The RORC North Sea Race starts tomorrow - our all-important qualifying event for the Fastnet. We want to be as fast as we can, so we treated the boat to a haul out and pressure wash. And what a shock. After only eight weeks in the water, our immaculate white undersides were liberally coated with evil-looking green and brown slime.
We had expected the hull to be a bit slimy - that was why we had booked the lift, after all. But we were astonished to see that there was enough on there to feed the marina-dwelling mullet. The tracks of their rubbery lips were evident all over the keel and rudder!
We used Blakes White Hard Racing anti foul. We accepted that it would not control fouling like the eroding stuff we have used before. We were investing in a slippery finish, and one that would not be harmed by repeated cleaning before races. But I think we'd expected it to do a little more in terms of inhibiting slime.
Or was it just the unseasonably warm weather in April that did the damage? The pressure washer made short work of the slime, so perhaps it wasn't really as heavy as it looked. And now the boat's in pristine condition, ready to go.
The North Sea Race is part of the Dutch-organised North Sea Regatta, and on Wednesday a fleet of 50-plus Dutch boats raced over from Scheveningen - to race back with us.
Leading the fleet by many miles was the Volvo 70 Mean Machine, ex Pirates of the Caribbean. And tomorrow we will be racing against her! (I doubt we'll see her for many minutes after the start, as it promises to be a fairly lively, mostly off the wind 180 miles, if today's forecast is to be believed.)
I saw her this morning sitting incongruously among the cruising boats in Ipswich Haven Marina, her many-spreadered carbon rig towering above everything, her spectacular paint job defying the grey early morning drizzle.
One of the attractions of offshore racing is that it's one of the few sports where Corinthians can compete against the world's best on level terms. Where people like us, who struggle to meet the bills, can pit themselves against those with multi-million pound sponsorship budgets. We'll all face the same weather, and the same navigational challenges. It's going to be interesting to see how we get on!
For more information visit www.rorc.org
