I spoke to Peter at lunchtime - his lap top isn't giving him weather so he has to rely on my rather more vague analysis (plenty of wind today, staying westerly and dropping overnight and less wind as you get towards Plymouth). They were romping along under the reaching spinnaker - but the bad news is theat Orca has been rompling much faster. Richard radioed Peter as they shot past on a Class 40's favourite point of sail
But it's not over yet. Once they round Bishop's Rock the wind will be pretty much dead astern and on that point of sailing Nisida is much faster than Orca, especially in lighter wind (after Cowes Week we are intimately acquainted with Orca's relative speed on every point of sail and in every wind strength). I'm still puting money on them being in sight of each other at the finish line
Peter reckons to round Bishop Rock sometime after midnight tonight. He's then got until 11.30am tomorrow to beat our 29 hour trip back of 2 years ago (Peter's fastest ever). Given the wind direction and forecast, and the tide liekly to turn against them by then, that's a long shot, but they will be aiming to be safely tied up in harbour by tomorrow night and to be saved moving onto the spare 5th dinner of tinned Tesco curry. Or more to the point they will hope to be enjoying a well earned beer.
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