Race 3 - Day 24
Crew Diary - Race 3 Day 24: Cape Town to Fremantle
24 November

The only problem with hot-bunking with a guy from Yorkshire is that instead of finding a Ferrero Rocher on your pillow, all that he leaves you is a teabag.

During the upwind part of the voyage, Skipper Dale's excellent tactic of keelhauling any helmsman who luffed for more than 5 seconds proved very useful at increasing our average speed. The two victims so far are pleased to report that the good ship Dare To Lead has no barnacles below the waterline.

We ended up beating for about 12 days. Quite similar to the 12 Days of Christmas except that instead of a new present each day, we all suffered a new injury instead.

Mothering standards are rising throughout the passage. Veering (that's a meterological term) from set menus and giving it a French sounding name continue to raise the bar. Sail Patch Harvey leads the pack.

Congratulations to all in our Starboard Watch who last night managed to bring back their deficit in terms of overall miles between the two watches to less than 200 miles. Well done to Carl and his team.

After 24 days at sea I'm missing cappuccinos and fresh bananas. I am in daily awe of the Storm Petrels and their incredible flying ability. This morning's sunrise was a thing to behold.

As port approaches, we cannot but think about poor Simon's family. Our hearts go out to all of you. I only met him for one week of training but what a wonderful guy. I will cherish those memories. The memorial service will be a very emotional occasion. Today's conditions are such a contrast to last Saturday. We are all thinking about you every day.