misguided missile
Another good report from Ryan Breymaier from the Class 40 MARE. Keep up with them here, and track the Quebec St. Malo fleet here.
Current speed: 14-16 knots
Current heading:90 deg
TWA: 85 deg
TWS: 19 knots
Jib and full man.
So, we are halfway through the course, and have finally gotten on the right track. It’s not so easy when you have 3 successful singlehanded Mini sailors aboard, because they are all used to doing things their own way, and they’re all used to making their own decisions.
Because of this, we have been a bit of a misguided missile: Tons of speed, but not always in the right direction. But as of today, all the generals have gone for a command conference in the war room. They turned those double keys, pushed the big red button, and our big red ICBM has been fired straight at the target – the walled city of St. Malo. We have a lot of reaching ahead of us, a point of sail that suits our wounded boat just fine, and we’re hoping to crank on the miles now, before we get into the light to medium VMG we are expecting toward the end. That’s not precisely what our shortened bowsprit and tissue-paper thin running kite (that splits at the mere sight of waves) needs…
But back to the Generals: They’ve decided to hold regular situation reports in the war room each time some new intelligence arrives. It’s proving to be a good strategy – to win the war, you have to win the battles, one by one.
For my part, I am supervising their meetings, doing some translating, while at he same time running around re-locktite-ing everything, putting the pilot tiller arm back together, and doing the whole host of little jobs that crop up on such a long ride.
And at the moment, this soldier is going back to hand-stitching the kite.
Ryan out.
