2003
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Ocean Planet in the Around Alone – Update
Sunday, January 12, 2003 1530gmt
Position: 36 18S, 170 56E
Closing in on the north capes of New Zealand.
It only figures that after 8000 miles or so of Southern Ocean zooming, we would finish a solid 500 miles of beating to windward. Primarily on starboard, our “bad” tack, too.
With the wind from the southeast, we are sailing directly into northeast chop from the winds that were here just before we arrived. Whap! Slap! We go okay as long as I keep the port rail nearly buried in the water! Can’t wait to get on port tack and “tank up” where we will have the upwind speed advantage. I am hoping that once getting around the northern tip of New Zealand the wind will still have enough east in it to favor port tack.
Not getting much world news out here, just some very welcome reports from our good friend Kels (Kelly) with the race logistics support. I hear that the US is really pouring troops in the gulf….makes me sad that it has come to this again and very worried. Hopefully things may still smooth over? One can only hope that we can eventually learn to share our Ocean Planet that we live on without either closed-minded religious beliefs or corporate imperialism. There is, unfortunately, plenty of both to go around. When you sail for so long without seeing anyone it is hard to imagine shooting other humans.
Really looking forward to getting to beautiful New Zealand!! I hear that the more peaceful battle of the Americas Cup is heating up in Auckland. Although both sports are sailing, the AC and the Around Alone are VERY different… Hope to find time to visit Auckland and see the show and apparently there are lot of folks coming to Tauranga to see us too.
Thank to all our friends getting ready to spiff up Ocean Planet in Tauranga! In no particular order, BIG thank you to all of these folks who are coming to help out: Ashley Perrin, Jason Winkel, Ayn Woodruff, Lydia Vargas, Andrew Roberts, Wendy Hinman, Garth Wilcox, Robyn Croft, Rich Jones, Edie Felix, Kevin Flanigan, Chris Flanigan….and anyone I forgot! Can’t wait to see you all there….in about three more days?
Bruce and Ocean Planet