A great third place

The last time  I wrote my blog, we were racing up the west of Scotland and having some frustrating times as winds died away. We were expecting a gale, but there was still no sign of it. After the Butt of Lewis, the wind improved and we were close to a number of our rivals. The scenery was great as we turned east to go over the top of Scotland and and managed to stay in second position, but only by a couple of miles. Our next objective was to get to the Pentland Firth at the right time. This stretch of water can have a tide of 7 knots, which if it is against you, can bring you to an absolute stop. We hit it at the right time although the weather had changed and we were feeling some of the effects of the gale. A number of people were seasick and we worked hard to cover their places. As we progressed we saw many vessels, many support ships for the oil rigs and many rigs themselves. There are strict rules about the distance you should be away from rigs and their support vessels. We also had the traffic separation zones (ships motorways) to negotiate safely. By this time we had slipped to third and were being pressed by Derry. I got up for morning watch at 6am and we had 33 miles to go. Derry were bearing down on us but we were desperate to get on the podium. The fight lasted 3.5 hours and the atmosphere on deck was electric. We trimmed sails intensely and I am delighted to say that we went over the line with about half a mile to spare.

Our reception in Den Helder was very good. It is mainly a working port for the Dutch Navy and oil field support vessels and icebreakers. There is a marina and connection to the canal system and the authorities put on a fair/festival for the weekend. We have also all been given a gift of a pair of clogs. I must say if I attached a mast to one of them, I may be able to enter it for the next race.

We are now preparing for the last race. The crew are ready for the end now. We have consolidated our overall 5th place and are very happy with our performance. We have been the fastest boat during the last two races, quite an accolade.

We have also raised sufficient money for the boat's charity, Mercy Ships, to perform 21 life changing operations in west Africa.

The finish in London on Saturday will be spectacular and emotional. Many of us have said that we will be wearing sunglasses whatever the weather. I look forward to getting back to home life and and if we engage in conversation about this adventure, please tell me to shut up if I ramble on too much.

Best wishes to you all,

Malcolm

NOTE: For those reading this via email update, don't forget to visit the blog at https://malclipper.blogspot.com where you can pledge support via donations to Malcolm's chosen charities - the Bobby Moore Fund tackling bowel cancer; the James Whale Fund for kidney cancer; and Prostate Cancer UK.

"Awkward! You could have told me it was red-jackets-and-beards day!"