On this last leg we just finished she hit a top speed of 23 knots going down the face of a steep wave with the spinnaker up at 2am in 25 knots. About 30 minutes later I was pinned to the leeward side of the boat (which had been the weather side) covered in the full jib inventory. Myles was tired and had Chinese gybed after swimming out of the jibs I bounded on deck in only my thermals to sort out the mess he had created. As Myles says so much for all the people snubbing her as a 5 knot shit box!

The penalty for being over the line or extensions of it after the one minute gun is 30 minutes per 1 second over with no going back. We thought this would mean the fleet was way back from the line – not true! The committee boat was favoured as they didn’t want us getting to close to the pin (the Royal Navy ship Ironduke) and about 10 boats tried to fit in space for 5 while we started about 50 yards down from the boat in clear air about 15 seconds late.

Everyone started with small jibs for maneuverability and being the smallest we were soon wallowing while the big boys rolled over the top of us. At the breakwater we did an inline change to the number two and reached out to the Eddystone rock where the wind picked up and it was a tack change to the number 3. The change took us to the north of the rhumb line while everyone sailed on the favoured tack to the Lizard. We wanted to be to the left of the fleet as the wind was meant to go around to the south however, with the tack change we found ourselves the furthest right but in a 30 degree lift with the tide pushing us back to the rhumb line and around the Lizard. It became a fast tight reach to Bishops while everyone to the south was coming in downwind in lighter air so we rounded within the top 2/3rds of the 60 boat fleet.

The spinnaker was hoisted at Bishops and during the hoist the bag went over as Myles hadn’t clipped it on in his haste to try and retrieve it he head butted the deck. The bag disappeared behind and Myles stood up with blood coming out of his nose, teeth etc. Mum was going to ask me to explain this one in Kinsale!

The new spinnaker bag aka bin bag!
We had a great run down the rhumb line with the heavy kite deciding to take it down when the wind got up to 32 knots in the continuous rain squalls that kept on coming in. The AIS system was brilliant in allowing us to follow everyone’s moves in the race and see what their boatspeed and course was. I think this new cat 2 requirement is really going to change yacht racing. As we closed into the lighthouse at Kinsale at 2:30am we saw the fleet slowing to 1.5 knots and there was no way around the hole between us and the finish. The last 5 miles took 6 hours and included us getting out the oar and rowing (something you are allowed to do in the race!). My parents took 15 hours to get from the start in Plymouth driving and on the ferry arriving late the night before.

After a great 48 hours including the repair jobs, a visit to a 15th century fort, the best pub meal I have had in a long time and a very sound sleep in a great B and B we took off again early in the morning headed for Barra. My boyfriend who had come down for the stop over headed north (back to his home) with a few jobs to do and pass the parts onto my parents. Loading us down again with great homemade treats and food my parents left the night before for the three day trek by car and two ferries to the Outer Hebrides Island of Barra we ended up getting here 4 hours before them.

Mum’s food is very very tasty!