Ericsson 4 Leg Five Day 22

I don't know what the fleet has done to deserve it - but we are still going upwind. If the race were to be like this next time I doubt there would be any repeated appearances by any of the crews - me included.

I can't say that I loved the southern ocean experience last time, but there were definitely good times as well as many harsh and hard times which were not even close to being pleasant. But that still beat going up wind in a boat designed to do the opposite.

We hope that the sleigh ride is just around the corner so we can really let Ericsson 4 do what it does best.  The ride onboard won't be any easier but the daily totals will be healthier and the time to RIo should drop dramatically.  The sooner we get in, the more time to relax away from the race. As it stands, we often don't get much down time due to preparations for the in-port racing. The shore teams do a great job, but they too look drained at the quick turn arounds.

The last day or so has passed slowly but we have hopefully passed the halfway stage and we can look forward to counting down the miles.
So here's to getting their safely and living a normal life for a while where everything that should be stationary actually is - this bouncing around lark is losing its fun a little.
 
Guy Salter – Media Crew Member