How the weather has changed! It is a trade wind like day with favorable winds for all in the fleet.

Also, how the rankings have changed since yesterdays results. When I thought PRIDE would have fallen back in fleet since yesterday she has managed to gain. She also gained in class. That was a surprise to me as well. Very gratifying to the crew of PRIDE which have so many things they must do to keep this 190 displacement long-ton reproduction of an American 1812 War Baltimore Privateer vessel moving.

There seems to be two strategies that have played out in the fleet since the start. Those that can point and foot well to windward have seemed to concentrate on loosing latitude. Those that cannot point as close and still foot along have found themselves well to the north of the direct racing track to the finish. For some of the Class A vessels the reality of not being able to point as high as the fore&aft rigged vessels in the fleet put them into the new and favorable winds sooner than any vessel that tried to hold to the race rumbline. That new wind was from the NW at first but quickly veered to North andput the vessels that gained a lot of latitude during their sail close to the wind after the start of the race in a powerful sailing position sooner than any of the rest of the fleet positioned more to the south.

CAPITAN MIRANDA (jumped from 2nd in class and 6th in fleet to 1st in class and 1st in fleet) and EAGLE (jumped from 3rd in class and 7th in fleet to 2nd in class and 4thin fleet) seem to have benefited most by their inability to match the fore&aft rigged vessels for sailing to windward. While Class A MIRCEA did not gain in class they gained four places in fleet with their long sail out to the north while much of the fleet remained “in the middle” so to speak.

Of the “middle of the road” members of the fleet it seems Class B TECLA has done well to preserve 1st in class and only lose one place in fleet by dropping to 2nd when CAPTAIN MIRANDA gained 1st in fleet. The results of the Class A movement in fleet since yesterday gave me pause to realize that for some of the fore & after rigged vessels it might have done them well (maybe PRIDE…had I thought to do so) to bear off the wind a little more and sail the same courses as the Class A members…thereby gaining speed…and maybe a more comfortable ride. Doing so might have put them into the new wind sooner than they actually received it by being more to the north. Ah well. The wonder of hindsight, eh?

Life aboard PRIDE has become nearly bliss for the crew with the change in the weather from banging away to windward to rolling along with the wind. Not to be outdone by the fickle weather, PRIDE’s cook Robert, provided all hands with a German Chocolate cake for desert after a dinner of barbequed pulled-pork and/or baked ham with fixin’s like baked cut potatoes, roasted corn kernels and a salad.

So, life is good aboard. And like all crew of all vessels, no one is thinking about the next weather to come and how it may change their fortunes on board or in the race. Leave that to the officers. The hard work of sailing to windward has been justly rewarded with favorable winds, positive results on the “leader board” and a swell meal. Plus many of the new members of the crew are eating now that they feel better.

Cheers,
Jan C. Miles, Captain aboard Pride of Baltimore II