Melbourne Osaka Double-handed Yacht Race DAY30&31

Melbourne Osaka Double-handed Yacht Race 30th & 31st Day Report

Yesterday was the hottest day I've ever experienced.

There is no dodger on the JAZZ, so we cannot avoid the sun. The inside of the ship is also filled with heat, so to avoid heat stroke, we had to splash seawater into buckets and wear air-conditioned suits while working. It was a full day of fighting the heat.

Just taking the sails in and out of the boat, folding them up and putting them away in a sail bag, can be quite physically draining in the heat.

I was excited because it was sunny, but I tried to repair the torn sail, but it was a surprisingly large area, so I gave up. It was supposed to be a weapon in the second half of the race, but it can't be helped. I decided to gain speed by trial and error with what I had.

And this morning, we entered the front line at dawn and were at the mercy of strong winds, rain and nasty waves. When I was working on the foredeck, the waves lifted my body about 30 centimeters. Sail changes and reefing in rough weather require careful and full power. At times like these, you realize the difficulty of a double-handed boat with only two people. At the same time, it is because there are only two of us that we realize the importance of pooling our wisdom and working together, and we feel grateful.

The waves have calmed down quite a bit now.

Hopefully we can have safe sailing tomorrow.