The first attempt to talk to Mirabaud:
- Hi, Dominique speaking!
- Hi Dom, I’m calling you for an update. How’s it going?
- Ummm…okay…the conditions are pretty tough (silence interspersed with disturbing sounds, rustling and flapping sails etc.). Call me later…we’re in a bit of trouble!
Second attempt, half an hour later:
- Hi Dom…is now a good time?
- Sure, sorry about earlier. The conditions here are really hard going. There is not a lot of wind but the seas are huge and messed up. When you rang earlier, a huge wave hit Mirabaud right on the beam and knocked us down. I had to go and give Michèle a hand on deck.
- Is the situation better now?
- Yeah, its okay but we’re suffering! We’re not in control of our routing because of the ice gates put in place by the race organisers, so we’re at the mercy of everything the weather systems can throw at us. For example, at the moment we’re heading for the next gate, we have the wind directly astern and we’re sailing straight into an area of high pressure.
- Don’t you have any alternatives?
- None! There’s no wind ahead of us and we’re sailing at a bad angle. It’s extremely frustrating. The guys ahead of us will soon be battling a huge depression on the nose, so they’re not in any better shape. Listen, I have to go…I’m needed on deck.
- Okay, good luck!
