2002 – 2003

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Ocean Planet in the Around Alone – Update
Sunday, March 9, 2003 1315GMT
Position: 41 38 S; 45 51 W
Wind 5-10kts from the west.
Pressure: 1016mb

Hi all,

Conditions have been very nice the last day or so, and I’ve been appreciating what a great boat this is and how lucky I have been. I’m pretty much taking it easy, playing it safe and we’re still easily going by Koji and Tim who caught up while we were getting fixed in the Falklands. In a day or two we’ll be beating our brains out again, but for now it’s great.

The hardest thing right now is watching Graham and Derek and not being able to help them. They have both lost their masts and have enormous difficulties facing them to get fixed and continue the race. I can only hope that somehow they pull it off and that we’ll see them in Salvador and at the finish. The frustration must be unbearable for them.

Although this is a singlehanded race, today I discovered a stowaway! Priscilla the Penguin must have slipped aboard in the Falklands. I’ve introduced her to Wilson, and they have doing great in spite of the cultural and language differences. We’ve all been listening to music, and I’ve been playing guitar for them and having a good ol time. They were worried when I went out to the end of the boom to relead the 2nd reef line this morning, but now they know I’m pretty handy at that sort of thing. I think they might have thought I was just another unreliable musician.

Below: Yet another awesome sunset, and Team photo…

Bruce and Ocean Planet and crew