michael's round the world adventure

The race from Panama was a somewhat frustrating one for us, although it was great to be back aboard our own boat with the familiar crew. Having gotten aboard the boat just the evening before race start, and actually sailing her for the first time as we started the race, there was some learning of the boat to be done on the way up. New and interesting ways of changing headsails, reefing the mainsail, tacking, and even differences on the helm had to be embraced by us all. That was all before we got to the fun of how she handles different sailplans in the various conditions we faced.

The trip was mainly upwind, which made for a pretty bouncy ride. That, combined with some very hot and humid weather, resulted in a fair bit of seasickness - the new boat has quite a different motion to the Clipper 68', which takes time to get used to - and with some of the crew down and out as a result, there was a lot of extra effort required on deck. All too soon though, Jamaica appeared on the horizon, and we arrived after just four days at sea. I helmed the new Cork across the finish line with the medium kite flying. Marco, on the bow, spiked the kite for the drop straight after crossing the line, and as the rest of the crew leapt into action to gather the kite I just had to keep the boat going in a straight line...

Since then, we have removed a lot of excess baggage from the boat, which was being stored on board by the owner and will now head back to the UK by container. We have been able to stow our gear much more effectively, and we have arranged things much more to our liking. So tomorrow, when we set off for New York, we hope to be able to put in a better showing. It's all preparation for the big event - the trip across the Atlantic to Cork, which we are all looking forward to so much.

Until New York then, sl