25/10/10 06:00
Big breeze and frightening seas on the way..last night in Malta’s capital, Valetta, the heavens opened and bright flashes of light and cracks of thunder accompanied a dark dawn. The wind is picking up, helping some and hindering others on this ever changing racecourse.
John Brinkers aboard Volvo 70, E1 sent back a taste of life in the Rolex Middle Sea Race;
“We got to the Messina straights in great shape having cut down Alegre’s lead down to half a mile, at which point I went to bed.By the time I got back up she had disappeared and while I was blissfully sleeping we fell into a hole and sat while the three TP 52’s sailed up to within shouting distance of us.
We managed to make our way to the top of the straights under asymmetric and building breeze which freshened to 22knots as we approached the exit. By the time we gybed on course for Stromboli the breeze had freshened to 25 gusting 30, and it was my turn at the wheel, blasting along under asail doing solid 20’s. These Volvo 70’s really are the mutts nutts.
Alegre had slaughtered us coming out of the straights but as we sailed away from Sicily and approached Stromboli she appeared on the horizon, sitting in much less breeze. Many tactical gybes later we had again closed on her to within a mile in the dying breeze.
We managed to punch through the hole to leeward of Stromboli, but again Alegre used her light air pace to get through first. She is currently some 4 or 5 miles ahead as I type this lying in my bunk.
I can hear the lads talking about re-hoisting the A2 so I better go give them a hand…..
JB