Greetings everyone, once more from the VESTAS SAILROCKET operations base in Walvis Bay , Namibia.

We arrived yesterday afternoon after a round-a-bout tour of Africa via DOHA in Qatar, Johannesberg, Cape Town (overnight stopover) and then a final flight into Walvis Bay itself. I've never seen Walvis Bay from the air. It looks tiny. Emerging from that tiny cabin into the glaring Namibian sun, I mused to myself was like coming out the tip of an intravenous needle right into the heart of the speed sailing world.

We had maxed out our luggage and it had been a real effort to get everything down here. We had all sorts of fragile toys... some of which are up to 7' long to get through customs and baggage terminals. I was wearing all my warm tops at once and every pocket was crammed with heavy technical stuff. Anyway... here we were... back at the arena with all that behind us. What now lays ahead of us is a big job and a big ask.

We have to hit the ground running in order to make the most of this upcoming record attempt. There are only three of us here now, myself, Alex Adams and Helen Rollinson. Helena will come down with the rest of the team in a few days.

It has only been 24 hours but we have already got a lot done. The soft hangar is up beside the container and VESTAS SAILROCKET is outside and upside down getting her undersides touched up. The support RIB is outside with the batteries on charge and I'm online and in touch with our litte world.

I have to admit that it was pretty strange coming back here. Each time gets moreso in fact. I think it is because we just have so many strong memories associated with the place. Local Uber Landlord gary from The Raft picked us all up and dropped me off at the yacht club. It's always great to see the familiar faces. A few things had changed but basically... it was exactly the same. That's a good thing in my books. I walked around to the back of the container... and noted that for some reason... I had to force myself to look across at Speed-spot.

I haven't had the time to reflect on why that was the case. It's maybe because I have so much to do between now and the actual time when I face up to that particular 'ring'. Don't get me wrong... I am really looking forward to it and feel mentally up for the challenge that awaits... I know what I have to do in the coming weeks. If we are going to be successful, then something pretty epic is going to happen just over there.

So anyway, the wind came in and the sun was shinig. Walvis Bay was greeting us with a perfect Sailrocket day. We had other things to do. There were a fewe nasty surprises awaiting us when we opened the 'crypt' that is the storage container. Some form of evil had attacked many of the seals on the MUSTO drysuits. They had melted away as if turned to molasses. This is exactly the reason why Helena comes down later... so she can fix the unexpected and perhaps bring down a solution. Right now she is scouring the South coast of England looking for repair kits and even seven whole new suits. I have no idea what may have caused these brilliant bits of kit to go like this... but I'm sure MUSTO will help us find a solution. they are as essential as any other part of VESTAS SAILROCKET.

I am in no doubt, therefore neither should any of you reading this be, in any doubt that this is the last time we will endouvour to max out this particular boat. It has had one hard life. The important bits are still as they should be and that's why I believe we can still do this. I think the boat is very well sorted from a conceptual point of view and it will be that the sound application of all we have learned which will allow us to see the concepts real potential. Our job as a team is simply to be able to wring every last knot of speed out of this boat.

The tent is rattling against the container now as the wind is really honking. Too much for us today. The container door to my right frames the distant Namibian sand dunes glowing golden red in the evening light. A picture of Hydroptere hangs on the door. I hope they are enjoying their time at the top. We will do our best to make it as short as possible:) Our record period begins next Friday... then the fun will begin in earnest.

These are happy days.

Cheers, Paul 

VESTAS SAILROCKET finishes 2nd record attempt with a century run... (in homage to Bernard Smiths 100th birthday.)

Yesterday was a bit strange for me as the mood changed from a record breaking mode to a more reflective one. It also marked the end of a record session plagued by winds that always seemed to be just not quite right.

We went out to speed-spot as it was our final day of this two month record period as we didn’t want to miss any opportunity. I knew the odds for setting records were against us. Strong winds weren’t forecast but we had to leave no stone unturned.

There was another element. For all I know now, these might be the last runs that this boat does on this course. Now of course nothing is for certain. If the best way forward for us is to push on here with this boat then we WILL, as a team, make it happen... but that is to be decided later with all relevant parties present. For us down here at the coal-face... yesterday was a chance to just go out, give it a good bash... and enjoy the wonderful boat which we have nurtured into becoming one of the fastest sailing craft on the planet.

Seeing as this month will see in the 100^th birthday for Bernard Smith, the conceptual father of our wonderful boat, I was keen to post our 100^th run as a sort of homage. We had done 98 runs down this gorgeous course and I was also determined not to do a ‘Bradman’. For those of you not familiar with Donald Bradman, he was a legendary Australian cricket player who was a wizard batsman throughout the Depression (the other one) and on to 1948. On his last appearance he only needed to score 4 runs to record a career average of 100 runs... nearly twice that of any rival batsman. He received a huge and extended ovation as he took the field which left him quite emotional. On only his second ball he was bowled out for a ‘duck’ (no runs). The great man left the game with a career average of 99.94 runs. Later in the change rooms as he took of his cricket pads he was left to remark ‘Gee Whiz, fancy doing that’. Even if we didn’t get good conditions I was keen to post 100 runs of our own.

So as we wheeled VESTAS SAILROCKET out of her soft hangar I reflected on all the other times we had done just this, all the people that have helped us and all the dreams and aspirations that had gone with each appearance. I took note of all the modifications and repairs and what they represented. The trip across the lagoon entrance to speed-spot was pretty quiet. So speed-spot was in fine form as the wind gusted up to 20 knots. The sun was shining and a mist of sand was blowing across the beach at just the right angle. I knew it wasn’t strong enough for records but decided to have one more shot at the mile just in case we got lucky. It would give me more time to enjoy the boat as well.

I made an effort to explain all aspects of the run to the onboard camera throughout the run. The run went perfectly considering the mild conditions. We hit a peak of 44.65 knots, did 41.12 over the 500 meter course and only 39.12 knots over the mile. VESTAS SAILROCKET was just cruising effortlessly along seemingly enjoying the run as much as I was. I could have reached out and touched the finishing buoy if I wanted but stood off just a bit (remember Bradman Larso). It was extremely shallow and I must have been clearing the bottom by mere cm’s past the finish line. So that was run 99 done.

Walvis was not going to play ball in the record department. The next run was just for the sake of it. We put the rig up one last time as the African sun set behind us. We were just going to do a short 500 meter run but it still took time to reset the course from the mile. By the time I dropped the tether it was 22 minutes past sundown and getting pretty dark. The PI RESEARCH displays shone brightly and the Walvis Docks were ablaze in the distance. I could barely make out the buoys with the visor up and could hardly see a thing with it down. On my right I could make out the dark shore but couldn’t really tell how far off I was, instead I used some of the shore lights as references. With the wing lightly sheeted we cruised down the course on our hundredth run at just over 30 knots... in the dark. Thus endeth this record session, one that brought little joy.

Once over I actually began to feel more buoyant. We had done all we could and now I can relax for a bit. We can begin to focus purely on the future rather than the constant pressing demands of the present. The roller-coaster had stopped... for now anyway.

We brought VESTAS SAILROCKET home the long way around to avoid the sandbars and I savoured putting her away in one piece and in great shape. She didn’t get champagne but she had my full respect. It’s been my ‘magic carpet’ ride that’s for sure. As much as I consider the boat an inanimate structure, another side of me can’t help but feel that she has gained a soul, simply because we have put so much of our own into her. When I look at her scarred structure it’s like flicking through a photo album, one that still has a few empty pages laying in wait at the back. Like I said, the future is not certain. I know that we haven’t seen the best this boat has to offer however we as a team have limited resources and they have to be managed. Maybe the fastest way to the record will be by putting those resources into future designs. All the cards are not yet on the table so we will see.

So last night we had a big ol’ team dinner at The Raft looking out over the Lagoon and drank late into the night. Today with soggy heads we begin the long process of packing up the operations base and putting VESTAS SAILROCKET to bed. I personally hope she will get another shot at the title when the real winds blow later in the year. In the mean time it’s back over to the Hydroptere and Macquarie boys.

A big thanks to all the sponsors and of course, those who have simply offered help and support throughout the last few months. Fear not, one way or another we will be back and we will be as hungry as ever. Each time we come back we come back stronger... if only the wind was the same!

Cheers, Paul

We have two days left... and today is supposed to be the windy one. Yesterday didn't quite grunt up. We did yet another easy and un-dramatic 40 something knot run.

Once we knew we weren't going to break any records we headed home.

Our eggs are all in todays basket. It's been forecast to blow to 26 knots. We don't need that much but I would rather too much as against too little. If we get too much then I will still have to just go for it. we have been watching this little 'peak' in the forecast for a week now. It has grown stronger and weaker with each forecast but in the end it has stuck on 26. It's freshening up outside now and everyone is climbing into their MUSTO drysuits. The TRIMBLE GPS is in VESTAS SAILROCKET and all the PI loggers are nested. This could be one of the last times that this particular boat is fired in anger. It takes so much effort now to keep her at this state of readiness.

We have been up from before dawn double checking calibrations and servicing the wing. Everything is in good shape. There are no excuses from here on in... just the numbers.

We will run if things are good over there.

C'mon Walvis... I know you have it in you to give us what we want.

See you out there.

Cheers, Paul

We managed to punch out through the swell on the launch ramp and across the lumpy lagoon to speed-spot. We had to stop a couple of times to let the beam-on waves break across the boat... but we've done this before.

It was sort of wierd as it felt strong, looked strong... and yet there was just something missing. We have become pretty sensitive to the 'moods' of this particular beach over the past two years and I know when something isn't right. We stopped in at the Timing hut to check the Tacktick wind instruments. Sure enough, it was showing gusty and shifty conditions. We waited for a bit until the numbers rose on average.

Overall the pressure we are under to get a result now makes my life simpler. There is only one option for hitting the course. The boat is in smoking form and if we get the breeze then my job is simple... peg it on the beach and sheet it all in to the marks... and hold my breath. My job is not to react... this could possibly be the wrong thing to do in an intimidating position. The knack to going where no-one has been before is to just go that little bit harder all round.

Anyway, we squeezed off two good runs that felt great from my perspective although I knew they weren't 'hell' runs. I was hoping to nail a good gust down the course but it wasn't to be. We were focusing on the 500 meter 'outright' course and managed a 44.24 and 43.79 (peak 46.8) average respectively. VESTAS SAILROCKET felt perfect. The pod skipped the helm was responsive and I was left yelling for more wind. Once again, we did all we could and the team worked as good as usual. We sailed at dead low tide which we rarely do and this means I have to do some pretty sharp slow-downs at the end so I don't hit the shallows. I was actually surprised how quick I could stop. Needs must. This is all good for the low-tide days to come.

We ARE ready!!!

The forecast is holding for Sunday at the moment. It says 26 knots which will hopefully mean an average around 22-23 knots.

We are around our 96th run down the Walvis Speed-spot. Wouldn't it be great if we nailed this on our 100th run given that the conceptual father of this boat, Bernard Smith, is having his 100th birthday this very month. Now that would be pretty cool.

So, one down, three days left. We will do our best to make them count.

Cheers, Paul.