From: "Dee White" <dee crinan net>
Date: June 26, 2005 12:01:17 PM EDT
To: "Brian Buckland" <brian elanman26 freeserve co uk>, "Chris
Pitcher" <chris pitcher lawcowalsall co uk>, "Christine Wright"
<chris cassadign fsworld co uk>, "David & Hannes @ David's"
<davidsbb icon co za>, "David Allin" <dallin epo org>, "David Norton"
<david norton4 btinternet com>, "Diana Wilkes" <hidi bloxwich com>,
"Don Morrison" <dfm mv com>
Subject: FW: Pindar News 6.3
Hi folks,
Thank you to all who have started sending messages through the Pindar
site to Nick. He was very pleased with them and it is raising his
profile with the rest. Keep them coming in even though you may have
nothing new to say. If you read other people's - they don't either.
I'm having a bit of trouble knowing whether my newsletters are being
sent. My computer tells me no. 31 is still in my outbox and yet I have
had a few replies so I'd appreciate knowing who has received it. Is it
the storms or the hot weather? I'm in good company as both Telaurus and
Challenge have had trouble too.
Its good to see Pindar keeping up with the others, and exciting to get
up each morning to find out if they've gained a position - unlike the
last leg which was "how many more miles have they lost".
I might manage one more letter before La Rochelle and then possibly I
might be able to borrow my son Simon's computer to let you know the
final bits of news.
Over to Nick. Best wishes - Dee
-----Original Message-----
From: 42 N White [mailto:NWhite telaurus net]
Sent: 25 June 2005 19:40
To: Dee White
Subject: Pindar News 6.3
PINDAR NEWS 6.3
Well after wind to get us out of Boston harbour short tacking it died
and
died and died!!! At least it's for all of us. It picked up again in
the
end
but has put the whole fleet back on arrival time in L R. We rounded
waypoint
Charlie in 5th place about 4 hours ago but should have been round it a
couple of days ago. As I write we are one of nine boats in sight of
each
other after over 900 miles of racing and some people ask us if it's a
serious race!!! It took us two days after sighting Dee (Imagine it
Done)
to
catch her and then we seemed to quickly move up the fleet. We are neck
and
neck with B P sometimes ahead sometimes behind in fifth or sixth place.
Guess who's doing mother just when it starts to get exciting. We were
close enough to Dee to take pictures of each other's skippers and we're
within hailing distance of BP. Yesterday we watched Dee blow her promo
spinnaker and as she was flying that it suggests her 1.5 is also
damaged
otherwise she would not use the promo as there are too many points to
lose if it's wrecked.
That reminds me, Hoods will not be at La Rochelle to do any sail
repairs
so
we will need to look after our sails or there will be lots of hand
stitching
for us when we get in.
Have had a good time running the pit lately it's nice when Loz asks me
to go
and sort the pit out, after other people have been there, so it's ready
to run efficiently for a kite drop etc. That's not a criticism of other
people working the pit but it's nice occasionally to have your own
niche
praised. Often the only comments I hear is when I make the occasional
cock up and I get a deserved kick up the backside 'cos after 30,000
miles of running it
I shouldn't be making mistakes. Sometimes it runs so smoothly I don't
feel I'm contributing to the race so it's nice to be reminded that the
pit man is
needed.
This leg like the last leg is down wind and we've yet to put a reef in
but
The difference is the traffic about. There's lots to look out for and
racing
under spinnaker in thick fog can be a bit tense hearing a ship sounding
it's
fog signal of one prolonged blast and trying to work out where it is
when
our boat is yawing wildly in the swell. We have radar but the "Marpa"
tracker easily loses itself as our yacht heels and we often lose the
target
when it gets masked by an incoming squall. Strange but a nice feeling,
after
being behind for so long, to have boats from the fleet behind us. At
first we thought they must be commercial vessels showing up on the
radar
or night
lights and it wasn't until the scheds came in that we realised the
targets
were the "enemy".
Talking of scheds (the position listing of the fleet we get sent by
email)
they have been down for some time due to the fact that Race Office in
Southampton was struck by lightening. It's strange that after so many
miles of sailing through thunderstorms with lightening all around us it
should be the building in Soton that takes the first hit and not one of
the boats. Long may it stay like that. At least you can walk out of a
building without finding you have to walk on water!!
So what else has been happening -We've had the usual schools of
dolphins
ducking and diving passed the boat. They don't seem to come so close
now.
Perhaps they are more used to boats and wary of being chopped up by a
propeller. Just to ensure we don't get bored with them (as if I ever
would)
they start jumping really high out of the water flapping their tails as
they
fly through the air. They could teach a few zoo dolphins a trick or
two.
Before the racing got so intense we tried fishing as have some of the
other
boats but with no success and more importantly we've not caught a
dolphin.
They seem to be aware that it's a lure on the end of our line and
steer
clear. We're having to remotivate Barcs to do the media filming after
Challenge completely ignored our films from the last leg. Can
understand
why
he's been demotivated, it's happened to me when I've written articles
and
not even got an acknowledgement However it's important he keeps up the
filming as we have won a prize on the previous leg for all our film to
be
professionally edited and for each crew member to have a copy. Oh and
I've
got a bad cough desperately trying not to land up in my bunk and be a
dead
weight so I'm following Kathy our medic's advice to the letter. Her
three
staple cures seem to be "get your trousers down" - "drink more water" -
"gargle as often as possible with salt water". Guess I'm lucky it's the
salt
water gargle for me!!! Perhaps it's as well I'm on a mother watch every
four
days so I can get more rest. We've done this so the bow boys don't do a
mother watch and keep together as a team all the time. Does mean they
don't
get a rest and mother is a rest as it no longer holds the terrors of
the
early part of the race. I'm getting a pretty dab hand at baking bread
and
lunches consist of emergency rations from the last leg - Just pour into
a
pan of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes!! We're also on the
lookout
for the single handed Virgin Atlantic rowers who crossed our tracks.
Some of
the boats including Vaio I think made radio contact yesterday. Finally
I've
had a lengthy article about me sailing and bellringing at the stop
overs
published in the ringers weekly magazine "Ringing World". Thanks to my
new
ringing friends in Boston for telling me it was published and letting
me
have a copy instead of having to wait until I got home to see it.
I've had lots of messages from friends sent to the Pindar website which
is
very cheering. Now I'm now getting as many messages from friends as
other
crew members so thanks to Diana Wilkes, Robin Reeve, Dave Allin, Tony
Forrester, David Godbehere, Chris & Les Wright, Heather & Co, Sarah &
family, Ken & Aud and Ched Heys. - To David Godbehere you're dead right
all
your navigation classes should carry a government health warning as the
theory started with you and a lot of the early opportunities to sail in
tidal waters. You've got a lot to answer for!!!!! - To Heather, the
baked
beans is fine in theory but unfortunately in practice it would result
in
a
wholesale evacuation of the yacht. It's my theory that that is why the
Marie
Celeste was found abandoned with unfinished meals still left on the
table!!!
Replies to Messages
Diane Cermak - Thanks for the info on the painting will be in touch.
Sandra & Diego - Thanks for the kisses not sure if I'm going to share
them
with Andy I'm greedy!!
Heather - Great to hear from you shame but the site of the 'Boston Tea
Party' is practically in ruins although Rowes Wharf where we were
moored
is
supposed to be the actual site according to the harbormaster. (note the
American spelling!!)
Jon - (South Africa) great to hear from you thanks for those words of
encouragement. Please tell Belinda that the San Africa goodies all
arrived
safely. Love to you and Angie Lynn and Cyril and all the folks we met
through your family.
Ok folks that's all for now. I started this email a couple of days ago
and
things keep changing so fast I only hope it's still relevant by the
time
its
winged its way over the airwaves to you.
Love Nick