By Brian Hancock
OK, so I was wrong, well sort of. I was right about the Table Mountain wind shadow effect as the crew on Spirit of Helsinki discovered to their dismay, but ask Translated 9 and now Maiden how they feel about things. It’s blowing a sh*t storm in Table Bay right now as they try and get to the finish.
There is this thing in Cape Town they call the South Easter, actually most Capetonian’s call it the Cape Doctor because it blows all the germs out to sea and cleans the air. However, it has been known to blow real dogs off chains and, funnily enough, as someone who rides many, many miles on bikes, some of those pesky bike riders, the ones wearing spandex, off their bikes. That always brings a smile to my face. I will never wear spandex.
Right now it’s like Table Mountain is having a hissy fit and the maidens on Maiden are catching it in on the chin just as Translated 9 did before they got safely tied up at the V&A Waterfront which by the way has the most spectacular view of Table Mountain.
Now, I am not a prognosticator. (or a proctologist for that matter… If I did I would be living in a bigger house and driving Tesla, but I see the outlaws in Outlaw slipping down the left hand lane as if they knew all along that it was the right way to go. Keep watching. They may yet make a deal with the devil and pull one off. They know how to deal with headwinds. And the occasional flying fish in the face.
This has been a very exciting leg of a very exciting race. It’s a tricky leg because the weather systems can chuck some weird stuff your way, but that’s sailboat racing at its best. Watch Outlaw and also watch L’Esprit d’équipe (I would write more about them if I could only remember how to spell the name of the boat), but they are cruising along at a very respectable 8 knots while I am sitting here with my cat on my feet trying to type in the dark.
Congratulations to all of the boats, not just those who have finished, but also to those that had the courage to enter this grand adventure.
Go Bokke, unless you are reading this in a pub in England.
