Thursday Noon. All the bad things of Wednesday turned to good things over the next 24 hours. Dawn Star spent hours drifting in the lightest possible wind Wenesday while rounding Fastnet light while her competition sped 50 miles ahead. As though Dawn Star had won a huge coin toss, everything reversed.Good winds in the high teens -- strong but not too strong -- drove us at top speed toward the finish. And at the same time, the boats ahead saw their wind fade to almost nothing. Our morning report told us that our 50-mile deficit had been chopped dramatically to 18 miles. We were fifth in our class, almost into the prize circle. Dawn Star loves the heavier winds. Beating upwind in strong winds is great for our competitive result, but is,as always, pretty miserable below.. You have to hang onto the grabrails, floors become wet and slippery. plates slide off tables, you fall out of seats, clothing is difficult to put on or take off, and things just fall apart. After Dawn Star hit some rock-hard waves this morning, a seven-foot long ceiling panel, together with its installed lighting fixtures tore loose from its Velcro attachments and fell on Mark, who was asleep in his bunk; the panel was not damaged.. But spirits are high. Stacey's watch, with Paul C, Paul J, and Rob held a raucous joke-telling contest. And the food continues to inspire. Robin Hubbard's chicken blend was consumed eagerly at dinner time, with three portions extra set aside for later. Will ate them all. And last, we should finish our 608 mile adventure late today. Bugs
