One Week at Sea…
Today will be the end of one week at sea, one week into the Route du Rhum and I still appear to be sailing upwind. That is definitely not what it said in the brochure.
We are south of the Azores now and at least it is warmer, but I am sitting on my bean bag, being regularly thrown up in the air and having to delete every third word of this update as I come crashing down and press the wrong keys. I think and hope I am sailing into the final front of this race. And it appears I am one of the few who has decided there could be leverage south in this last little one. Just a couple more hours of bone juddering crashing and I should make the final turn to take me south to the good times.
Pip Hare onboard Medallia during the Route du Rhum 2022
As the rest of the fleet continues South I have taken a bit of a risk and broken from them as it looks like if I make ground to the west there may be more breeze and a better route through the high pressure which will extend to the east over the next day or so. Psychologically it’s a tough call to make. I have been slowly working my up through the rankings over the past 24hrs, good boat speed, creeping up on my competitors and it felt good. The natural tendency is to carry on like this, following but faster, to break from the fleet and sail northwest as I am I am actively sailing back down the rankings again. I will only find out if this has been a good strategy over the next couple of days, but I’ve made my decision and now I need to execute it well.
Pip Hare onboard Medallia during the Route du Rhum 2022
This is the longest time I have spent sailing this boat upwind. It is brutal but I have found my routine and rhythm and got used to be efficient at some very strange angles. last night was the first time I could push the top of the cockpit back and look up without getting a wave in the face. It is magnificent. No moon, a velvet black sky blending into the sea. The wind was warm and soft. Medallia feels at home out here, its size and power are exactly where they need to be. I've really enjoyed having the time to focus on just making the boat go fast, watching the various data streams on the instruments, making small adjustments, and looking for results. It's 100% absorbing and I have permission to be immersed. This is brilliant.
Pip x