How do you decide on your route especially when the light wind and strong tide means you can lose a massive amount by a wrong decision? Mike reported that “Kate is doing some navigating by statistics! Coming over the 'scares' her philosophy was that its a big ocean and very small rocks so we probably won't hit them!”
This morning they were back battling for 14th position and in danger of missing out to the bigger and faster boats near them. They then tried a new approach and at 10am they played their “phone a friend card”! They got advice from Gavin, Paul’s father in law, an experienced sailor on the West Coast of Scotland. It was a radical decision to not follow the rest of the fleet in to Sound of Jura to the East of Jura but rather to go up the Sound of Islay and stay on Jura’s West coast. It was a longer route but potentially there would be more wind and the adverse tide might be less. At 1800 it looked like a very big gamble but the time of writing it looks like this has paid off and they have gained both places and distance on the fleet. The question is now how they will do as the winds drops in the still night and there is an increasing tide against them. Ahead of them most of the fleet is held up at tidal gate between the isles of Luing and Scarba and the few who made I past here will be unlike to get past the 5 knot tide of the Corran narrows which will not turn until 4am. All this means that if they can find a decent breeze there is an opportunity to join up with the leaders. Time will tell!
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