Thursday, July 07, 2011
Dare I say it... the weather forecast is looking reasonable for this weekend's RORC race to St Malo. The third race of Sailing Logic's Fastnet campaign, and hopefully, the first in which the wind will stay less than gale force strength!
There is a low pressure over Ireland moving NE, so the 3pm start on Friday just outside Cowes could yet be lively, but as the low moves onwards, the forecast is teasing us with a promise of sunny days and 'alleged' UK average wind speeds (i.e. sub-20 knots). I say 'alleged' as anyone on the Fastnet campaign will no doubt, like me, be in some disbelief over that statistic.
So it's T-23 to the start and the route has been announced (and the finish re-clarified). Sails are back from the menders. Food has been ordered, delivered and is being sorted into 'meals' to make life onboard over the weekend easier for the crews. We've checked the tide times in the almanac and had a quick scan over the charts to make sure we know where we're going.
I've heard so much about the pleasures of offshore racing, the sense of peace, tranquility and open space. So far it's been a white knuckle ride every time ... so maybe this weekend we'll experience the true joys of the offshore race!
We'll let you know on Monday...
