Port Hardy – Jun 11
The start line for this leg from Telegraph Cove was huge and difficult to judge where the line lay. But there was some wind and not much current so there were no recalls or over-earlies. Leon on bow lookout managed to guide us to within a boat length as the start signal sounded; we found a space on the line with clear wind and charged away ahead of most of the fleet.
The breeze gradually built to about 10 knots which suited us well. For the first three hours we had favorable current and were able to stay up with the Div 1 faster boats and ahead of the Div 2 contingent.
At about noon the breeze faded to a breath and once more we found ourselves playing the currents as much as the wind. A hard wind line developed far out towards the NW and we saw the bigger yachts heeling. Skipper and Rudy decided to tack out towards it. Other boats hugged the VI shore. No sooner had we reached the wind than it spread rapidly towards the inshore boats and we watched our advantage dissipate. As we round the headland into Port Hardy we saw spinnakers ahead and prepared to launch ours. The last couple of miles into the finish found us on an exhilarating downwind ride in a freshening breeze.
Result for today: We finished 5th beating points leader Triste While we are still in 2nd overall, the new leader Karina is over 20 points ahead. From now to the finish, legs are much longer and the premium for winning increases due to the points weighting system.
Dave
