Winning the first race

The most difficult yacht race to win, is the race to the start line.

Well, we have started that race. It is 4 and a half months to go for the December 1st start of the 2010 Governors Cup Race, Simonstown to Jamestown on the mid Atlantic island of St Helena.

Its going to be a hectic 4 months. Business, family and home, and preparing the boat. All within a very tight budget and not much money in the treasury. But we have decided that it will take more than a lack of money to prevent us from reaching the startline.

The boat is being slipped at the end of July for some minor modifications and an overhaul, then back into the water at the end of October. Then some local sailing until we sail down to Simonstown round about 15th November for the start on 1st December.

Up to now I've done quite a bit.

1. I've entered the boat.
2. I've booked the family's passage on the mailship to St Helena and back. (that's another story)
3. Paid over some money for 1 and 2. That hurt.
4. Done a lot of homework on solar pannels and batteries.
5. Bought one of the two solar pannels we will need to charge our boat's batteries during the race. We are going to be a green boat. (that's also another story)
6. With the input of my co-skipper (we are racing two-up) started to work on a comprehensive list for every item that is going onto the boat. We will restrict weight to a bare minimum.
7. Managed to borrow a life raft. Thanks Graham.
8. Managed to borrow a spinnaker. Thanks Graham. These are two big items which we can hopefully now delete from the budget spend.
9. Seeing that it is a long race, I've lengthened the tiller.
10. This morning I've marinised the gas stove by fitting an aluminium pot retaining ring onto the burner.

Having done all the above I am only left with 99 other matters to deal with before we can claim victory in the race to the start line.

Frans.