All the talk on the Malacca Straits was of pirates, fishing nets, shipping and obstacles but it was the wind shifts and tide that we should have been focusing on.
It has been a frustrating 24 hours on the Green Dragon. We gained many miles back on the leaders yesterday and then were stuck in a similar place to Ericsson 4 with no wind and lots of tide against us. For five hours we sat and were washed backwards into the old wind and we couldn't get into the westerly that carried the leaders away.
It was infuriating, as we knew this was likely to be our one shot at getting back into the race. We licked our wounds and made gains back overnight, but today we again were stuck at the narrowing of the straits in no wind and foul tide. This was simply bad luck on our timing. As we struggled to turn the corner, the Russians reached up behind us in good wind from 24 miles astern! They are now about 3 miles behind us, which will ensure close racing until the end.
This leg has simply not gone our way and I look with envy at the close racing amongst the top four. It might seem strange, but on balance, I think we have sailed the best on this leg that we have so far in the race and everyone remains very focused on the task ahead. What is in no doubt is that we are all looking forward to getting to port. Considering I write that at this stage of every leg, it does make me question why on earth we choose to do this in the first place!
Ian Walker - skipper
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