2002 – 2003
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Ocean Planet in the Around Alone – Update
Tuesday, April 22, 2003 1000gmt
Position 11 06 N 50 05 W
Hi all,
Yikes! Thierry and Emma are flying up from behind with better wind and faster reaching boats. I’m working like crazy to hold them off until the next light transitional patch coming up in a couple of days, but it’s tough with our current weakness in reaching conditions. Just before dawn, I put up our big genniker as the wind is going lighter, and definitely can’t let up at all. Even Brad’s 50 is just as fast as us right now since his boat is really optimized especially for reaching. In any case, this is exciting racing and I’m enjoying the suspense…I think.
In case you John Fahey fans thought that I forgot about last years music contest when we crossed the equator heading south, not so! In fact, for all of you who correctly named Mr. Fahey as the composer of “On the Sunny Side of the Ocean (Planet),” you will be invited for a sail and fun day on Ocean Planet in late May. Date and place soon to be announced for the first annual “Ocean Planet’s John Fahey Memorial Sail and Guitar Day,” as soon as I figure out where we’re going to be.
On another musical note, thanks to school teacher and bluegrass aficionado Glenn Dewell! Glenn is organizing a bluegrass jam and Ocean Planet fundraiser to be held at Christie’s in Newport on May 14th. Be there or be square! After all this sailing, I’ll be ready for some good down home pickin, trust me. Hope to see a lot of you there.
Anyway, fun stuff to look forward to aside from picking up all the poor little dead flying fish all over the boat every morning. During the sail change in the dark this morning, they kept landing all around me, so I try to throw them back while they’re still alive. Apparently their flight controllers are on strike and they don’t know where they’re going!
Below: a nice shot of our unstayed rig at work, with both the working jib and staysail flying along with the full mainsail. The jib luff sag is intentional, the running backstays are eased off to make the jib fuller.
Later for now,
Bruce and Ocean Planet