Moonbeam

Hi everyone
 
Less than 950 miles to go now, quite incredible to think that only 1/28th of this journey still to complete.
 
Europe is looming larger on my computer screen with all the familiar landmarks between Spain and Ireland surrounding the focus of Les Sables. All tracks head for Les Sables, that of Mich, Armel and my routing forecasts and ahead I see Sam and Marc making their way to landfall as well.
 
Between there and here I have some fast sailing for the next 36 hours in the low that is pushing me at present and then a big slow up in the Bay of Biscay under the High Pressure that will be forming there. It will not be a straightforward approach to the finish and so there will be all to play for in the final stretch. Wind at present is around 30/35 knots and the seas are up to 5m at times, but it looks like the low will slow up as it approaches Europe, so I will begin to accelerate out of it and back into the calmer conditions ahead of it - a novel experience in this race. In the Southern Ocean the lows just relentlessly sweep over you, this one I have joined from the south just as it is slowing, so I have been able to keep pace with it.
 
Last night was amazing sailing with not a cloud in the sky and a bright moon illuminating everything. A sea of silver stretched all around me, and Bahrain Team Pindar raced across silver waves. The night before I saw another effect of the moon that I have only seen once before - a moonbow, a silver/grey bow in the night time sky with the moon behind me and the rain cloud in front, same thing as a rainbow, but at night time.
 
I have all my fingers crossed that Marc reaches the finish safely, he is going really well at the moment. Bilou managed brilliantly to get through a strong gale with his keel-less Veolia and of course in the last race Nick Moloney sailed into Rio and Mike Golding crossed the finish line with no keel, so it’s become more common - maybe there should be a term for it! I think that with these wide flat, bottomed boats with twin dagger boards, they look not unlike a Dutch or Thames Barge with no keel, so maybe ‘barging’ could be the new term. But barges generally stay in sheltered waters for a good reason and Marc is in the open North Atlantic in winter. At least his weather is looking better than average, but it must be a very stressful finish for him.
 
I am not thinking too much about my finish, in fact not at all yet, as I am concentrating on each mile towards that goal. Still have to look after the boat and to sail as efficiently and fast as possible. I certainly have to look after the boat in this final gale. Maybe as conditions get milder I will start to think about the finish, but that there will be plenty of tactics and sail changing then as well, so who knows, the journey is the thing at present.
 
On board, I still have enough food, the only thing I am running low on is paper towel, I am down to my last half roll!
 
That’s it for now, need to go on deck for a while to check the boat before dark and perhaps change the headsail again.
 
Saw a couple of long tailed tropic birds a couple of days ago, both trying unsuccessfully to land on the top of the mast. Started to see some flotsam in the North Atlantic, mainly fishing floats and plastic bottles.
 
Water temperature is 14.1 degrees at 44N 2347W.
 
Bye for now
 
Brian