Race 4 - Day 24
Crew Diary - Race 4 Day 24
12 December

Actions and Decisions

My name is Russell, and I am doing Leg 3. I am embarking on this odyssey from Cape Town to Fremantle; this is a late blog after 22 days. Overall, it has been better than I expected thanks to reasonable weather and a good Skipper, AQP, and fellow crew.

From my time on board; I have certainly had highs and lows. One of my lows came from a decision I took when on Galley Duty for the day. Being part of a two-person team cooking all crew meals for that day, the day went well, and the food was enjoyed by all. However, I made a decision that day to not bake bread for the next day (this wasn’t a regular occurrence at that stage of the voyage). I did this while seasick, but I could have probably pushed through and made some. The next day, the crew gathered for breakfast and the general realisation grew that the store-brought bread had all been consumed and that there was no fresh-baked bread. Well, the silence was as loud as any vocalisations and it became very obvious how my decision from the previous day had affected virtually all of the crew (yes, I felt that I had let the crew down and embarrassed). I learned that even the decision of a single person in a confined environment of 20 people, can have a deep impact and – next time – just make the bread.

A positive is that this voyage is also the honeymoon with my wife, who chose to spend it crossing the Southern Indian Ocean on a 70-foot racing yacht. The voyage has offered a dynamic location; rocking and rolling over 5,000 nautical miles, we have shared our matrimonial quarters with 18 other people and fortunately, we only get to see each other for 10-20 minutes each day during watch changeovers. The opportunity to have a shared activity that has pushed us both mentally and physically, that we can talk about over photos and videos for years to come, will bring joy to our lives.

My personal takeaways have been being able to helm every watch, as I was not expecting to do so, and problem-solving – it seems that I have been pseudo-designated the person to undo very stubborn knots in lines with some success (the knots have not been as stubborn as me it seems!)

Now, as we approach Fremantle, the voyage has been a good challenge, stretching my patience and developing my sailing skills hugely. It is sad that it is nearly at an end, as the routine becomes ‘normal’ and I am looking forward to the perspective it is going to give me on my future decisions and actions.