Crew Blog

Highs and lows in the Southern Ocean

13 December 2007

Going across the Southern Ocean is all about highs and lows.

There’s the big high pressure system in the Indian Ocean and a whole load of low pressure systems below it that run around Antarctica. If you play it right and get a bit of luck you can run between them, avoiding them both, and cruise into Australia with good winds at your back and big waves pushing you to the finish line. Things haven’t played out like that this time though and we’ve mostly had head winds, or no wind. The boat has experienced emotional highs and lows too.

When we started this race, we found ourselves in last place around the windward mark, an hour into the race. Barometer – 990 (low). A few hours later and for the next day we found ourselves in the more comfortable position of first place with boats following our lead. We were doing around 12 knots over ground and it felt like a continuation from our race into Durban. Barometer – 1025 (high). But then we had the medivac, and three days later we were 550 miles behind the pack. Barometer – 970.

Undaunted, we knocked off the miles one by one, until about a week ago there were just 150 between us and the ninth boat. Slowly the excitement and belief had built that we could get back into this race. Barometer rising – maybe 1005, 1010. Then we got stuffed by the wind and over the last few days have had to fight for 3 – 4 knots while watching the fleet run away from us. Barometer going down again – 980. 

The race is not over. It can feel that way being so far behind but we are persevering.  The forecast looks like it favours everyone in the fleet except us, so barring a weather miracle we are probably going to enter Fremantle to a full marina. We are thinking less about sailing, and more about Christmas, friends, family, a few days off. Clock watching is deadly, but it is so tempting to constantly work out when we think we might finally get into port. We have all now mastered the 24 times table – “If we can do 8.3 knots, that’s 200 miles a day, that’s five and a half days, that’s the 19th Dec”, quickly gets shortened to “8.3 – 19th”.  Or more commonly at the moment – “4.1 – 24th” (Barometer – 940 ).

In an attempt to keep us focussed, when the wind allows, Duggie has us preparing the boat for Oz and trying to tick off the in-port jobs list. This has resulted in Nate waterproofing the deck fittings to prevent leaks, but also waterproofing his clothes, his face, the sails, Paul’s oilies and the rig for good measure. Hen has serviced the butt hoist, which sounds more amusing than the reality – mostly involving trying to pick up all the ball bearings we’d dropped before Duggie noticed. Al is inspecting our sails, Jen is cleaning the places in the boat no one dares enter, Felicity is servicing winches. Nick found his forte in the galley keeping us fed with great bread and the best rice we’ve eaten on the trip.

So we missed the (in)famous Southern Ocean weather, but created our own set of mental squalls. Yet life continues, watch after watch, job after job, blog after blog. We hope the New Year brings more favourable winds and a little bit of lady luck for Leg 4. We hope we deserve it.

Justyn Comer