CLIPPER RACE 2, BLOG 2 : The doldrums

In this blog James gives us an update as to how travelling through the Doldrums is going, facing 36 degree heat and flying fish!

Steelmonkey

So, you know my name. Can you guess my game? I’m going to tell you any way. Just as the song says. A rigger, or rather on this boat, a rig check. We are approaching the doldrums in a calm sea but there is still a bit of sway. We have had a watch leader recover a spinnaker halyard, to be followed by our AQP with the formal rig check. We were absolutely reliant on the team to get them safely up and down on two winches and two good halyards.

One of the crew is a committed foredeck adrenaline junkie and very handy to have aboard.

Degrees

Very recently the temperature has been a talking point. Everyone is finding the heat, especially below decks difficult. Just in the last couple of days we have reached 36 degrees. Any chance of a cool down has been welcomed, so deck showers with the fire hose have been enjoyed. New names have been found for the galley, from the original tilting Cafe 45, to the Bistro 36: Body Heat. External seating is at a premium. Already we are thinking of Restaurant 0 Degrees – Onshore!

Doughnuts

Recycling of old lines continues with new doughnuts on the Windseeker and Yankee 3. Dyneema¬Æ used for chafe protection to cover some early wear and tear as we exercise our lines more.  Soft shackles now attach our anti-wrap net to the forestay. We kept enough old line to make these, and now will have some outer sleeve to make yet more sail ties – we are having some masterclasses in Diamond (soft shackle) knots soon.

We are excited to be travelling through the Doldrums, with the promise of the Equator and the Neptune ceremony to come after – Only a week or so away.