Return Leg of the Bermuda 1-2 Underway |
| Friday, 17 June 2005 |
Skipper’s Log – Thursday, June 16, 2005
N 33 42.1 W 065.36.3
Bermuda 1-2, Leg 2
Merf and I have been swapping helmsman’s duties since we cleared the reef in Bermuda. I held on to the tiller while we eked our way inside the Kitchen Shoals marker to shave a few hundred yards off the course. With a 14’ draft and coral heads rising up to within 6’ of the surface, I figured it was my responsibility to be holding the tiller if something went horribly wrong.
The start was great – dead downwind across St. George’s Harbor and through the narrow Town Cut to open ocean. I distinguished myself by crossing the line dead last, but I’d borrowed heavily from the Paul Cronin playbook of smart starts and kept our code sail rolled up to maximize our maneuverability. Four or five quick gybes later, we popped out of the Cut in the lead and that’s where we’ve been ever since.
Now, after eight hours of fast sailing, Joe Harris on “Gryphon Solo,” is only a mile or so behind – at 14kts, that’s only a matter of a few minutes. In these fast reaching conditions, the boats appear to be very evenly matched and unless one of us suffers an unfortunate or unexpected gear failure, I expect we’ll be sailing side by side and in sight of one another for at least the next 24 hours. This is fast, fun ocean racing – very exciting and very challenging as we both push one another along.
As much as I enjoy the discipline of solo ocean sailing, I have to say that having a crewmate on board has been an extremely enjoyable experience so far! Shortly after we cleared the reef, I tumbled into the bunk (never been there before while racing!) and dropped off to the sounds of the boat being trimmed to speed by someone who really knows what they’re doing. Later, having reciprocated the favor, Merf appeared with a tray of sliced apple and cheese hor’s d’oveuves – a huge leap forward in the culinary experience I’ve come to expect aboard this boat.
Of course, it’s not quite as easy as it sounds and after only eight hours I can see that two people on board may be even harder than one. Suddenly, there’s so much more that can be done and the pace is quite a bit faster. It’s possible we’ll pull into Newport a bit better fed and perhaps even a bit more rested. However, I suspect I’m about to work harder on this boat for the next few days than I’ve ever done before.
Finally, a huge thank you to Oliver Riihiluoma who, with his mom, uncle, and the highly capable Bermuda shore team of Caroline, Chris, and Sara, rescued us from near disaster when one blade of the propeller dropped off just 20 minutes before our start. While I went over the side to see what was wrong and to fix the remaining blade in a feathered position for the race, Oliver towed “Artforms” back towards the start and away from the lee shore we were drifting onto. It takes a real team to get one of the boats off the dock and safely out to sea, and today’s drill was just one more example of how great the “Artforms” team really is.
To follow Kip and Joe in the Bermuda 1-2 visit
www.bermuda1-2.org and http://iboattrack.mapsherpa.com/2005NB1
For more information on Kip Stone and Artforms visit www.ksopen50.com
For more information on Joe Harris and Wells Fargo visit www.gryphonsolo.com
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