72 hours into delivery from Gosport to Monaco the boat is within 10 miles of Gibraltar, an exceptionally fast trip so far!
Unfortunately when we enter the Mediterranean Sea the wind will surely die and we will be left no choice but to brutalise our 37 horsepower engine for the whopping 5 knots speed it will give us.
This trip down gives us the chance to test all the systems, the small changes we have made and a couple of new sails that we have built in preparation for the Vendee Globe. The sails we have built are high wind sails and the conditions we have faced have been ideal for that. From Ushant the wind built slowly and peaked at 40 knots off the north coast of Spain and the boat and sails performed perfectly. Top speed was just over 30 knots but more importantly the average speed was high and the boat handling was vastly improved.
Sailing with a crew allows us to be more efficient and fast tracks the learning but also highlights any potential issues. We have allowed some time for updates after the Monaco GP before I set off across the Atlantic on my own. By then HUGO BOSS will be in true Vendee Globe trim.
Wind has just arrived, 30 knots on the nose……
Tuesday 15th May
