Kameradschaft

POSITION: 160 Meilen östlich von Salvador, Brasilien
WINDGESCHWINDIGKEIT: 13,7 Knoten
BOOTSGESCHWINDIGKEIT: 15 Knoten
BUGRICHTUNG: 003 Grad
ENTFERNUNG ZUM ÄQUATOR: 845 Meilen

Ein zentraler Aspekt der Weltumsegelung, der nie in der Punktewertung, im Plan oder im Fortschrittsbericht auftaucht, ist Kameradschaft. Wir verbringen einen Großteil des Jahres mit denselben 10 Jungs, Tag ein und Tag aus, doch leider gibt es bei dieser Regatta nur wenig Zeit oder Gelegenheit, zu entspannen. An den meisten Tagen rennen wir einfach nur aneinander vorbei, während wir unseren jeweiligen Tätigkeiten auf dem Boot nachgehen. Routinen sind nicht ohne Grund Routinen und nur selten haben wir die Möglichkeit, mit ihnen zu brechen.

Doch diese Etappe ist anders. For the first time I can remember, it's pleasant enough to be on deck at all hours of the day. Day, night, dusk, dawn, it doesn't matter; life is dry, warm, and the seas are flat. Guys are spending their off watches talking on the rail, shooting the poop, so to speak. Resting is easy, sleep is plentiful, and for the most part everyone seems eager to be on deck when they can be. We're talking so much that maybe it's a detriment to our performance! The groan of eased sheets and clicking of spinning winches is often lost in the sound of laughter. Inside jokes are being hammered more than ever, and the mood seems unusually casual. It feels like we're getting to know each other all over again, and it's made what could otherwise be considered a "boring" sail (by this race's standards) very enjoyable.

But once in a while – like every three hours – we’re reminded of our little race to Miami, and we again focus on making the boat go fast. We’re happy with our windward position on CAMPER and we’ve cashed in some of that leverage over the last 24 hours to foot down over their bow, fully expecting a geographic lift to take us clear of Brazil and towards the northeast before we hit the beach. The boat is going well, we’re adjusting to the squally conditions (conditions that demand everyone be ready to run at all times), and most importantly we’re having fun. Life is definitely fun at the front of the pack!

- Amory

Amory Ross

Medien-Crewmitglied

PUMA Ocean Racing, unterstützt durch BERG

"We're entering a part of the race course largely dominated by clouds. We'll be active at all hours of the day and night from here on in." - Tom Addis