Captain's Log

January 20, 2003

Hello all,
 
Exactly 52 hrs 40 mins from the moment that the wire supporting my mast broke, BTC Velocity was back sailing. It was a whirlwind 2 days with many emotions tied in. I really thought there was an outside chance that I could get within striking distance of my fellow competitors, but this event ended that hope. It also and most importantly means 2 days less with my wife Becky and Son Tucker. We have had so little time together since the race started.
 
When a wire / stay breaks on your mast there is a good chance that within seconds, you mast will crack and come tumbling down. This event would have made my continued participation in the Around Alone questionable, BUT with a little luck and some quick thinking the mast was saved. Amazingingly enough in 1995 when sailing my J 105 solo from Antigua to St. Augustine, Florida the exact same breakage occurred, I was 200 nm from land that time and still had the Gulf Stream to cross, perhaps it was training for the Around Alone !!
 
Yesterdays trip to Melbourne was quick and simple with the only complication being a delayed return flight due to the brush fires that were on the outskirts of Melbourne. You could smell the smoke in the plane at 3000 feet. Poor Australia they really are under siege from these brush fires. Once back in Hobart, I was collected by Constable Buckingham and delivered back to BTC Velocity. I was again assisted by Graham who finished tensioning the rig while an Agricultural Inspector visited the boat. Wanted to know if I had any ' bees ' on board !! Untied the lines from the dock except my stern line. The wind was 20 kts from dead behind, I unrolled the staysail and waved goodbye to my Tasmanian team at 7 pm local time. This will probably be the first and last time I ever sail BTC Velocity off a dock, but the conditions were perfect.
 
One last bit of excitement was that I hooked a Rock Lobster pot on my keel and had to do some reversing under sail to release it.
 
Good to be back at sea and headed for Tauranga. Present conditions are good for a fast passage and like many of you I am watching with interest the great battle going on between Everest Horizontal, Spirit of Canada and Spirit of Youkoh. Good luck guys.
 
Alan
BTC Velocity