Sunday 22 March 2009

VOR: TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG FIVE DAY 36 QFB: received 21.03.09 1646 GMT


David Vera and Xabier Fernandez working on a small fitting of the mast, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro. Image copyright Gabriele Olivo/Telefonica Blue/Volvo Ocean Race.

by Simon Fisher (helmsman)

If I'm to be perfectly honest there really isn't too much to report today! The last 24 hours have been pretty relaxed, reaching along under mainsail and small jib.

We are not going quite as quick as we would like due to our previous woes with the forestay and then the more recent episode with the checkstays deciding they were going to fall from the sky, but everyone has taken this firmly in their stride and we are all doing the best we can with what we've got!

With that said though, the relatively modest amount of sail has allowed for a slightly more relaxed pace recently and everyone has been able to unwind a little bit and get a little bit more sleep then they would normally! Hopefully this will set us in good stead for when things once again go light on us and we can channel all this extra energy into making more repairs to go faster and more effort into sailing when we have light enough wind to get the big gear up!

Right now though there is no cause for complaint - we are making steady progress at the mark, under the sun in nice flat water. All in all, a nice day for sailing out here!

Volvo Ocean Race

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