2004-2005

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Ocean Planet Vendée Globe Update:
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Position 32 51S, 13 55W, @ 16:45 UT

Above the Depths

Today is very tricky sailing. We are on the edge of a receding high (to the northeast), a weak ridge (to the south), and an approaching nasty low from the west.

It won’t be long before we have plenty of wind, but in the meantime, keeping the boat moving well while trying to analyze the weather and answer a bunch of emails is keeping me quite busy.

Hopefully, we are ready for the coming big breeze. It will be an exciting drag race with our group of boats. But, the real game will likely be picking the right time to cross the front behind the low in a couple of days. Afterwards there will be some nasty upwind work to do, but choosing where to do it is the tough part. It will be rough, but then again, it’s serious fun too. As long as nothing breaks!

Speaking of fun at sea, if you found the real-life undersea mysteries of the mid-Atlantic ridge interesting (on www.bigelow.org/vendeeglobe), then you should check out the undersea fantasy adventures of young Capt’n Eli on http://www.captneli.com/. Think you are too old for comic book heroes? Perhaps, but no one says that you can’t enjoy it along with the younger followers of Ocean Planet!

Capt’n Eli’s Root Beer is something I won’t be able to enjoy for several months, but it has been great to have the support of Shipyard Brewery and Capt’n Eli’s Root Beer, especially during our long preparation in Portland, Maine.

Ok, gotta go make sure I’m heading the right direction!

Bruce Schwab, Skipper
USA 05/Ocean Planet