race, just what I like! So off we went again, a new skipper Piers on board, high hopes for a podium finish. Piers had altered the watch system to 4 hours in bed, 4 hours stand by and 4 hours sailing the boat . The idea was we have a lot of new leggers on board and a full boat 20 crew so too many for a two shift system. The on watch was to concentrate fully on making the boat go fast. The stand by shift was split into two mothers and engineers, and were available to move sails and help on deck if there was an evolution. If they had nothing to do they were to sit on the high side for ballast . Hot bunking was also introduced so that we always slept on the high side. Both these changes were not entirely popular with all the crew however everyone agreed to try it as it was a short race and we wanted to do well. I have to say the eight hour shift was a killer we had the 12 midnight until 8 in the morning with no rotation. Mothers and engineers swopped daily so one day at 1am you would make bread and the next empty bilges or just sit on deck, by 8 am you were knackered and cold. The temperature dropped dramatically after day one and by Halifax at night I had every bit of clothing on just like on the way to China. Anyway back to the race, we left New York on a fine sunny hot day and motored off on our parade of sail past the Manhattan sky line and out past the Statue of Liberty. After all the media shots we motored out for a 6.30 pm Le Mans start, we were given the windward boat position at the end of the line. Go go go! we all ran forward to hoist the two fore sails and get under way. All went well but Gold coast the next boat to us just seemed to pull away, just don't know how they do it! You have to keep the same sail plan and course for ten minutes then you are allowed to change, we had prepped the spinnaker pole ready for the light weight kite as had many, so after 10 minutes the spinnakers all popped and we were off down wind sailing. It never ceases to amaze me how after only a few hours the boats are all spread out across the sea miles apart. At night you can pick out the mast lights either side in front and hopefully behind you. Mid day two we peeled to the mid weight kit, a few moments of nerves as this was the one we trashed and had been mended, would our repairs hold the ever increasing wind? No worries, up she went and filled in full glory. As we were doing this change, in the distance on the horizon were huge splashes over and over again a number of  20 to 30 ft hump back whales were breaching , a magnificent site to see something so big jump fully out of the water and come crashing down with a mighty splash. Unfortunately as we were changing sails at this point I have no photos, but actually photographing whales is difficult anyway, more often you get picture of sea. Later that day we had a different type of whale come extremely close for a nosey. This one was huge probably two thirds the length of the boat, it came up port side then reappeared starboard. Piers was quite concerned and instructed us to put safety tethers on in case we hit it or it gave the boat a nudge. Its last appearance was in front of the boat when it came up just in front of the bow, so close then flipped its tail as it dived back down into the sea.
Towards the end of the race the wind came round in front and we changed to white sails yankey one and stay, this is when it became more tactical, when should we tack?  Should we go out to find more wind or in hoping for current and off shore breezes? We could see boats on AIS on the screen and we were very close to New York, Geralton and Singapore . We thought we had NY and Geralton at a safe distance but Singapore was coming up close. Every tack put the boats in a different position, we were trying to cover all three boats but Singapore were literally a few hundred yards behind. Piers was great, we altered the sails tightening the leech line to make the shape of the sail better, letting sails out by just an inch . We seemed to be able to point better and gained a little bit on Singapore. George took over the helm and during his half hour slot we gained even more, but Singapore were still right on out tail. I was sitting on the rail knowing it was my turn next. Only a few miles to go, maybe an hour or more to finish, the angle to the finish line was not good we needed to tack at least twice to make the line. Tactically it was all about who would tack first, should we follow or would the other two boats gain ground? They tacked, I was now on the helm, off we went.... everyone into position 'helm to lee' and tack. Great! we seemed to be ahead, then suddenly from nowhere we had fog, the area ahead was thick you could just see a wall of cloud, my heart was in my mouth.  Piers called everyone up on deck, even the people asleep, on the rail all 18 people. The other boats had turned off the AIS we had no way of telling where they were had they tacked. Karen was in the nav station looking at the radar trying to locate them. Quite dangerous to turn AIS off especially in fog but this was a race (we had left ours on for safety). Then the fog began to lift, can anyone see them? shouts came that they had tacked using the fog for cover, the fog cleared and there they were, all three boats bearing down on our starboard side, we had to tack right in front of them, in to position.... tack! Just don't cock it up I kept telling my self, one luff up and we would loose ground. I was so nervous I had been on the helm for an hour and it was the last 10 minutes no one was going to get me off. Concentrate, bear away for speed, we will still make the line was the instruction. Then the call from below where Karen was photographing the nav screen GPS we have finished! The cheers went up everyone screamed and hugged and congratulated each other, three cheers for Piers, you would have thought we had come first but for us in our little four boat race we had.
On board this leg is Della the camera women for North One who make the TV program, she was on Hull and Humber in the last race and won the best video for their boat. Since then she has been employed to do this race and spends each leg on a different boat, we have her until Derry. So with a bit of luck some of what I have described will be on film.
It was great to come into the very pictures port of Halifax in 4th place....... our best ever. Hope you were as thrilled as we were.