Preps for the White Island race.

 

White Island, source:Geonet.

On November 23rd we set sail for White Island and triangle of NO wind that is often between it and the North Island. While the race is 3 weeks away, Rob and I are both busily preparing. Last year RENA’s containers prevented us from sailing round White Island, so it is pretty exciting to be heading across the Bay of Plenty again. Our last two trips passed the active volcano in the Round the North Island and Round New Zealand races have gone well, so hopefully we are finally learning some lessons about the place!

In 2009, the White Island race was our first longer race together, and we struggled along with Rob suffering from some sort of consumption. We fought all the way to the finish getting passed in a tacking dual with the fully crewed Touchdown.

In 2010, the race was equally as brutal with 40 knot winds at Channel Island, then a massive wind shadow in the lee of Coromandel ….

Below is an extract from the Mr Roosevelt account of the 2010 race to me it sums up how hard this race can be ..

War and Peace - Mr. R's White Island Race Report

On Sunday morning, with the finish line in sight we were tacking constantly from port to starboard, and back again as the dregs of the breeze had fits and bursts, shifting left to right and teasing us with short, light gusts. We were both suffering from an eye-popping, brain-bending fatigue normally only induced by poor lecturers or doing tax returns. We kept looking back and watched our competitors on Coppelia sailing up the Motuihe Channel seemingly unaffected by the shifting breeze and it was so bloody frustrating! read more.