From the day of the In-Port we knew we wouldn’t have much wind for the beginning of the race. It was an emotional departure together with Bochecha and all his friends and relatives, and in only 3 to 4 knots of wind. Among the goodbyes, the cheering, we heard the 10 minute to the start warning from the committee on the radio.
The start proved super tricky for without wind you lose control of the boat. We positioned ourselves behind Alvimedica, and little by little we reached mark one.
Metre after metre we were getting there and then the in-shore course got called off and we were told right after mark one we could set course towards Newport. We rounded the mark and wave Brazil our goodbyes.
We switched to offshore mode and the watches got started. Sometimes at the start of a leg the whole crew remains active until late in the night, but yesterday 2 hours into the leg we realized we were ready, and stuck to the watches.
The wind was very shifty and it put us perfectly against Alvimedica which was to our bow and so we could lead on the way out of Brazil. As the night fell in we tacked twice cause the wind shifted more than 40 degrees, which is a constant threat to the fleet and can leave you in a difficult situation.
We were sailing on port tack heading Northeast towards the trade winds. The skies were clear and we could still see the lights of Brazil and a couple of fishing boats.
20 exciting days of racing lay ahead. So far it’s been a great start for us.
#vamosMAPFRE
Fran