Several big Milestones today on Dorade. Early this AM, we broke the 1000 Nautical Mile barrier for distance to Hawaii. We are now 995 Miles from the Finish, at position 27 40.5 N 141 18.5 W. Secondly, we broke several speed records set on the trip, recording top speeds of 12.4 knots, 13.1 Knots, and 13.4 knots. Last night was some of the best sailing the boat has seen, with Matt Brooks surfing down rolling waves almost the entire length of his Midnight – to – 3 AM watch.
Lastly, the morning position report has us maintaining our standing of 1st place in Division, and we have stretched out our lead over the 2nd place boat by several hours. We have moved back up to 15th OVERALL, and we have some small hope that the fleet behind us, currently holding onto the first 14 spots on the overall, will sail into an area of lighter breeze in the coming 2 days, giving us a chance to move up on the overall.
We have been averaging about 8 – 8.5 knots with about 12-17 knots of wind speed. Matt Brooks has been practicing with the Boat’s Sextant, and he is going to attempt to take the LAN noon sight and render our position today.
We push on tenaciously, with high spirits and the feeling that we are respecting the tradition of Dorade and doing the fine yacht proud.