2002 – 2003

Ocean Planet in the Around Alone – Update
Thursday, May 1, 2003 1200gmt
Position 34 23 N 65 47 W

Hi all,

The last two position’s reports look like more attempts for the race record for the slowest day…..what agony! Last night, what little wind there was, constantly had big swings in direction, so that the only way I could get a couple of catnaps was to sleep in the cockpit with my headlight on. A couple of times it seemed even the jellyfish were passing us. But at the moment we have light wind that seems steady. The big kite is up so we may have escaped. As we fight for every mile, the tactical choices become more limited and are dictated by what winds are bestowed upon us. The big decision today (once we are in solid wind) is which doorway to take across the Gulf Stream. There is a big adverse meander in the current of the stream that is right in our path to Newport, so we’ll have to go around it.

Simone and Thierry appear locked into the northern route, but we may or may not even have the option to go that way as it all depends on wind angles, and that’s hard to predict for certain. The weather files have been unreliable so we’ll just have to see what we will get.

I’m tired and frustrated, but very motivated to fight for every inch. Priscilla (the stuffed Penguin from the Falklands) and Wilson (the volleyball) are cheering me on when I’m tired and feeling down. I think they want to make sure that they’re on my good side and that they won’t be sacrificed to the wind gods, as they heard that Thierry did that to the chicken on Solidaires! But they needn’t worry, hopefully the wind is here now…;-)

Need to go steer and trim…

Bruce and Ocean Planet