We need more wind

Chinese skipper Guo Chuan, leading an international crew on a 97-foot trimaran, set sail on September 3 from Russia to attempt the first non-stop sailing world record along the Northeast Passage from Murmansk to the Bering Strait between Alaska (USA) and Russia. Here’s an update on September 9…

Now we start to feel a bit impatient waiting for more wind. As sailors, we’d rather have more waves than stay still. But the water is flat and reflects like a mirror today. It is crystal clear view to the horizon.

Since we can do nothing but leave the trimaran to our “seventh crew”: the auto pilot. Nothing to do, nothing to repair, nothing to optimize. Everyone is looking forward to more wind.

Though without ice, we have new troubles now: wood drifting from the river Lena nearby. Our trimaran was hit by a small one piece of wood, it shook the hull and made a loud noise. We were shocked, fortunately, the boat was not damaged. There are lots of wood floating on water at sea. We have to be very careful and vigilant. Some of them are so big that they look like a complete tree. One hit is more than enough for us.

The most exciting thing today is that Inmarsat starts to work when we are at the 77th degree of Northern Latitude. Finally we can reach the world beyond the Arctic Ocean. Quentin called his wife, she came home today from the hospital.

Tracking – Updates