New Plymouth, New Zealand

Well, what a great week before race start day. First the new sails arrived on Saturday and they look awesome. A quick test sail in 15-20 knots and BWR hit 13 knots upwind and 21 knots downwind. Great stuff, thanks to Kenny from Fyfe sails. On Monday night the sponsor Fitzroy Yachts hosted a BBQ followed by a tour of a nearly-completed 50m super yacht, with a 59m mast. It is huge! On Tuesday night we had a reception at the mayor’s office - very nice. Wednesday saw a day of briefings on sea safety etc. Friday included another test sail, with not much wind. On Friday night we had the Solo Trans-Tasman race dinner - a bit of relaxing time, and a chance to catch up with the other solo sailors. Saturday saw the final top-up with water and food and another test sail. We have also been doing lots of little jobs all week and checking over BWR to make sure that all was ready to go. And of course we had a great time catching up with friends and family all week. One night to go before race start, one last full night’s sleep for a week.