Sunday 26 April 2009, 13:35 GMT
Ericsson 4 - Guy Salter (Media Crew Member)
Mid morning local time and most of the lads on Ericsson 4 have not slept for the past 24 hours. The conditions are difficult to say the least.
The cool water (7C) is stopping the upper air mix and thus we are often sailing on a glass surface.
There can be 1kt of wind at water level and 18kts at the masthead - it gives a strange sensation as we cruise along at anything up to 14kts boat speed on the perfectly flat ocean - one could almost call it the Volvo Pond Race because that is what it feels like.
The problem arises from the quickly changeable conditions as the stronger wind makes it down as far as the waters surface sometimes and you are constantly changing sails between the the larger headsails and the code zero sail ( a masthead furling jib) - plus the direction often differs - so throw that genoa staysail into the mix and it all equates to little sleep or rest for the boys on deck. We are at that difficult distance where it just isnt worth trying to get any sleep as the end is in sight and the chance to see the friends and family and quench the thirst we have built up over the last few days.
To my surprise people are actually turning thier noses up at chocolate - something completely unheard of on Ericsson4 - but then apart from those birthday parties we all attended at the age of 7 where else do you get a staple diet of chocolate, peanuts and some cheese? In fact all we are missing from the pre teen celebration are some crisps (read - chips for you Americans) and some small sausages! It's pretty cold below deck - about 6C so like sitting in the fridge - another reason to stay on deck.
We have just under 70 miles to go as we skirt the whale zone off the Massachusetts coast line - its been put in place to help the dwindling numbers of Whales in this region - especially the Northern Right Whale (I'm sure those nice people at the race websites have filled you in).
You have to feel for this sea mammal as it has seen its numbers reduced by the shipping in the area as these slow movers often get struck. They are apparently totaling around 400 individuals and you have to feel for these poor beasts as even their name suggests they struggle to keep up with human developement - named the Right Whale as they are the "right whale" to hunt as they are easily caught and have a good blubber yield, so float when dead!
It's getting a little tense with 4 boats fighting hard for the 3 podium places - at this stage we lead them in but you can see your buffer reduce in moments in these fickle conditions - so its a real nail biter onboard - just hope we can hang on - Lots of sailing left til the finish - we hope we dont make it too exciting for you! Sorry!
Dave has pulled his Red Sox hat out of his bag and was excited by the recent news of a victory over the Yankees, and everyone is really looking forward to getting off the yacht once more for what appears to be a relatively long stopover - so a good chance to recover and relax.
Stay tuned for the end result over the next few hours
Guy - Ericsson 4
Also a big shout out to Lynn - Dave's mother in law and a big fan of Ericsson 4 - Thanks for the support Mrs H!
Received 13:35 GMT