The Foggy Dew...

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Average life expectancy of a sailing glove in OSTAR? 19 days apparently!
Just as well my hands underneath are probably tougher than the gloves by
now anyway! And there's not long to go anyway.

19 days. I can't believe we've been out here 19 days so far. It honestly
feels like a week. 19 days since taking my leave from the balcony of the
Royal Western, where the crew of "O'Pegasus", Dinah's support boat for
the start, were shooting the breeze with the legendary Brian Thompson of
Bahrain Team Pindar. I must still find an excuse good enough to open the
bottle they gave me. 19 days since motoring out past Plymouth Hoe, with
"The Holy Ground" playing loud and proud. It can't be 19 days... Can it?

Today was another spinnaker day. Breeze building and veering all day.
Did a very neat peel from symmetric to assymetric earlier, and dropped
down to a jib in the late afternoon.

We've had thick fog all day, with lots of moisture. I even had a silvery
collection of water droplets form on my OSTAR beard earlier. I must say
I'm looking forward to a shave! Perhaps a beer or two first though...

Shore crew are starting to move West. Tucker Island had a population of
of one last night, and I'm sure
it won't be long before Newport is absolutely buzzing.

The very nice people at BOSE have offered to completely replace my deck
sound system, which is very good of them. There will be music on the
return trip!

Oscar came out of hiding temporarily at midday today, and I've managed
to whittle his lead down to 15 miles. So more steady progress. If I can
keep catching him at this rate it's going to be a photo finish!

Tonight there's a bit of a blow forecast, and a return to upwind
conditions. After so much downwind sailing over the last few days it
will be strange to be pounding into waves again instead of surfing down
them. I'm sure Dinah will take it all in her stride, and hopefully
she'll continue her run of being the fastest boat in class for days now.

Tomorrow we'll need to start working out how to deal with the shallows
of Georges Bank, and then Nantucket Shoals. Coastal sailing tomorrow, I
can't believe it!

Barry

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