Where to from here ….

 

Summer is coming I am pretty sure… The light at the end of the tunnel of winter darkness. Since the last race both Rob and I have been having a bit of time off, Rob has been working very hard on the boat for months, but really since about August last year!

So the program from here:

• September 18th – SIMRAD  100  –  the long race as they call it, 100nm for the long haul boats and 80nm for us short haulers. Given how long the last two races have been I wonder if we maybe  finishing in daylight… We are currently leading the series on PHRF and Line for the short haul fleet, so we really need to put a good race together to ensure a good series  result. This is a familiar situation, as we went into the “long race” last year leading the Young 88’s. Hopefully we can keep our act together again this year.
• October 22nd – the HSBC Coastal Classic - 119nm from Auckland to the Bay of Islands.  I really enjoyed this race last year, especially the cruise back down the coast afterwards, and the visit to the Poor Knights.
• November 26th – the Round White Island Race  - 320nm from Auckland around White Island and back. Our only chance to stretch our legs in a multi day race before the RNI.

In between the events we need to squeeze in working on the mast to prepare it for offshore sailing again and complete our safety inspection. Doesn’t sound like much, but yachts have the ability to sap time.

I personally am really looking forward to some warmer weather, I find it a huge mental and physically lift not wearing 5 layers of clothes. I have been sitting in front of the fire lately,  hitting the “peer reviewed journal articles” (Rob quizzes me on the source of any information I give him) looking into the science of multiday event nutrition.  I will soon be busy in the kitchen testing a series of easy to prepare nutritionally sound (tasty and Rob approved) meals  for our expedition.