Four weeks from the start

Pictures of Brian Thompson skippering the .IMOCA Open 60 boat 'Pindar' as they train in France, Lorient, for the Vendee Globe start in November 2008..Thompson will be embarking on the round the world race in 'Pindar' with confidence given his latest winning performance at the 2008 Artemis Challenge...All pictures must be credited "Lloyd Images"

Hi All,
 
As I write this it is exactly four weeks from the start of the race, to the minute. So approx one third of the voyage completed already. Quite incredible, how fast it has flown by. Maybe because each day so much happens,  and each day you are so focused and absorbed on the boat, the weather and the race, that time becomes irrelevant, its just the moment you are in. Each moment flows into the next and before you know it a month has gone by.
 
So what has been happening on Bahrain Team Pindar over Saturday night, Sunday and Monday? Saturday night was the tail end of our 3 day gale, and the wind started at 35 knots and tailed away to ‘just’ 25 by dawn. Seas starting to die down, but still grey and drizzling.
 
Sunday’s wind was forecast to drop so I went straight for the big spinnaker, and was happy with myself for pulling off a good hoist at the upper limit, but instead of dropping, the wind decided to increase to 26/27 knots. I put a reef in and filled up the aft ballast and did a lot of hand steering but she was still going down the mine a lot, even went to 2 reefs which helped a bit more. My first 2 reefs are quite small compared to other boats. 
 
A couple of hairy hours after that the wind dropped down to 18-20 and things were back under control. The sun even came out for a very brief period before the mists descended once again. At this stage I saw about 400 metres away a whale’s tail go high in the air and disappear from sight, that’s all I saw of the whale but the tail was black and very large. I was hoping to see it again, but it must have been diving deep to search for a krill buffet.
 
Later I came upon a white object in the water, I thought from a distance it was some flotsam, but it was a white albatross asleep on the seas, with his head on his wing, like a duck. I was going to pass it safely but I got to about 30 metres away when it woke with a start and took off into the wind, at the top of a wave, looking behind accusingly as I flashed past. There are so few vessels in this area, it may be the first time its sleep has ever been disturbed. What was surprising to me was how effortlessly it took off, it looked no harder than a herring gull taking to the air off a lamppost.
 
Last night was the slow night, going through a bubble of very light airs, with the spinnaker and full main, in thick, thick fog. I could not see more than a boatlength ahead of the boat at times. I was closer to the high than the boats immediately behind, and was more slowed, though Temenos, one place ahead, was even more in the centre of the high and was going even slower at times, The leaders kept the wind and gained on all of us in this part of the game.
 
Today was fantastic spinnaker sailing in the Southern Ocean, seas quite flat and visibility 5 or 6 miles. Made a few gybes towards the ice gate and then the wind got too much for the spinnaker so now I have gone for a smaller sail, and gybed again. Although its 9 degrees outside it gets pretty warm doing some of these sail changes, and if you forget to take off at least a thermal layer, you end up absolutely dripping and spending time with no shirt on at all just to cool down.
 
In the great conditions today did a thorough check over on the boat, scanned the mast with the binos and checked underwater with the endoscope. All seems good, although that short wind instrument wand that had come loose, finally disappeared from the masthead last night. The electrical cable was the only thing holding up , it probably chafed through and down she came 30 metres to the deck.
 
Now more fast sailing in prospect and a push to get a little further south to ride the windshifts correctly. From the Sea Surface Temperature charts I have, the sea is rapidly cooling ahead, and it will be a while before I see 10 degree water again.
 
Lots of storm petrels playing around the bow of the boat. Fantastic little flyers that move as fast and wildly as bats, looking for food amongst the waves, without ever touching them. Incredible reactions.
 
So that’s the Bahrain Team Pindar update.
 
Brian
 
Sea temperature 8 degrees, cabin temp says 17 but I am disbelieving that now that I can see my breath condensing as I write this. I think the thermometer is getting the heat from the instrument panel. Chilly and damp below is more accurate!