Volvo Ocean Race

22 Feb 2012

Upwind, upwind, upwind!

Leg 4 Day 4

It's not complicated; we haven't seen a spinnaker since the Straits of Malacca. Our code 0 went out, but much more frequent has been... close-hauled sailing.

And here, since this morning, conditions are full-on... This isn't really related to the strength of the wind - around twenty knots at most, but above all the sea state. It is a steep sea with high, pyramidal waves. Sometimes we feel the bow lifting gradually, then dropping back down violently. In that instance, it's shocking...

Down below, the noise is deafening. The hull and the mast, which are ultra stiff, don't seem to be distorting. It's the more supple bodies, the guys, who absorb the energy produced during the impact.

At times an unfamiliar cracking sound causes the men on watch some concern. A tour of the boat, an inspection of the more sensitive parts, and we're off again even harder, waiting for the next treacherous, vicious wave.

As regards life aboard, despite the stress generated by these boat-breaking conditions, we can say that the period of adaptation is just about complete. Let's just say that we're more or less at ease in our environment again. It's fortunate because in these conditions, things tend to get worse. The state of cleanliness in which we recovered Groupama 4 two days ago isn't exactly improving. We've exchanged the fragrances of deodorants or after-shaves from some of us 48 hours ago, for some slightly more basic odours...

That said, all's well aboard. We're in the leading group, and we're very keen for things to continue in that vein!

Have a good day.