From green to white to pink again! - 1245 hrs King Island Race update.
Reports just in from Simon Dryden, skipper of Dry White, is that his crews' faces have gone from green to white - and now back to pink again - as the wind starts to increase to ten to eleven knots with the occasional patch of four to five knots. This is holding the boats steadier and the crews are starting to feel better in the rough and quite lumpy seaway. The day is also warming up as the sun is trying to poke its way through the cloud cover. So things are looking up for the crew – if they can hold their breakfast down.
Simon says ”It's like pulling teeth out here trying to get distance with the wind coming straight out of Grassy". The fastest boats are now making about five to six knots towards Grassy.
Crew member Neisje, now enjoying the more settled sea conditions onboard Dry White
Looking at the Yellowbrick tracker the boats are now bunched up together like a mad women’s knitting as they come abeam of Cape Otway. They are all positioned west of the rhumb line with the two earlier “coast huggers,” Gusto and Cadibarra 8, tacking out to join the rest of the fleet - so no clear tactics to date.
Mirrabooka is positioned east of the fleet and may be going out wider to take advantage of the stronger winds predicted further east. They are currently sitting in 20th position overall.
There has been no change in the makeup of the lead group of Calm, Scarlet Runner and Goldfinger. They have all increased their speed slightly as the wind freshens with less than 2.15 nm separating first from third. Interestingly all three of these boats are in the lead position in a different category. Calm is first in line honours and IRC. Scarlett Runner is leading in the AMS category and Goldfinger is leading the PHS category.
Click here to view Yacht Tracker.
Regular updates are also being posted on the ORCV FaceBook page http://www.facebook.com/OceanRacingClub.
Dry White after arriving at Stanley in 2011 (Photo courtesy of John Curnow)
