Race 3 - Day 25
Crew Diary - Race 3 Day 25: Cape Town to Fremantle
25 November
As this race draws to a close I find my thoughts turning to this leg and all that has happened. This is one of the pivotal legs of the Clipper Race and crossing the Southern Ocean is no mean feat. It is often known as the Southern Ocean Sleigh Ride mainly due to the Westerlies, large waves and big surfs.
Unfortunately, no-one has told the Southern Ocean this and we have spent a large amount of our time beating into the wind, only a couple of days out we hit a storm and were close hauled in around 75kts of wind. It is an experience I won't forget, there was a savage beauty to the sea at that point and all we could do was hold on and keep going, it brings out how truly alone we are out here and what an achievement completing this leg is.
This leg has also been physically and mentally exhausting. The first 14 days left most of us more tired than we have ever been, you have to dig deep to keep going. Injuries have also taken their toll, personally I experienced a large fall from the side deck onto the aft deck and it is only by good fortune that I walked away winded and bruised. The reality could have been a lot worse as our Clipper family on GREAT Britain have unfortunately found out. My heart goes out to Simon's family and the crew and skipper of GREAT Britain.
The mental toll is also high, with frayed tempers and frustration setting in. We have had to deal with news of Simon, the running aground of Greenings, rig failures and repairs, blown spinnakers and more. With the slow progress of this race (we are already well beyond our arrival window) it has felt that this leg will never end. Happily we are now getting closer and closer to Fremantle and the mood is picking up with every passing mile. Everyone is starting to look forward to a glass of beer, or two, or maybe three.... and a good, soft stable bed for the night.
For those of us carrying on thoughts are also turning to Leg 4 of the race, we are going to have to work hard to get the boat ready for our next departure, there are very few spare days in this stopover. I am also looking forward to catching up with family and friends in Australia and can't wait to see my brother and his family when I get to Sydney. We are also looking forward to the Sydney-Hobart race, another milestone of sailing that we will have been able to achieve.
As this year starts drawing to a close, those of us who have been on the boat from the beginning can look back at the remarkable journey we have already made. We have crossed the Atlantic and the Southern Oceans, visited 3 countries on 3 continents and completed over 15,000 nautical miles of sailing. We have experienced calm seas and no wind and large seas and high winds, we have been hot, cold, tired and wet yet have managed to keep going relatively unscathed. We have dug deeper than we have known possible and come out on top and we are almost halfway through our journey. We have done so much and still have so much to look forward to.
Once again a big shout out to my friends and family for the support they have been giving, especially to my parents and to Sarah whose daily emails are the highlight of my day. Hello to my Nephews Timmy and Philip, I'm looking forward to showing you round the boat in Sydney.
Fremantle watch out, we will be there soon :)
Brought to you by Stephen Carter