Waiting in Alicante

At: Alicante, Spain

It’s a good thing Alicante is such a great city, because we were stuck here for another two days, waiting out a storm. The weather was sunny though, so we could explore the town some more. We enjoyed the university city vibe and the diverse restaurants.

We went back to the Volvo Ocean Race museum, because last time we only had 15 minutes before they closed. On Saturdays and Sundays they open extra parts of the exhibition, like the Brasil 1 (a retired VO70) and a simulator that supposedly simulates being in a race boat.

Going inside the Brasil 1 was interesting, especially when you imagine having to share the cramped quarters with 10 other people during 9 months. The few minutes in the simulator was completely underwhelming. The two days we spent crossing in 7 to 8 Beaufort was probably closer to what the racing teams feel all the time. Main take-away from the museum: I will never participate in the Volvo Ocean Race. All those people are certifiably nuts.

While we were pushed against a lee shore(the shore where the wind is blowing to, a dangerous place to be for a sailboat) pontoon by a 20 knot breeze — making me hesitant to leave — I made a few small repairs on the boat. Some ropes had chafed almost through and I patched up small cracks near Mira’s window as well. Hopefully this will make her room a bit dryer.