Sydney to Hobart 2019: Manly crew on Enigma provide insight into life at sea
Early morning bacon and egg rolls and freshly brewed coffee. This Northern beaches crew provides great insight into life at sea in this year’s Sydney to Hobart.
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It could well be one of the most unusual places to enjoy an early morning breakfast - smack in the middle of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
But that’s what the crew on the Manly yacht Enigma have been doing.
The team have provided an insight into racing the famous ocean race with a series of missives and photos sent direct from the yacht.
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“Fresh coffee and hot chocolate, bacon and eggs rolls to celebrate sunshine and calm seas,’’ sailor Isabel Rawlence wrote from the Manly Yacht Club boat owned by Jason Bond on Sunday morning.
“Crew were demanding a second hot shower so skipper has fired up the water maker.”
The pleasant conditions aboard the Beneteau First 47.7 were in stark contrast to those the crew had experienced earlier in the race which started on Boxing Day.
“We’re in the upper Bass Strait, 100 miles off Tasmania. Last night (27th) and this morning (28th) we had 30 knots and three metre waves. This is my first Hobart and I wasn’t expecting Bass Strait to be much fun. It isn’t,’’ Rawlence wrote.
Later she sent a photo of she and a crewmate enjoying a fresh brewed coffee.
“The cappuccino machine is an essential item in Enigma’s racing wardrobe,’’ she wrote.
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The crew have seen plenty of wildlife on their trek south as well.
“Incredibly, we came within several metres of two sunfish on Thursday,” Rawlence revealed.
“Yesterday we were caught between warm and cool fronts, heavy fog banks and clear patches, in which we saw hundreds of jellyfish, some chunky orange ones and some smaller wispy ones.
“The sea birds closer to Tasman Island are enormous, possible 2.5m wingspan. Makes us think of albatross – so I’ve pulled out my copy of Coleridge’s Rimes of the Ancient Mariner. As you do.’’
The crew were being sustained during the trek by tasty food including lamb biryani, chicken tagine and red Thai curry, all vacuum sealed into individual pouches and frozen in batches of 12.
“Popped into the pressure cooker and served in an aluminium tray for a delicious, hot, no mess dinner,’’ Rawlence wrote.
The yacht is expected to arrive in Hobart today well in time for New Year’s Eve celebrations.