The Final Countdown

The race is suddenly on. Technically it has been for the last fortnight although that has been difficult to keep sight of at times. We have been making our way across the Atlantic with nothing but updates on a computer chart to remind us we are racing eleven other teams to the finish line in Londonderry. Due to the relatively light winds that have been blowing in an unfavourable direction, this finish line has become unattainable in the time limit allowed.

In my early days as a multi-sport competitor the swimming event was a set time length rather than distance. We had to swim as far as possible in three minutes. I always found this harder to pace than a straight two hundred metre race and however much I practised I would still always be able to sprint those last ten seconds. This transatlantic crossing began as a 2950 mile endurance race and has turned into a twelve hour sprint. Clipper Race Control have decided to calculate the results at midday today by plotting each boats distance from the original finish line. I've discovered on this race that there really is no such thing as plain sailing and the wind conditions mean the final few hours will be very tactical indeed.

Being part of a team on such a big boat, it is sometimes difficult to feel your input is making that difference but right now everyone is making that extra little effort in whatever way they can. We are now poised on the edge of our seats or I should say the edge of the port (left) side of the boat in order to optimise our speed. It is literally a waiting game. The question is: is it too little too late?