Challenger 3 – Rolex Fastnet Blog : Wednesday (Day 4)

The crew of Challenger 3 finally sail around the Fastnet Rock! Its every sailor’s ambition to do so, but is it what they expected? Here is their account…

00:10, Emma at the helm (keyboard!). So we are fast approaching the Fastnet Rock- about 35 NM as the albatross flies now. We have been hit with the inevitable rain which, although uncomfortable (and wet) somewhat adds to the seafaring drama. Guinness watch have been on watch since 23:00 although a few of us were woken around 22:00 to shouts when our spinnaker blew- not great news at all, apparently it will be irreparable at sea. This is a bit of a blow as last I heard we were hoping to fly it at least some of the way back once we had rounded the rock as we will be sailing down wind. However, being “Pollyanna” as my Mum says, and also having been especially inspired to be positive by Mel’s book of inspiring quotes, all of our other sails are still functioning well, all of us are all doing well (albeit a bit slower than usual) and the food is still coming! We even got to have a [rain] shower!! 5* hotels kiss my a*se!

I have been tasked with keeping watch of the AIS down below; as we are nearing the rock, more and more boats are appearing within the range, and with visibility on deck poor we need to keep watch of potential collision courses. Not much to report, we did have a yacht aptly named ‘Hooligan’ coming straight for us about half an hour ago but we managed to escape its yobbish ways by about 0.3NM.

So since I was down below, and the rest of my watch were up on deck being battered by the rain I thought I would be nice and make them a cuppa…all went well, handed them out all good…then…”Ah it’s really salty!” cried Igor. Whoops. The guys who made dinner had obviously used one of the kettles to boil salt water for the veg or something and forgotten to empty it! So I promptly emptied the offending kettle and re-made the tea which, once reaching its subjects, went down well.

Talking of salt, this evening we learnt the extent of the measures that should be used when attempting to conserve fresh water (we started off doing that pretty well in the first day but have been going through water faster than we really should of late). Dinner was a very much anticipated meal of bangers and mash; I received my bowl with my mash already in from Andre and had a taste..mmm it was lovely and buttery and after a six hour watch really hit the spot. Then, I ladled a massive spoon of gravy on top and topped this with a couple of bangers, bit of wholegrain mustard mixed in the mash; perfect. Cue big first greedy mouthful and…..SALT ALERT! Mel, who was sitting right next to me, had pretty much the same reaction at the same time. It seems that the water used for the gravy had been the potato water, and the potato water, in an effort to conserve our fresh water reserves had come from our wonderful salt water tap! We won’t be doing that again!

Hope you enjoyed the ramblings of a tired Emma on collision duty, it does feel almost submarine- war-film-like down here- humid, red lights, confined chart table space, watching the radar, telling the weapon room to load the torpedoes (JOKING!). The only difference being if you were at this angle on a submarine you would be worried!

Oh yeah, probably important to mention that WE are overtaking everyone! Such a good feeling after the wind lull of our long afternoon watch J. Still no sign of the other Challengers/ Catzero on the AIS though, wonder where they are?! You guys at home will be able to see though! Enjoy the Fastnet 2013 show…love to all, Emma

Igor says: Rounding the Fastnet Rock is supposed to be a major milestone in every yachtsman’s career. We certainly got all the challenges of getting there, but the rounding turned out somewhat anticlimactic (so I am told, for I was fast asleep at the time). With driving rain and visibility of under 50m, what the crew saw could have just as well been some headlights in the mist.

Wednesday morning heralded the beginning of the return leg, with south-westerlies allowing a fast beam reach towards the Scillies. Having finally picked up one of the other Challengers on the AIS last night, it became clear that we have some catching up to do. The return leg is becoming a drag race, with few tactical options but following the rhumb line as fast as we possibly can. Seeing more boats around us makes steering easier, and passing them provides the much-needed distraction for the tired crew.

Past the half-way point, everyone has settled into the offshore routine, yet with Plymouth approaching at over 9 knots, the thoughts are turning towards the showers and beverages it promises.

Igor out.

Andre wrote: I never blog but felt now was a good time to start…Today I rounded the Fastnet, not many Brazilians did it, this was in my bucket list since I was 10 years old and heard the stories about the Race from the person that mentored my in sailing – Paulo Bracy, one of the great Brazilian Yachtsmen, that raced several Fastnet and won in 1973 with Saga – the only time a Brazilian boat won the race. This is for you Skipper…

We may not be doing that great in the race but I doubt any other crew is being fed as well as we are. With several great chefs aboard – Sarah, James, Michael and Rod – our menu is diverse and sophisticated, varying from gourmet pub grub to Thai treats. Now we are having jack potatoes for lunch and looking forward for the Chilli con Carne in the evening.

Soninha e Gabi… Beijos… Saudades

Andre out

You can follow the actual position of Challenger 3 and the other competitors in the IRC CK Class on this Live Tracking Chart. You can follow the team on Twitter #Challenger3 or on Facebook.

If the voyage of Challenger 3 is giving you the desire to learn how to sail then give us a call on 0203 006 3717 and discover how easy it is to become an excellent sailor with our wide selection of RYA Sailing Courses.

Posted by: First Class Sailing