VOR: GREEN DRAGON LEG SIX DAY 4 QFB: received 14.04.09 1338 GMT

by Ian Walker (skipper)

Not quite sure what to write about today as nothing has really happened. Conditions are fairly benign as we fetch pretty much down the rhumb line to Fernando. Every now and then we have changed from the Masthead to the G1 headsail but other than that there is little excitement and there are no real tactical options.

Some boats lose more than others in the clouds which get dealt fairly randomly, particularly at dawn and dusk. In the last 24 hours we have done fairly well at stopping the losses and that would seem to vindicate our slightly more offshore position. As seems to often be the case, our job now is to work hard to stay as close as we can for when the race opens up later in the leg. We are not carrying our new upwind code zero on this leg as we cannot use it on every leg without it falling apart and we are missing it right now as the wind heads and decreases. There has been little or no wildlife to speak of but I expect the flying fish to get going soon. The water is warming up quickly and onboard temperatures are rising.

Fortunately it is not too bad sailing upwind as there is wind over the deck. Other than that all I can report is a lot of discussions about what everyone is going to do when the race is over. It feels strange to be racing towards a point we have already been to (Fernando) and in some respects this closes a loop. For me our loop around the world will be properly closed when we return to Galway in May.

Volvo Ocean Race