Crew member on IRL1416 Cape Arrow

Weather conditions were a bit milder than yesterday. A quite steady 15-22 kts trade-wind offered us a perfect training day! Smoother sea and great colors. Unfortunately no rainbows (yesterday we saw 2 amazing ones!)

We started with a brief meeting anticipating the schedule for today and for tomorrow. Although few minor jobs were on the list left from yesterday, it was immediately clear we were starting a long day.

Yesterday both genoa and staysail were on deck for a little repair and for checks, so today both had to be hoisted on their stays and made ready to be furled. First we hoisted full main, then headed out the bay and beard away to cover the hoists behind the mainsail. Few lashings and checks supervised by Lorenzo Mazza and we finally started sailing around 10.30.

From then onwards we had 4 hours of nice smooth sailing. Crew started getting bonded. High Spirit Team members, stopped being guests and started working with their buddies of the racing team.

Igor did a great job on the main, while Alexander (Sasha) was trimming genoa with Andrea Micheli. Helm was in Roberto Martinez's hands first, than Andrea Casale, and finally for a long nice sail in Kirill hands.

Bow team (Claudio Novi and Walter Mascaretti) and Mast team (Niky Mosca and Carlos Carrer) worked well together with the help of Vasili and Igor through few kite hoists and drops. Reefing in and reefing out were practiced and few configurations were tested recording angles and speed with different head sails set ups. Claudio, our first bow man, is still recovering from a very bad flue...or at least we hope is doing so. not sure going into the water on the bow is the convalescence the doctor would recommend! Walter, second bow man, certainly is very motivated to wish him a quick recover: it looks tiring to be alone on a 100 footer bow for 3 days!

We tried Genoa and staysail together up to 100 TWA, Genoa alone for different angles Genoa and one reef on the main, stay sail and one reef, genoa on outer short sheet, genoa on mid out short sheet etc.

Everybody worked harmoniously looking forward to eat again one deserved tuna- olive-egg wrap prepared by Sophie.

At 17.00 the navigation briefing closed the day. Francesco Mongelli, explained us the course through the islands, showing the predicted wind, introducing us the tricky areas and giving us a foretaste of the course: what a course!! 600 miles up and down the West Indies, through passages, passing by these beautiful islands belonging to a piece of heaven! St Barth, Barbuda, Antigua, Guadalupe, Mt. Serrat, Kiitts, Nevis etc... so many, so various!!

17.30 Francesco and Andrea introduced us to the scheduled 3 watches system (stand-by, On-watch, Off-Watch). Andrea C, Lorenzo and Francesco will be Watch captain, leading the crew through the predicted 60 plus hours of race.

Tomorrow 9.00 on board. Safety briefing with captain Fabrizio, leave the dock at 10.30 to start at 11.30.

Tonight dinner at Sun Ra, very nice local restaurant, an icon among the sailors calling Antigua harbour, thanks to the clever and capable touch of Betty and Mirko.