Race 4 - Day 10
Crew Diary - Race 4 Day 10: Fremantle to Sydney
12 December

5 skippers. 3 teams. And a passion for human endeavour.

So far, Leg 4 has been a mixture of immersing myself into my new team, but also time to reflect on events since leaving Liverpool. At our race briefing in Fremantle, Sir Robin commented that what we are all experiencing will push the boundaries of human kind. I for one have had my fair share of experiences, and if truth be told, I was looking forward to an 'uneventful' first race in Australia. Losing your boat, your race skipper, and your team have all been events that will shape me as an individual both now and in the future. In fact, I sometimes joke that I have enough content to write a book and its barely been 4 months at sea. But what has been clear for me, is that being loved and loving others is the single most powerful feeling that has inspired me to keep going.

But on a day to day level, it is the small things that make the 'boat go round'. Here on Dare To Lead I'm lucky enough to have had my fair share of these 'small things' that often make me howl with laughter and make the world feel a better place. Things like: the surprise ice cold can of Coke from Carl; the revealing of the packets of Liquorice All Sorts in the snack bag; Dale swanning through the boat with his 'Dare to Wear' yellow Crocs; David grinning from ear to ear as he takes the helm; the 3am fitness class with Sello on deck in preparation for swimwear in Airlie Beach; Mick's quote of the day (in his thick Yorkshire accent) “there is so little wind even the Albatross's have to flap their wings”; winning the Cheetos crisp packet quiz against Matt as hosted by Dale; reminiscing about the TV exports from Australia such as Neighbours, Home and Away, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (much to the pain of our resident Australian Dan); discovering a shared love of the Thomas the Tank Engine theme tune with your skipper; Carl's confident declaration of a compass course of 390 (for those of you who haven't seen a compass recently, there is no 390).

All of these small happenings lift the spirit and remind me of the beauty of sharing my days with my new team mates.

Whether these 'small things' are pushing the envelope of human kind I'm not sure, but it is the glue that keeps the team united, happy and pushing every day to get to Sydney for Christmas. And to top it off, being reunited with my Nana Betty and brother Phil will make me the happiest person alive.

Thank you to Dare To Lead for the very warm welcome. You have my 100% commitment and passion for our shared adventure, and I guarantee you a laugh every day.

Smiling, as always

Jenny xxx

ps. Seren break a leg x