Hard times tonight on VARUNA. The old and well known sound of the sails
for a few hours...flap,flap,flap. Continuisly zero knots of boat speed
and shifting winds not allowing the sails to catch any pressure...flap
flap flap. Fastnet Rock just beside us, a flat Celtic Sea and an almost
full moon.

The ETA at the Lizard moves back and back.

The atmosphere on board is relaxed. We know there is nothing to change
about it. Just keep trying to point the bow in the right direction and
keep cool.

The scenery is beautiful: on the starboard side the moon iluminates the
flat water and on port you can see the flashing light from Fastnet Rock
light house. An area with big importance in ocean racing history with
the irish coast in the back.

The mountains on land look welcoming, maybe the perfect place for an
outdoor summer holiday. Again the smell from land rushes through our
lungs. In the early morning hours you can see the moon disappear and the
sun rising. On deck it gets warmer with every hour but it never gets
really hot. The apparent wind and the cold water around us always keep
us fresh.

Although we are all just letting it happen and keep pushing hard there
is always somebody who is just frustrated with the wind, the
competition and the whole situation. This feeling stays never longer
than one watch. We call it the atlantic depression. It's similar to the
"what the hell I am doing moments." They are part of every offshore race
and you have to get through them. It's a big part of team sports to
handle situations like this. Just one or two hours of frustration. After
the experience of such a moment you just feel relieved and fresh, ready
to continue with old power. You start joking about these moments because
looking backwards it's just funny how angry you can get in such a
moment. That all is part of the game and part of the reason why we are
out here...no pain, no gain.