Day 19 – Chasing Clouds

We have begun our descent upon Rio, and have finally found the fairer winds that our faster competitors have had for the majority of the race. A good comparison to this race would be that of flying Nigerian airlines. The baggage allowance is minimal, our take off and ascent were bumpy as hell. Once we reached cruising (or racing) altitude (latitude), things were great. The in-flight entertainment was non-existent but the pilot let you fly the plane occasionally. The meals weren’t that bad, but could occasionally make you sick.

We have no access to news or current affairs here, but we have some of our own. In headlines: The cookie thief has been caught! I don’t think Kathryn properly addressed the crime committed by our fellow crew member. The accused is Brennan Robinson. He has been charged with thievery of the highest order. The evidence against the biscuit embezzler was found last night. In the pocket of his foul weather top was a pack of Oreos, of which our supplies were ransacked! When confronted with the crime, he claimed to be innocent, but the local authorities had taken him in, for they know the severity of snack stealing. We tried to pin Michaela in as his accomplice, but she was far shrewder than her watch-partner. All the snacks that she had embezzled were either eaten or stashed far away. We were however able to fine her with cookie corruption, because of the assisting role that she played. They were both tried accordingly. The judge, jury and prosecutors all consisted of those who were aggrieved by the ransacking of the snack packet. The biscuit embezzlers were found guilty, and sentenced to three days of bilge cleaning.

The birds of South America have been spotted! Many different types of flappy unknown sea-birds were in the sky. You could tell that they were not deep sea birds by the frequency of their wing flaps. (Usually, the further out to see you go, the bird species tend to glide rather than flap). This is a sign that the South American coast is getting closer. Another sign is that the phosphorescence in the water has returned. Their bright glow illuminating from the wake of the boat is even more pronounced given the lack of moonlight from our ever waning moon.

Squall chasing could be the bane of my life. As it was for many a Mohican. For those of you who are confused, squall clouds (big puffy rain clouds) move across the water, and bring a fair amount of wind. The name of the game is to intercept them. But these clouds are malevolent and conniving. Their aim is to leave you in their windless wake. If one latches onto one of these clouds, they are given a huge speed advantage if not... you’re left to bob.

Today was such a day. I won’t go into any detail; let’s just say we were left to sit. There was so little wind that we had to resort to ghosting (dropping the mainsail and sailing under only the spinnaker). Until this point Michaela’s pleas for a swim had fallen upon deaf ears, and it seemed as if today might have been the right time. Finally, she was given permission, but just as she changed into her costume, and came back on deck, the wind picked up and we were off again. Her next swim will have to be at Copacabana.

Here’s to hoping for a smooth landing!

Ryan