We had made the decision to come east ,closer to the land where it looks like there are breezes inshore in less current . WTC look like they’re coming with us the others have headed more west.On our dawn watch we are drifting along slowly with the windseeker making 3 to 4 knots . The wind comes up more and closer to the bow so we hoist the yankee and drop the windseeker. A couple of local fishing boats make an appearance near us.
Some of the crew are bit disappointed when the next sched comes and we are in 5th. But quick measure on the map shows us to be 6 miles closer to the next mark than both Punta and Korea.
In the middle of all this it is wash day ,people are washing clothes and themselves ,and a backgammomn tournament is in progress.
By our next watch WTC are on our port quarter and there is an ongoing duel with .We gain they gain they come up high .We gain a little over the course of our watch. The 1200 sched comes in Visit Sanya 1st WTC 2nd.We’ve averaged 5.4(and WTC) Halong bay 0.2. Halong and Qingdao have more than 20 miles extra to cover to get to the next mark.
The next watch WTC are persistently there just behind.We are still in light winds with code 1 up but are making 9 knots toward the waypoint.
We are between the other yachts and the
mark.
Looks like the decision to come toward shore has paid off.

Really you would think things couldn’t be better when I hand over at watch change we are in first with WTC visible off our port beam and we are doing 9 knots with 80 miles to go. And the yachts behind surely have no way around us.

But……

Shortly before my next watch we are becalmed and the yachts behind have come east and only 8 miles towards the shore are making 9 knots of boat speed. After sunset we are still for the whole 4 hours watching helplessly as WTC gather speed and Qingdao and Halong Bay sail past to the east.

The breeze finally arrives and we are under spinnaker haeding straight for the final marks.The breeze dies out inside but it is too little too late.We get within 2 miles of Halong Bay when they get the breeze again.

Eventually the wind heads us and in morning we are on the breeze and beat towards the finish in Subic Bay and finish 4th with WTC 1st ,Qingdao 2nd and Halong Bay 3rd.