Race update 14th March 11 am.
After a challenging first week, Curious Roo, the S&S34, has found its rhythm, reaching the Southern Trade Winds for a smooth, glamour ru,n having navigated the Australian Eastern Current with impressive skill.
“We battled strong easterly swells and 25-knot winds,” said Peter Garrett, co-skipper of Curious Roo, summing up the first week. He added, “The last two days have been delightful, with a Code 0 up and making way at 6+ knots in 9 knots of wind.”
The early days weren’t without their dramas, Peter noted, while using seamanship to make repairs at sea. “The furler disintegrated on day two,” he explained, adding that the boat took refuge off Flinders to escape the rough seas. “We cut down bolts—no mean feat while at sea,” Peter added.
“Today, we also found a substantial leak in the aft rudder area, which had submerged our food. Tightening up the rudder seal bolts and sealing a hole where the grease injector broke off has stopped the flood,” Peter continued.
“Luckily, we only lost two bags of pasta and some dried meat, and we were able to dry out the rest in the sun.” After some further housekeeping, the crew now has time to relax.
We must admire Peter and Neil’s ingenuity and delicate ‘surgical skills’, named aptly the ‘surgeons at sea’, to bring to life their Starlink system connecting it to a rechargeable battery system and bolting the boat together.
With just over 330 nautical miles behind them, Zero is still leading the second group of starters and is closing the gap to Curious Roo, with co-skipper Kobayashi sharing a video and commentary indicating that they had “at last caught the ocean current” and were enjoying 10 knots with sunsets to top it off.
Learning to Fly, the NZ /Bermuda J99 yacht, with co-skippers Alan Paris and Jon Sayer, has retired from the race and is heading to Sydney for more investigations.
It was a difficult decision after a night of searching and not being able to locate the reason for some minor saltwater ingress.
To say the least, they are both gutted. The time, energy and excitement when they were finally on their way to now not really knowing where the water was coming from.
Our hearts go out to both Alan and Jon, both Race Organisers and fellow competitors are feeling for them given the preparation and time it takes to get to the start line.
Top image – Neil on Curious Roo, drying out gear from the wet aft locker Photo Peter Garrett
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