Race for Water is slipping along gently towards her new destination, Valparaiso, though she’s still having to face up to a cruel lack of sun, which isn’t unusual when you’re sailing in the southern hemisphere during this winter period. In a bid to make the most of any potential clear spells along the Chilean coastline, the captain has modified the course of the multi-fuel catamaran (sunshine, kite and hydrogen) to ensure she is within view of land within the next couple of days, level with Antofagasta, a town along the Chilean seaboard.
Jean-Marc Normant: “I attach a photo which kind of says it all… This little break in the clouds is giving us a little hope for the day ahead. That said, we already have a lot of luck on our side as we have smooth seas and only a light headwind.”
Midway point:
Margaux Chalas: “Life’s good aboard. Everyone has their own task – technology, maintenance, painting, cleaning – to do each day. During this latest trip, the boat is getting all the finishing touches that couldn’t be done beforehand.
Being dependant on the weather means we have to adapt to a fairly special rhythm. We make headway in slow motion, we adapt. I get the sense that even my metabolism is beginning to slow down and my hair has been growing much more slowly for the past 10 days, bizarre! I think that even my heart is beating more gently! We’re shifting over towards the Chilean coast in a bid to hunt down a little sunshine, because right now we’re in an opaque nebulosity, which is limiting energy production.
Before yesterday, the only ray of sunshine of the week appeared in our wake, just a few boat lengths away. A very small crack of glitter with a myriad lights on the surface; it was like a thousand diamonds scoffing at us. We were all watching it with childlike glee, like it was our little gift of the day. Clearly it doesn’t take much to please us! Unfortunately, as it’s a headwind, it moved away from us rather than towards us…
During this delivery trip, we’ve encountered very little marine life, other than one surviving bird, which has become our mascot. Everyone took it in turns caring for him and then he headed off again in good shape (photo to come).
This weekend, the captain treated us to the luxury of a two-day break, so aside from our cleaning chores and our watches we were off. As such the galley was filled with the sweet smell of chocolate. The girls had a hair-cutting workshop and team handwashing of clothes has become an official sport.”