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Black Watch US71
BW Blog 2/26
As Black Watch was converging with the final turning mark at Redondo rock, there is a false sense of security that the race is just about finished. Far from it!
Last night the rounding of La Desirade gave us what we hoed was our last drama. As the surrounding fleet kept charging into the 25-knot trades, we hit our biggest squall yet. "It's two miles to windward, its big and thick," said Capt. Kyle Dufur. The deep cell hit with rain and jumped from 24 knots to 38 and the skies opened almost filling the cockpit beyond capacity.
But rounding Desirade all saw a massively bright flash. "A shooting star!" "A meteor!" ANd a meteor it was but boats in the rce took it as a flare and amazingly at the same moment, Northern Child went around the corner and their tracker and AIS signal went out. A back and forth had race and other boats concerned and struggling through language barriers. It was figured out but not before Black Watch lost genoa sheets in two tacks , stalling us i th 8-foot seas.
Today the brilliant reach with all botas converging on the sombrero shaped Redondo is about as spectacularas you can creae on the ocean, with chrystal water and bright white caps filling the landscape between the boats. BUT, the 30-mile beat back to Falmouth is the final kick in the #$@!! Living at a 25-30-degree angle, according to cook Craig Mackey, "Makes eveything from openingan oven door to brushing my teeth a tremendous physical effort."
Craig and Mike Gibson in the Gally have the brnded lines of the oven door on their shins to rove their worth.
Craig came from snowy Denver, Colorado for this battering. Ishe beat up. Yes. Does he love it. "I never imagined how this would be but this is the best. For sure."
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