Allure Day 9

ALLURE DAY 9 - KEVIN STOP DRAGGING THAT FISHING NET

Way back in 1980 when I was bringing our family yacht Chez Nous back from Spain with my son Kevin (11 years old) on board, we were low on fuel trying to make Acapulco, Kevin was a little bored with the slow progress and decided a little fishing would ease the boredom, so he fabricated a rather nice net with 3 pieces of teak etc and launched the contraption off the stern. The immediate effect was to slow an already slow yacht one full knot. During the last 24 hours all of us on board have been looking for the sea anchor (or fishing net) that must be attached to Allure, cause we sure got the slows.

To drop from 2nd to 5th place within 24 hrs is very discouraging. We now know how the crew of Flaca must have felt after their Day 8 drop from the podium. The only encouragement comes from knowing that the corrected time difference from 2nd to 5th place is only 30 minutes. So we are all resolved to press as hard as we can to not lose any time and find a way to gain time.

My brother Tom has an expression that is the mantra of the Reinrag2 program. "Accelerate to the finish!" It applies here. It is within our reach.

Winds are increasing, yet sea state remains small relative to normal trades. We are looking forward to our approach to Molokai Island, the Molokai Channel and the finish. The traditional approach to finish is from the North on port pole to mid Molokai Island, then gibe back and forth along the North side of the island till reaching the channel between Molokai and Oahu. This year, our entire division is sailing near the great circle route and trying to arrive at Molokai first will add miles to the course and maybe without the benefit of improved winds and therefore speed. The decision on what to do will play out in the next 24 hrs.

Aloha, Navigator Al

From Captain Jim Morgan

Folks have asked me why I have not posted anything on the blog? Guess not too much to say except racing hard. Unwilling to post anything that was bland or not witty… I've refrained…until now.

Why a ship is called a she?

A ship is called a 'she' because there is always a great deal of bustle around her; there is usually a gang of men about, she has a waist and stays; it takes a lot of paint to keep her good looking; it is not the initial expense that breaks you, it is the upkeep; she can be all decked out; it takes an experienced man to handle her correctly; and without a man at the helm, she is absolutely uncontrollable. She shows her topsides, hides her bottom and when coming into port, always heads for the buoys.
Capt. Morgan

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