t is a very pleasant late afternoon in the English Channel. We
are 100 meters astern of Merit Cup, with Silk cut 0.5 mile to
windward and slightly aft of the beam. We are all reaching along
at 12 knots in very smooth seas.
The fleet is spread out a bit, but in a northwest-southeast line,
so all very even in distance to the finish. It will be quite
interesting what happens under the cliffs at Anvil Point at 04:30
Sunday morning. It will also be quite interesting to see if we
will have to put in a few more miles and if so, where? The
logical bet for the extra miles is to North Head and back to Poole
Fairway, and then into the Solent for the finish off Southampton.
Just had some freeze-dried pasta with Albacore . . . not bad. On this trip the boys broke the contraband rule in a big way and we are
full of cookies, candy and and all the bad things you can imagine.
We have picked up our first floating fan today, a 60-foot
powerboat. I am sure the flotilla will get bigger every hour
until we finish tomorrow afternoon.
Not that this is my last report of the Race, but I want to thank
Quokka Sports, the company who has set up the Web site and managed
it for the past nine months. I also what to thank all of you who
have followed our progress, in good times and bad, around the
world.
As you know, it has been an incredible experience in all
of our lives, one which we are very privileged to have. I am happy
if you have gotten a better feel for our adventure and race
through this medium. The Internet is an ideal tool for this sort
of event, and I know that the sky is the limit for what will be
done for the first Volvo Ocean Race in 2001.
Thanks to you all!
Paul Cayard's Whitbread Log
