Skipper Report , Day 8

Hola! Last two days of sailing this year and what a year 2019 has been! From being selected as the first Spanish skipper of the Clipper Race in its 23 year history, to lots of amazing sailing and Clipper Race training, I have met lots of new wonderful people, including great sailors like Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Mike Golding, Alex Thomson, Nikki Henderson and Natasha Lambert. Then we had the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race start from St Katharine Docks in London and the rest has been, so far, a dream come true; sailing 24-7 in some of the most exciting waters and conditions, with a varied group of individuals from many nationalities and backgrounds. I am very grateful to be able to do what I do and I hope my future career in ocean racing continues to be as positive as this Clipper Race.

About Race 5: Our strategy has been so far to keep on the edge of the weather systems and to get the full whack of really strong winds and waves to be able to sail with more sails, more comfortably and, in theory, faster. We have learned from Race 4 that sailing in the middle of a secondary low pressure with winds up to 80 knots and waves close to 12m that more wind doesn't equal more speed but turning into survival mode with minimal sail and therefore going slow. Time will tell if our strategy works, stay tuned to the Clipper Race Viewer for the outcome.

The Punta del Este crew for this Race 5 continue to exceed expectations with amazing dishes coming out of the galley. Today, Joanna and Petrissa made a gorgeous roasted butternut squash with a yogurt curry sauce with cheese, that I had to have seconds. Helming skills continue to improve daily with challenges like very dark nights where keeping a good course is not easy, special congratulations to Henry and Ingo for getting their helming gold stars. Other sailing skills like sail changes, trimming and navigation are progressing well with this crew (especially Susan and Rajani) hungry for knowledge and aiming for high performance.

Daily Stats:

Tune of the day: Say Geronimo, Sheppard

Daily Run: 251 nm

Max boat speed: 24 knots

Sea life spotted: Very unusual but no much life out here

Sailing manouvres (sail changes, tacks and gybes): 2 reefs to protect the boat from squalls.

Hot drinks consumed: Three rounds of coffee and a few teas

Meal of the day: Roasted butternut squash with curry yogurt sauce and cheese

Crew of the day: Henry for a solid helming

Tip of the day: If you cannot release a line in strong winds, kick it harder!

Jeronimo