Torben Grael driving, with Cabo Frio in background, on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston. Image copyright Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race.
by Guy Salter
We can see the entire fleet as we all plod past Cabo Frio. It’s a mere 65 miles from Rio but it has still taken us 19 hrs to get here.
Had a fantastic send off as we exited the bay, rounded a mark off Copacabana beach and headed for Boston - I think that most people were out to get a glimpse of Brazil’s top Olympian and favourite son - Torben Grael - a few would have lost their voices due to the amount of cheering and good luck wishes aimed at Ericsson 4 and this warm send off reflected the hospitality we all received whilst in town. It was a very welcome break at the end of 40+ days onboard and we all just wish to convey our thanks to all involved in the Rio stopover.
At the moment we are switching between the code zero and the code 3 jib as we get a slight tidal push up around the uninhabited island which hosts Cabo Frio.
Torben spoke earlier of the military owned island and its wonderful diving and its unspoiled beauty and it sounds like a nice area to visit - if only we had the time!
This is my second time round the headland and both times with the code 3 jib up - but this time we are using the jib as a wind seeker as it is smaller and doesn’t bask against the rig as much as a larger lighter sail. In the 1 - 2kts of wind there is a hell of a lot of flapping and this is accentuated by the huge lazy rolling seaway we have to contend with - plus its rebound coming back off the land.
Going forward onto the bow you almost need to clip on what with the seaway and the flapping jib - but if you did end up over the side you could easily swim back to the boat as the top speed of the last hour has been a staggering 1.2kts!
Everyone is trying to slip back into the watch system and this is one of the hardest times of a leg as the sleep pattern isn’t second nature and the real world and its luxuries are still very fresh in the mind - not including the thoughts of the loved ones who we will not have contact with for the next couple of weeks.
We are expecting breeze soon (hopefully a light sea breeze which is due anytime) and as we head north with the trades it is likely to be a little bit of a procession, so keeping close and in touch with the leaders is critical.
That’s about all for now.
Volvo Ocean Race
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