Update from First Mate Martin Gibson. Received via email at 7:10pm Thursday June 16th.

I don't know if you ever saw the movie Hidalgo, but it's a great movie about a horse race through the desert. All the racers make a show of galloping across the start line into the dunes, only to then pace themselves when they are out of sight of the spectators. I sorta feel that way about what we just did: now that we are all out of the gate, the real race has started.

Light winds and strong spirits helped us pedal our way out of Victoria Harbour. We put up our # 1 as soon as we were allowed and crossed tacks with the other teams in the same situation. We quickly learned that we were one of only 3 teams to decide to go outside. We will take it!

As the hour progressed, we switched to the finger licker, then to our AP kite, back to the finger licker, and then back to our #1, before the wind built enough for us to put up the #3 and carry it all the way to race rocks, where we switched once more to the #1 and have been trying to stay in the wind ever since. (Or so I think, I just woke up from a long nap and don't really know what's going on upstairs.)

We've been eating fresh eggs and bread, supplemented with candy. And we were able to successfully use our ballast system to load up the rail. All our systems seem to be working as intended, although the pedal system was derailing for a while in the beginning. Luckily, very luckily, I found a cool chain tensioner on my way back from the showers yesterday morning. It was brand new, in its bag, resting in the middle of the path at 7am. I put it in my pocket and I'm glad I did it because it was exactly what I needed to fix the issue, and the problem didn't really arise until we were already motorsailing our way to race rocks.

Well, I'm hungry. Better get on cooking dinner. I believe Josiah has prepared beef and broccoli for us.

#elsewheresailing