Race Update 3 - Halfway and Still Fighting

3 days ago

3 min read

Embrace The Challenge have now passed the halfway point, and any idea that this race was going to feel like a short sprint across the Atlantic has long since disappeared.

After a few big days, some serious miles and a major mainsail repair, this race was starting to feel like a war of attrition.

AN ENERGY BOOSTER

For a while, The Ocean Race’s new daily Super Sprint (a 20-minute race within the race) felt like a distant extra. Survival, repairs and keeping the boat moving were taking most of the attention.

Then Ollie broke his favourite pair of sunglasses.

He borrowed a spare pair from co-skipper Lincoln and they were promptly nicknamed the “speed glasses” and somehow they worked. Embrace The Challenge took the win in the Monday’s Super Sprint.

It might seem like a trivial thing, but it delivered an instant morale boost to the team. Suddenly there was a new energy onboard.

MAKING THE MOST OF OUR SITUATION

The weather picture has also been challenging. Lincoln has been absolutely buried in it, spending hours analysing the models and trying to make sense of a very complex Atlantic pressure situation.

“The weather has been a tricky one this race! It's been a weird weather situation. We thought we were well and truly out of the race, watching the weather system play out in front us. But the leading boats to the north are now stuck behind a high pressure ridge, which is an opportunity for us as we seem to be in quite a good position at the moment, further to the south.

I don’t want to get too excited too early but our routing is showing us a similar finish time to the leading boats to the north.” - Lincoln

Ironically, the mainsail repair forced Embrace The Challenge to split away from the leaders. But they have now sailed into a windhole showing that route was no longer the smartest option for our team. Sometimes the circumstances make the decision for you.

From thinking our race might have been over, to now having a chance to get back into the race has given everyone another boost. Morale is high and everyone is keen to get stuck in.

“The current situation is that although we’re very far behind the leading pack, the weather has opened up a much more direct route. The last 24 hours have shown that Liz has done a fantastic repair on the mainsail so we’re not really worried about that anymore. We’re not holding back anymore - we’re looking for the fastest route to Lorient!” - Ollie

VIEW FROM THE OBR

"OBR life carries on much the same. My job is still to bring you inside this strange little bubble and show what is actually happening out here. Truth be told, the bruises and bumps are starting to show now. These boats are designed for sailors, not for the guy trying to stand in the wrong place with a camera while everyone else is trying to sail at 20 knots.

"The good news is life onboard is still positive. The sailors are well fed, well watered and, importantly, starting to get some better sleep. Sleep is probably the biggest commodity out here. When you are only ever getting it in four-hour blocks, even waking someone 20 minutes early can ruin their day. It sounds dramatic, but if your whole life was being lived in broken chunks of sleep, it would ruin yours too.

"The team is still pushing, the boat is still moving, and there is still plenty left to play for.

"Roll on the first croissants and a cold beer!"