Big Bertha is back
I am feeling very lucky today, the weather has given us three on this part of the course an incredible break and I am doing my best to squeeze through underneath the high pressure to our North and the ice limit to the South. This pass through where others have been halted is an opportunity not to be missed and so today I rolled up my sleeves and my big spinnaker 'Big Bertha' came out on deck and is currently dragging me downwind in good form.
Getting this sail out was not a light decision. It's 380sq metres and at times I have been at the top limit of its range - it can become a bit of a monster in over 20 knots of wind and being so close to the ice limit I don't have much runway to turn downwind if a drop goes wrong. But one thing I have learned is to use this boat's strengths, making good miles in downwind VMG mode is one of them so not to use this big kite would be a waste of an opportunity. Not to set this sail would be such a waste. I have set alarms up to warn me if the wind gets out of range and the snuffer is already set up on the mast winch for a quick drop. I have dropped this sail many times before without a problem so I know my technique is good, it's just when things get out of control with this sail they really escalate quickly. I have grown so accustomed to the comparatively easy furl of my code zeros that the snuffer seems like a difficult challenge to manage at the moment.
The ambiance on board has completely changed with Bertha up. The rumbling and drumming from surfing with the code zeros has changed to a more relaxing swoosh of water over the hull. The bouncing has changed to a rolling and it is nice to be largely on the flat for a while. I am trying to sleep, to park my build up of snuffer shaped nightmare imaginings and to appreciate the downwind miles we are making right now. They say there is no gain without pain and right now the pain is from my overactive visualisation of sailing into the ice limit with close to 400sq metres of sail wrapped around my keel. I like this sail for what it can do, but I also hate it for what it can do... she is a force to be reckoned with old Big Bertha and as ever I do not claim to be her master.