Aug 10, 2005 – 1615hrs UTC

1615hrs 10 Aug 2005 UTC 51’03”N 008’50”W

Difficult day but we’re progressing slowly. Irelandvisible and 35 miles to the Rock, but upwind. Maximus has finished, so the clock has been ticking since about 0830 this morning – not much chance of getting close to them on handicap but I think we’re still very much competitive in our class – maybe not in the 2 handed division tho – we’re flying blind – nobody knows where the opposition is. Still several bigger boats around us and we’re the second slowest rated boat in the race so something must be working. No idea where the slowest one is – I think I perfer the Hobartsystem but it wouldn’t work here because no-one has HFHigh Frequency – usually refers to HF radio which is long range digital radio that Berrimilla used to send all but a few of the logs on both circumnavigations. The radio was connected via a Pactor 3 digital modem to Alex’s laptop and used the Sailmail software application called Airmail to send emails and pull in emails, weather and GRIB files. Airmail also supports Iridium satellite telephone messaging and Alex used this as backup when the HF radio died approaching England. radio. We’re reporting in by satphone to a mobile phone message service and the press office are talking to us the same way. Don’t know where the articles are, but maybe on the www.yachtingmonthly.com site.

Long procession of kites returning from the Rock – we’re about 20 hours behind the ones we can see now.

Irish accents on all the radio stations – noiceAlexism for quite a lot of things which taste good or are going especially well – and Berri is now further north than she’s ever been. Pete is hand steering and we’re doing it easy for the mo -as long as this fickle Murphy1- The inventor of Murphy’s Law which states (in various ways) that if something can go wrong, it will. 2- Irish beer’s wind holds. We hope that Conor fromCorkwill be out near the Rock to say G’day in Gaelic but it will be around midnight if we get lucky, so maybe not. And probably no photos either.

.sad.