Thursday Wrapup

Team Avanti really has her sea legs now! We've settled into a great rhythm with the boat moving 9-10 knots under white sails. It may be a little early for the spinnakers, but we've noticed a change in the sea state heading behind us which is a good indicator for the start of a downwind run. We also came across Transformer, our competitor, and had a little match racing in the middle of the ocean. All the guys came floating up from below to hike out on the rail until we pulled away from her. We haven't seen much else out here:  One or two freighters, a floating log, and some old fishing buoys. We still have limited use of our navigational software, as water got into the panels behind the computer and fried some of the electronics. We've been able to find a work-around for most everything. As you can see from the tracker, we are on a Northerly route above the rhumb line and we're hunting for bigger winds in the days to come. Will it pay off? Stay tuned.