ERICSSON 3 EMAIL: '200 squalls, or one squall the whole way depending on how you look at it'

Ericsson 3 - Aksel Magdahl (navigator)

Summary of the last 36 hours:

Passed two Telefonica boats. 200 squalls, or sailed in one squall the whole way depending on how you look at it. New top speed for Ericsson 3. New max wind speed with spinnaker up - 46 knots. BTW it was during black night in rain and bad sea state. It felt just fine from the navigator's bunk.

Three sail changes within two hours, whereof two unvoluntarily, costing lots of miles. 11 wet guys. Three bent and jammed carabinos on harnesses after people being washed along the deck.

Waking up in the bunk with cramps from holding on while asleep. Waking up in the bunk ahead of your own after digging the bow in downwind. Ended up in the cold front rather than ahead of it like E4 and PUMA.

Dropped off the front and caught up with it again - could be decisive one way or the other No spinnaker last night after recalling the night before.

Some basic rules inside the boat:

1. Keep your feet at least 1.5 meters apart, you have no idea what the boat's next move will be but you know it will be abrupt.

2. Never leave an open space ahead of you - you will dive far when we dig the nose in.

3. Always hold on to something. When we dig the nose in, it is always as you transfer from one place to hold on, to another

4. Do not spend any time forward of the mast (where the galley, foul weather gear and toilet are) - it will be painful.

(Received 06:03 GMT)