Daily report from on the board the Open 50 Cray Valley

Hello from Cray Valley

Position: 44 15S/30 56E Heading: 170 mag Speed: 11 kts Last 24 hours: 268 miles

It is gray and gloomy here as I am driving further and further South. The wind is fairly light and I spent all morning trying to get my diesel heater fired up.

So far no luck–it makes an obnoxious fume in the cabin but the fan does not kick in. I am not missing it yet, but it is just a question of time before I really need it… At least I have a great new insulated sleeping bag and I can see that getting out of it will require a good deal of willpower when the weather gets really cold.

Another front is on is way so I am trying to get as much rest as possible. Cray Valley handles herself perfectly under autopilot and I have done very little steering since the start. I am about 60 miles behind Magellan which has taken an excellent start, but the race is long, a lot can happen, and I am not overly worried by his lead.

See you tomorrow JP