22nd January, 2002 -The yacht "National Investment Institute" reached the port of Punta del Este at around 3:00pm Sydney Time. The race was on for who was going to have the first good hot shower & a decent meal! The yacht will spend 3 to 4 days in Punta before heading off to Martin vaz Island.
Previous Updates:
21st January, 2002 -The crew on the yacht "National Investment Institute" have had quite a wet weekend with showers, rain squalls and periods of watching the wind indicator spinning around in circles! Through all this the yacht has still managed to average around 6 to 7 knots. The crew are excited about reaching Punta del Este hopefully within the next 24 hours and having a nice shower!!
18th January, 2002 -Conditions have certainly calmed for the "National Investment Institute". With the breeze drifting away to around 8 knots, the yacht only managed to average just over 5 knots toward Punta. The crew have changed to a light weather genoa to try and lift the speed a little. This still puts them into Punta on around the 22nd. The crew have been entertained by a pod of Pilot Whales, these are the first whales the crew have seen since leaving Australia.
17th January, 2002 -Sunny, calm seas, light winds... The breeze has been getting lighter over the past 24 hours although the "National Investment Institiute" has still managed to average nearly 7 knots over that time. The sea is warming up nicely, now up to 20 degrees C, no chance of icebergs here! The garbage in the water still abounds unfortunately. The crew were surprised to see a Giant Petrel trying to feed on a block of polystyrene! The crew hope to reach Punta by the 22nd January.
16th January, 2002 -At last, the "National Investment Institute" experienced a cold change last night. The cold part of it wasn't particularly welcome but the wind change was, finally swinging round to the SSW. This enabled the yacht to ease sails and make up some distance lost over the past few days. The yacht was able to travel 144 miles yesterday, a big change from the 50-60 mile per day figures! The yacht are now heading toward the coast and given the present conditions should reach Punta del Este in around 6 to 7 days.
15th January, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" continues its hard slog north toward Punta del Este. Gaining only 78 miles over the last 24 hours, at least the swell has abated a little making life a little more comfortable. The new problem that the crew is not icebergs anymore but garbage! The yacht is continually having to dodge floating debris with a gas cooker passing by at one stage! The crew are certainly disappointed that the environment issue still hasn't struck home with some people. Hopefully soon the wind will swing around and move the yacht away from here!
12th January, 2002 -Things aren't much better today! With the yacht only gaining 55 miles toward Punta del Este in the last 24 hours, the crew are starting to think they will never get there! It is certainly testing times with a 3 meter swell pushing the boat around. At least it is definitely getting warmer with the sea temperature nudging 15 degress C. Unfortunately though it is still fairly cool up above the water line.
11th January, 2002 -It is turning out to be a hard slog north as the "National Investment Institute" makes its way toward the east coast of South America. With just under 1200 miles to go, the yacht is only making around 90 miles a day courtesy of a 30 knot North Wester. At least the weather is slowly turning warmer; a sign of things to come!
10th January, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" reluctantly left South Gerogia this morning after spending some very memorable days there. The winds have shifted around to the West giving the yacht a nice run out of the harbour. The yacht is doing well, travelling 115nm in the last 24 hours. The crew are all very upbeat and refreshed after their stop over and are looking forward to the warmer weather to come... eventually!
