Painkiller

“Day 5 on Painkiller is proving to be another light airs float-fest ahead of a predicted northerly that’s supposed to deliver a very welcome 20 knots, and slingshot us to Cape Reinga. Fortunately, the frustration associated with crawling our way across our second major wind hole of the trip, is mitigated by the excellent menu, pre-prepared by Andrew Byrne of Rumlime Catering. Andrew has produced the equivalent of 180 individual meals, pre-cooked then vacuum packed into larger portions, for each night’s dinner. The fare is hearty and especially delicious, as we sit down at the conclusion of a long day’s sailing. He’s also supplemented that with easy lunches, such as gourmet sausage rolls. Good food is vital to crew morale, and for the energy required for sail changes and the many physical tasks required to keep Painkiller trucking toward Auckland. We’ve been closely studying the latest weather file, and the EC model has us finishing late on Monday in this truly amazing race.”