Salty the dog's turn

Miranda Merron preps for another windy night as the finish line looms nearer

Tuesday 27th May 2008

Sponsors Of The Day :
57W St James's Place; Salty the dog, The Storers,
58W Batfish

Time of Position : 0600 UK time
Latitude 42 00.88' N Longitude 59 55.11' W
Ranking : 7th
Average Speed : 7.4 knots
Miles To Leader : 233
Miles To Boat Ahead : 40
Miles To Marblehead : 484.6

"I slept for a little bit longer than planned this morning and slept through my alarm for at least 20 minutes. I'm furious with myself, but thankfully didn't lose any miles on Fuji. The annoying bit is that I could have been gaining! The others have found a lot more wind than was showing, they got picked up, so their route seems to have worked more than mine. That's the annoying thing about this sport, one different take on the weather and you are flung down the leader board! It is not like I took a radical route, the way I came looked like a perfectly sensible option but it didn't work."

"Yesterday was a really long day, I was caught in the clutches of a high way longer than anticipated. I spent the day constantly steering and trying to catch every little breath of wind, all whilst going backwards in the Gulfstream! I had officially run out of energy..I was talking to myself a bit just so that I wouldn't cock up any manoeuvres. One thing I treated myself to was a bucket of hot water for a shower, luxury! It is great to feel clean and be sweet smelling!"

"I woke up freezing cold. The water temperature was 19 degrees yesterday and is 9 today! That's good though as it means I've got a favourable current. One thing for sure about the weather, is that today it is going to get windy and then windier. It could go up to 30 knots or more as we sail into a front. The breeze is just going to build and build all day..that's fine though, I'm comfortable with the boat and I'm ready. This race hasn't
been a war of attrition apart from poor Yvan Noblet in the other storm. .40 Degrees came through that relatively unscathed which is good."

"It has been a long, old race. Totally non-stop. I've only just started to let myself start thinking about the finish, you can't let yourself the rest of the time...I certainly haven't mentally clocked that I may be in in a day or two, its too hard to imagine! Its going to get really light at the end, so hard to know for sure.." (Current ETA is some time on Thursday 29th May.)

"So today I'm going to sail as fast as possible and try to hold it all together tonight when it gets breezy.."

"Thank you for today's degrees, that go to: 57W Salty, a lovely dog whose name is quite relevant! The Storers - thank you for your support. ; 58W Batfish - oversleeping was another classic Batfish moment!"

Miranda
www.40-degrees.co.uk

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COMPANIES, INDIVIDUALS and DOGS SPONSORING MIRANDA:
MT Waters, Ancasta, Grapefruit Graphics, GRIB US, The BP Oil Terminal, Musto, The Bugle, Skandia Team GBR, Southern Daily Echo, Health Unlimited, The Volvo Ocean Race, The Merron Clan, Batfish, Audierne Maritime, Dubarry Shoes, Champagne G.H. Mumm, Hamble River Sailing Club, Point Source, Stag Gates Garage & Marine, Sail TV, Bonne Bouche, Notty, PG Colby, ML Controls, Hamble River Authority, Hampshire County Council, Hamble River Sailing Club, CDP, The Moloney Clan, Chanic, St James Place, Sailing Logic Ltd, Topsham Sailing Club, Cuppa Cino, www.thedailysail.com , The Thompsons, BP Shipping Ltd, J-UK Yachts, Violette, Salomé et Robin, Petit Navire, The Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hamble Rage, Batfish, Osprey Racing Yachts, Societe des Regates de Douarnez, Diverse Yacht Services, Activ, Esso, Owen Clarke
Design, The Marsays, Lowford Clinic
Dog Sponsors: Salty, Beatle, Sen