Day 11 – Racing along and the Trade Winds

The wind conditions for yesterday and today are such that both crews are able to make some really decent mileages, which is great. The forecast is also looking fairly stable throughout the next week, with things only looking like they’ll change around Christmas Eve. This is pretty much of what we’d expect and strong following conditions is one reason why this route is chosen. These are the trade winds, named for the trade route which were established by using them to generate between Europe and the new world by pushing sailing ships across the Atlantic. These winds are not 100% reliable. They will not always blow from exactly the direction that you want them to. Sometimes they will be disrupted and blow against the crews, but that doesn’t mean that the trade winds have deserted the crews. Nothing, especially in nature, lasts forever.

I’m sure that despite accepting this truth that both crews to some extent will be celebrating this week as in their minds will have “reached the trades”. The boat will feel as though it is being directed only towards Barbados and all they have to do is hold on. Sadly this is not the case and reality is far tougher. While the short range forecast for the next week is generally positive there is a sign that around Christmas Eve that the pattern will be disrupted and that adverse winds may blow. It might not, it probably won’t last for very long but if the crews had started to expect that their boats would be blown all the way to the beaches of Barbados, they will be disappointed.

But for now the crews are enjoying favourable conditions, warm temperatures and the daily battle with the ocean. They are overcoming daily challenges of moving around on deck, swapping rowing position, cooking, eating and…using the bucket all on a tiny boat in a vast sea while being thrown around on vast waves and buffeted by strong winds. The wrong move could spell disaster but after nearly two weeks at sea this is their reality, their job.

In positive news, Ocean’s Elite have spent this morning fault finding their solar setup and it looks as though we’ve found the reason why the crew were having an issue. This is great news and we’re continuing to work with the team to get this fixed so that they have no issues moving forwards. We’ll update you all tomorrow but at the moment things are looking rather positive.