received 20.12.08 0944 GMT
OK enough is enough. Let’s get to Singapore.
This is by far the longest I have ever been sailing upwind in my life. Even when we got to the Pulau We scoring gate and could turn right, the wind shifted right with us so it was dead on the nose again. It has been upwind and very shifty in the Malacca Straits, which has meant lots of tacks. This is a nightmare for all the crew as it is hard to get any rest when off watch and you have to repeatedly carry all the stack of sails from one side to the other, as well as everything inside the boat down below.
Tactics are very hard, as you have to balance what shifts are worth tacking on against the hassle and loss of speed involved. Nothing is worse than tacking only to find the wind shift back and having to go through the process all over again. You only get one or two of those before the crew have had enough!
We have not gone well upwind in terms of boatspeed and we are very much trying to minimise our losses in the hope an opportunity will open up later in the leg. It feels like the last few days have gone quite well for us despite 6th place at the scoring gate being below our high standards.
Onboard everyone is hot and a bit fed up of sailing upwind - it is all work and no pleasure. We have also had a major battery-charging problem and at one point were very much looking like having no power for the last few days. That would have meant no food, water, lights, instruments or communications. Andrew (Andrew McLean/AUS) (Animal), James (James Carroll/IRL) and Steve (Steve Hayles/GBR) have been on the tools all day and fortunately we are now able to charge off our main engine again - the generator regulator is broken - and we are stocking up with fresh water just in case of further problems.
The shipping lane is getting busier and busier but no sign yet of many fishermen or pirates. But there is a lot of debris in the water like bits of bamboo and tree trunks. We have a permanent spotter during daylight but will have to keep our fingers crossed at night. It will only be a matter of time before we hit something. Hopefully it won't be something as big as the tree we have just sailed past that stuck 7ft up out of the water!
On the bright side, we have made good progress against the clock and Christmas on dry land is now looking more than likely. We now have less than 500 miles to go.
Ian Walker - skipper
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