Here is what the R2AK looks like from a J-88…
Day 3 Evening Update:
Full credit to the leaders here, who did an amazing job of hitting the tidal gate (and I thought they were late!). Not only that, but they’ve really put some miles into the following pack, including Team BlueFlash :(, who are “stuck” at Seymour Narrows.
I just got an “all is well, we are anchoring until the 11pm slack” text from the team. So it looks like they are playing it safe by not trying to squeeze thru the narrows and wait on the other side. It will cost them a couple hours, and they have to transit at night, but they’ll have some company as the boats behind look like they’ll make it too.
So it will be “race restart”, (unlike the real start pictured here!), but now with two packs separated by a fair bit of ground, and little wind overnight. Fingers crossed for a safe transit of the Narrows and Johnstone Straight. FYI, I’ve added Stu Johnstone (of J Boats) to this string, and he tells me they are distantly related to original Johnstone who discovered the Straight. I’m taking that as a good omen for the J88! We saw our last update on the popular website “Sailing Anarchy”, which is super cool, except I predicted the girls wouldn’t make the gate (they did), so I’m going to have to buy them all drinks in Ketchican!
Looking forward in time, there looks to be light reaching conditions the next few days, and even (finally) some decent down wind breeze on the weekend. So while they are maybe a day behind their “best case scenario”, it looks like they will make up some time as they go and have some stellar sailing conditions.
Scott
