Wouter Verbraak asleep in the cabin on HUGO BOSS. Image copyright Andy Meiklejohn/Alex Thomson Racing.
by Wouter Verbraak
Over the last couple of days our air conditioning system has been providing us with a refreshing cool breeze, and has made sleeping arrangements downstairs a lot more bearable despite the intense heats of the tropics. This morning however, we have had no choice but to close down the system, and now slowly the temperature downstairs is climbing and will soon make sleeping near impossible.
The reason for the shutdown? A knot more wind and a bit more waves; the hatches that have been open over the last five days and have been functioning as a very efficient air conditioning unit with a nice draft through the boat, have to be shut again. Too much water over the deck unfortunately...
Also, a hammock as seen on some of the big cats, have not been provided by the tour operator, so outside sleeping under the boom is not an option. As such I see no other option but to deduct a star from the overall experience of our sail along the Brazil coast, and recommend future customers to either bring their own hammock or negotiate a better air conditioning solution with the tour operator. Oh, and an ice cube machine would be highly desirable too. Man it’s just too hot for a man from the north!!
Note from SailRaceWin: The Sydney Opera House effectively has fridges in the ceiling, to cool the air... Cold air sinks, whereas warm air rises. This, therefore, helps to maintain pleasant temperatures throughout the auditorium... We suspect, however, should such "fridges" be installed on the boat, that there would be complaints in the Southern Ocean if the cabin on HUGO BOSS did not also have underfloor heating!
Wouter Verbraak
Andy Meiklejohn
Alex Thomson Racing
Barcelona World Race
