meredithcbi

So by morning of the 8th we had worked so hard, it was finally beginning to pay off! We had moved into second position ahead of Spirit of Australia and Team Finland! We were quite excited! Still trailing Hull &Humber by the same mileage, but we were ready to start closing in on them as well!

There were a number of highlights throughout the day! Strong winds, we continued to make head sail changes like they were going out of style! I can recall packing 3 or 4 spinnakers before midday! But with the endgoal in sight, anything that needs doing will be done! We had a few distracted moments as well... some dolphins were feeding on a school of jellyfish, and we happened to sail right through. They swam along side... about 5 or 6, and then playfully swam off! This was quite exciting for me, as I was told during the last race, "you cannot be an Ocean Racer until you have seen dolphins?" at which I knew now, I was one step closer to a new title.

The weather made a huge turn! The nights are bitter cold, where I find myself wearing 3 or 4 layers of clothing as well as my ocean smock. And although the sun shines during the day, the wind is chilly!

Currently I am on mother watch again; the bread was a success and we had porridge to warm the crew! Even my fingers are getting cold while I sit in the nav. station typing this. It makes me wonder how much colder it will be across the Atlantic Ocean! I cannot promise long detailed blogs with freezing fingers! Haha!

We stand right now approx 10 miles behind Hull and Humber, as we sail 40 miles south of Halifax! I can see the cloud clusters over the land, but I have yet to see the Nova Scotia shoreline! Intensity is definitely there. The pressure and stress my watch is under is immense. Even on mother watch, I am continuously checking up on deck, looking about to see where we are, and constantly looking at the nav. screen to see where the other boats are, and what their course and speeds are. I feel that my watch is a little more into this race because of the crew we have. It makes it a little more meaningful when we know we are coming "home"! and I know some people are giving it all they have, while unfortunately others just see it as "another race" or just " part of the experience". I suppose there needs to be a balance of excitement and eagerness with the experience and scenery. Regardless, we have been counting down the days and hours until I could say "I'll be home tomorrow!" and this morning when I woke up and looked to the girls on my watch, I told them! We were all very excited! The 4 girls on our watch, Elaine from England- has her parents waiting for her, Aly from Bridgewater - has friends and family waiting, Elisa - is going home; as am I!!

Side note: I just ran up on deck at the sound of someone shouting, "Whale!" There were a few trailing a fishing boat trolling, and we were able to catch a glimpse here and there. I assume they were either right whales or pilot whales. They did not seem to be too large, and we had passed through the edge of the Right Whale Conservation Site over night. Again, just another step closer to becoming an "Ocean Racer"!!