Published August 10, 2010 | 
The week before departure was hectic. I met my boat in disorder. The preparation and changes which should have been made had only for a part been started. The result was: no sleep during the first three nights and working full time to get the boat through the secu check. At the start I was exhausted but happy I managed to get out to the ocean!
The start was as one of the first boats, also at the first mark. Then a long leg to Finisterre. I tried in these two days some sail changes which did not work out as they should, but took a lot of energy.
Then, during the third night, I was captured in a big fishing net. I had to stop the boat fully to sail backwards and cut me out. It did not feel I had a lot of damage to keel and the rudders seemed to be ok. Only about an hour loss….
Then, at Finisterre we were chased by 20-25 knots of NE winds. With my medium spinnaker (70M2) I surfed a south westerly course for hours about 13 to 17 knots jumping over waves and surfing down hard. Then, after the shipping lanes, we left the lights of the last cargo’s or any other ships for about 5 days behind us and we were alone in the dark with the wind and the waves.
This is where I decided not to go too much south now. I changed my spinnaker for a code-0 (I do not have a code-5 which is a much better fit under the conditions there) changed course to about 250 and went for sleeps that night.
The next day I was exhausted completely and slept during one day and night with only the regular look-out, trim and check sessions in between. I experienced very intense dreams as if I were drugged…But it helped enormously to get in shape again (though, in oceanracing, you will never get the shape at the start back).
The days after I figured out my further strategies towards the isles of the Acores and the finishline. The wind was stable in its direction though sometimes I experienced 4 knots of wind and sometimes 18, which made me surfing with the big kite on over the forming waves jumping to the next one. Again and again fantastic experiences. The stable wind direction made me relax in this race.
About three days before arrival, I hit my first whale. It was a big bang and the nose went deep in the water. I was afraid for keel and rigging, but everything seemed to be ok. Also, the whale came to the surface and I saw its side fin. No blood in the water. Later, in Horta, I saw according to the fin form, that it had been a Spermwhale (max length 18 meter, 3 times longer than a mini and 50 times heavier…). That night I hit two others of which one hit the port rudder.. Damage on keel and rudder seem to be only cosmetic with some deep scratches also probably from the fishing net.
Then, two days before arrival, I saw a blue minispinnaker. This brought me back to my tactics and fighting spirits. I made a plan how to pass him, which I did. I only saw him again at the finish, when I was moored, after arriving fourth. He came in as fifth. I did not know him but it seems that we sailed against each other also during the Mini Pavois 2010 where I finished as 3rd.
Baker Tilly, third, was already an hour in and Xavier and Davy already longer. All three very good sailors (Jean Marc Allaire from Baker Tilly is Olympic Laser sailor for France and Figaro sailor):
Pictures of NED 602 on this site
Video:
http://www.lessables-lesacores.com/video,2010,5
http://www.lessables-lesacores.com/video,2010,20
http://www.lessables-lesacores.com/video,2010,25
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe7drq_robert-rosenjacobson-dessine-nous-l_sport
