Sam Davies reports...

...exclusively for madforsailing from on board Maiden II midway through their Route of Discovery record attempt

Having come from my Mini Transat into this it is taking time to adjust. Right now we have 1,000 square metres of sail up. The most sail area I could hoist on the Mini was 120! As Sharon Ferris, our sailmaker, pointed out, that is smaller than our staysail! The power and speed also produces noise and motion. It is hard to sleep on the first few 'off watches' when you are not sure what noise is normal and what isn't. Now, I sleep soundly through the noise and motion and only wake when it goes quiet. It is funny how quickly your body adjusts to things like this.

The crew is great. Much that I love to sail solo, I also enjoy being part of a team, and already this crew is a great team. There are many strengths amongst the crew, and we are sharing our knowledge and experience and at the same time learning as much as we can. There is no hierachy and no sexism (although we are wondering who put the "no Bikinis" sign up, and I have heard that the golden blanket has been awarded!)

Hopefully we will get this record, then we are straight off to Antigua in time for Race Week to do some corporate sailing, boat maintenance, and most important, some r & r!

Maybe see you there?

Checking the rig