While the rest of the western world celebrates with food and booze, spare a thought for the sailors trying to set a new Jules Verne record. Here is how Antoine spent the lead up to Christmas:
Delamination on the mast: “Antoine did a great job on the outside, a bravo to him because it was 'challenging' up there. We have to repair the inside of the mast but we are going to put a gennaker so that we can glide a bit more to make it easier in the sea.” – Yann Guichard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzmWMn3Cjxo&feature=youtu.be
The crew on Spindrift 2 is playing a delicate game on the helm and with the trimming in order to keep in the strongest possible wind on the edge of an anticyclone which is moving up to the level of the estuary of the Rio de la Plata in Uruguay. It is requiring a lot of concentration, but it’s also a period of more easily manageable sailing than in recent days, and it is a welcome sight to observe the behaviour of the mast after the delamination problem that was repaired in the last few hours.
After two days heading upwind in choppy seas, this quieter moment will allow them to enjoy celebrating Christmas a bit. So, before negotiating the new strong winds expected on Saturday, and after more than a month at sea going around the world, Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and the whole crew are preparing to celebrate a Christmas Eve dinner far from their families, but shared with their fellow adventurers. They will have a festive meal and open some presents hidden around the boat. A Merry Christmas like no other!
Day 33 – 15h00 GMT
106.19 nm ahead the current record holder Banque Populaire V
Distance covered from the start: 20,718.2 nm
Average speed over 24 hours: 21.8 knots
Distance over 24 hours: 523.6 nm
