The start from Punta del Este was a bit chaotic. Many spectators gathered on the breakwater, which had sheltered us from the incoming waves for the last few days. The course was set to start downwind, which caused a few challenges for everyone. However, it was again our boat which crossed the start line last. Of course it is not the end of the world to cross the start line a couple of minutes after everyone else if the race is taking a few weeks to complete. But it is not really good either.

A positive side effect was that we could monitor one of the other boats putting the spinnaker up shortly after the start. Once they got out of the land cover, they were then struggling to get it back down straight away. That made us stop our hoist preparations and abandon that plan as to not face the same fate.

The first few watches have been tough: low temperatures, big sea-state and strong winds after a longer break. This meant that many were struggling with seasickness. And also I have not been spared. At least it only lasted for a couple of hours. As of today, everyone on board feels good again.

The weather has also calmed down a bit. We are currently trying to get to the south of the high pressure system. This will allow us to hoist our freshly repaired spinnaker. In the following days it will become clear if it is worthwhile to alter course and head for the scoring gate. The other option would be to stay on the fastest route to Cape Town. Of course we don’t know which surprises the weather in the South Atlantic holds for us. The latest estimates sees us arrive in South Africa in under two weeks. This would give us a lot of time for the repairs and some well deserved rest.