Skip to main content

R2 Leg 2 'Spinnaker time' blog installment 2




06/05/2017

We were finally able to put our spinnaker training into practice as today
was the first day flying a spinnaker. We hoisted the asymmetric spinnaker on
Friday morning to make the most of the very light winds. When the positions
came in, it was a nice surprise to see that we were not all that far behind
the rest of the fleet, despite all the palaver with Mark's ascensions to the
lofty heights above to fix the main halyard.

Jonny has been continuing his battle with misbehaving salt water taps today.
After six days of wrestling and grappling with various pipes and wires
underneath the floorboards, assisted by the delightful Miss Matthews, he is
now convinced he has found the source of the problem - a eureka moment for
all concerned! We are therefore eagerly awaiting the arrival of mysterious
"parts" on Monday when we get to Gran Canaria to hopefully resolve all
aforementioned problems.

The standard of food had been set very high by previous watches and so Red
Watch had their work cut out for them. We got so excited by how wonderful
our meals were (we even got four compliments in a row from the Skipper!)
that our portion control may have become a little enthusiastic. Notable
mention goes to the custard with Libby making enough to feed 55! Louisa
still claims she could have eaten the excess!

Night watch conversations hit an all time high this evening. Who could have
thought that dishwasher loading, washing machines and cardigans could be so
entertaining... Could it be sleep deprivation?! Or could it be a combination
of sugar induced madness caused by hot chocolate, fudge and our very own
handmade apple, raisin and cinnamon flapjacks... I guess we will never know!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rona II blog 23rd Aug 2017

> Disaster strikes! After arriving in the visitor marina of Le Havre at
> 0430,
> Rona II drove over a stray rope which had been left in the water.
> This tangled around the propeller, causing the Skipper to call for the
> anchor to be dropped a mere 10 metres from our intended mooring position.
> The crew then had to inflate the rubber dinghy and set world class rower
> Theo Darlow to take a line to shore where himself and Dr Sam Wareing
> pulled
> the boat in.
>
> In the morning, the afterguard set off to find a commercial diver to cut
> the
> rope free from the propeller. They located a man named Patrick, who
> arrived
> to the scene of the incident at about 1500 donning full scuba gear; he
> quickly got into the water and began working away at the stern of Rona II.
> After roughly 45 minutes of fishing bits of rope from the marina water,
> the
> crew saw Patrick emerge victorious. Angus Elliman used his bilingual
> …
Post a Comment
Read more

You can't escape the dentist, even mid-Atlantic...

An interesting start to New Year's day aboard Rona II. The dawn light
enabled a field dental practice to open for a short time on the aft deck.
Watch Officer George Hopkins, after walking head first into a spinnaker pole
last night came off with a chipped tooth. After a night of discomfort his
Watch Leader and newly qualified dentist Sam Wareing took to the tooth with
an emery file to curb the sharp edge. At the other end of the hierarchy the
Mongol deputy Director of Renewable Resources has been suddenly fired from
his post on allowing a tin can to fall into the bilge, the height of
incompetence in his line of work and the last straw adding to a string of
minor offences.

The effects of a post Christmas comedown hasn't affected the standing of
Rona II in the race, holding first in class and sixth in the fleet overall.
With the Mayans back on mother watch; breakfast was churned out and squared
away within the hour leaving time for Mate, Andy Wright, to present a short
lecture o…
Post a Comment
Read more

Leg 5 - The Final Blog!

After a long, hard month, the Rona II crew are returning home. For the past few days, the three watches have been cleaning and getting the boat ready for the delivery crew who will return her to the Hamble, and enjoying the hospitality of Le Havre.Wednesday morning was spent cleaning the boat to try and make it look like it hadn’t just crossed the Atlantic, and like the crew hadn’t been painting the town red the night before. At lunchtime they were given shore leave and the chance to have a well-deserved shower, but due to Rona II’s early arrival in Le Havre, the showers weren’t open, so everyone onboard had to go to the swimming pool, purchase Speedos, and shower after a colder than anticipated swim. In the evening, the crew were invited to our fellow competitor yacht Peter von Danzig for a little get together, and everyone enjoyed being able to talk to the other crew about their Atlantic experience.Thursday is traditionally the day of both the Captains’ Dinner and the Rona II …
Post a Comment
Read more