Rough start
Vendee Globe sailor Sam Davies sailing Roxy in the solo, non-stop round-the-world race, has had a tough time.
Here is her log: ‘ I am really sad for Alex, Yannick, Kito, and the other skippers who suffered damage yesterday. Please send them my best wishes….
It was pretty rough out there yesterday – I saw gusts of 55knots of wind, and the waves were ENORMOUS. I had set up my strong wind configuration in plenty of time, and Roxy hung in there under pilot as I braced myself at the chart table! It was full-on!
The front went through early in the evening, with nicely timed wind shift, that meant I was sailing directly into the path of a big ship. It was pretty close, as I could easily see the ship and there was close to zero visibility, so I had to crash tack to avoid it. Luckily, due to the wind shift, the tack put me on a perfect course. However, because of the urgency of the manoeuvre, I had had no time to do ballast or stacking. So, as a consequence, I spent my night stacking to windward, in a bucking bronco. As you can imagine it was pretty much impossible!
So, right now, things are drying out! There is a nice 15 knots of wind and we are just about to round Cap Finisterre, where I should be able to put the gennaker up. I am totally shattered. It has been a big start to this Vendee Globe. I am desperately in need of some sleep and rest, to try to get rid of the cold I left with on Sunday. I also need to have some time to clean up the oil that is sliding around the aft compartment. I reckon I am not the only skipper with these needs.’