Fickle finish

The Volvo fleet now face a light beat to the finish

Former Star World Champion and illbruck's new recruit Ed Adams reports from on board...

Hello from the rookie in lime green! I'm now about 24 hours into this race and loving the every minute of it...well almost every minute. The first night featured 25-35 knots of wind, rainsqualls, and upwind sailing into 10-20 foot waves. Jamie Gale claimed it was one of the roughest nights he has seen so far...rougher than the night that the bow port blew off leaving Cape Town.

"Last night was a bit heinous now wasn't it?," he asked me as we rounded the famous lighthouse at Brest (you know, the one with the guy standing at the base and the 100 foot wave breaking over the tower). "I reckon I've never seen the cooker lid come airborne and land on the floor before, and it happened several times last night."

I have sailed V.O.60s a bit and so knew what to expect that first night. But it wasn't until I got onboard and discovered that all of the Scopolomine patches were claimed that I got worried. However, I'm happy to report that I survived without getting sick (although the color of our foul weather gear was quite appropriate), and that all of the crew were likewise healthy throughout the night. Juan Vila never ceases to amaze me with his work ethic (and iron stomach), toiling tirelessly all night in the bowels of the boat (although at the moment he is lying face down and comatose in full foul weather gear on the bunk beside me).

Perhaps the highlight of that first night was being called on deck for a sail change in a really nasty squall at 3 am. Deep reef in the main and change to the J4. They handed me the mainsheet (figuring I probably couldn't hurt myself or anyone else at this position. Only half awake despite the sting of the ice spray, I became mesmerized by the eerie sight of Ray Davies, under full moon, completely disappearing underwater as he stood at the jib clew and tried to retie the sheets...the spray was so intense that Ray would disappear for 10 seconds at a time. I was snapped out of my daze by his scream "EASE MAIN!" Out went the sheet and Ray suddenly reappeared from the spray. Mistake number one for the rookie.

Luckily, JK [John Kostecki] has been patient and I am slowly learning the ropes. Can't go too much into what those "ropes" are, as most involve illbruck's sophisticated navigation systems (Ian Moore and Juan have worked wonders here). However, those of you who sail shorter races will be pleased to hear that this has been at much like a day race so far. At the moment we are in the North Sea, 70 miles from the M1 turning mark, and we have ASSA ABLOY, Tyco, Amer Sports One, SEB, and News Corp all within a mile. A small tactical error (a 20 minute jibe in the wrong direction) by Amer Sports One and us in the English Channel yesterday dropped both of us from one/two to four/five, but with things so close this race is still a virtual six-way tie. Things are supposed to get interesting on the long leg from M1 to Norway. I expect the boat will finally get spread out there.

Got to go, or I'll miss another meal. Just another one of those things you have to remember not to do. So much to learn!

illbruck - launched...