It has been a long time since I have seen conditions quite as bad as this. It reminds me of the start of the Velux 5 Oceans race several years ago, right now as we slam off wave after wave in the North Atlantic. We aren’t racing, just surviving! We are pleased to be holding HUGO BOSS on course and still within the top 5 of the fleet. The mood on board is upbeat and we are working well together through these challenging times. My co-skipper Ross banged his wrist earlier in the race and he is coping very well under the circumstance. He is a real trooper.
We had a brief respite this morning, which meant we could get some sleep in preparation for today, and it has been one hell of a day so far. We have been battered by a huge depression in the North Atlantic, which seems to be picking off boats one by one. There have been several mast track issues on other boats and damage across the fleet. Not long ago we hit something in the water, which resulted in our starboard rudder kicking up. The rudders on board HUGO BOSS are designed to do this in order to save the rudder, something I am very grateful for today!
I have just heard the worrying news that BT has suffered major damage. They have reported that the coach roof was torn and said the boat was two-thirds full of water, as a result they have set off their EPIRB. This is a distress beacon, which helps rescue services locate the boat. I hope that both Sebastien Josse and Jean-Francois Cuzon are rescued safely. I can only sympathise with their situation. I can vividly remember going through the step-by-step procedures when I was forced to leave HUGO BOSS in the Southern Ocean in 2006. You call the shore team, the race management and the rescue teams, and finally you realise that you have to put on your survival suit and step off the boat. It is one of the hardest things to do and I would not wish that situation on anyone.
It is difficult to describe quite how bad these conditions are, apart from the fact that these are boat-breaking conditions. The bottom line is we need to get south as quickly as possible in order to escape the depression. We remain the most northerly boat in the fleet and I am keen to head southwest and closer to the rest of the fleet as soon as physically possible. It will be another 24 hours until conditions change. I hope that by Saturday evening we will be able to get back to focusing on racing and not just surviving the conditions. I wish all the skippers sailing right now the very best and hope that we all have a good few days ahead.