Race 4 - Day 5
Crew Diary - Race 4 Day 5: Fremantle to Sydney
07 December

Stephen Carter
Stephen Carter
Team Dare To Lead
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Well here we are again in the Southern Ocean, it never fails to disappoint. Last night we had squall after squall come through and there was some stressful helming in 38kts with full sails and the pitch black before the moon came up. Well done to my watch who managed to get the reef in quickly and without any incidents.

Life on board has settled back into a routine and today I have mother watch. That means a day of little sleep, lots of cooking and washing up and various degrees of happy and grumpy people. There is a saying that there is always one prat on the boat and if you can't spot them it is probably you. Thankfully I have spotted the prat and they shall for the time being remain nameless.

Life isn't all that bad though, we are thankfully under spinnaker so the boat is flat(ish) and the sea state has calmed down a bit (for the moment) which makes it easier to chop onions and prepare food without the added risk of losing your fingers.

We are extremely crowded on Dare To Lead with 23 people on board, this makes the boat heavy and space is at an all time premium. It is good that this is a short leg as we are not stuffed to the gunnels with food otherwise things could be worse. The queues for the heads in the morning has also become noticeably longer with some people having a special dance if things are becoming desperate.

We are currently about one third of the way through this race and looking forward to going around Tasmania and heading up towards Sydney. It is a place I have never been and I am really looking forward to seeing the iconic bridge and opera house. I am also looking forward to seeing my brother, his wife and my nephews who I haven't seen for several years and have probably grown more than I can imagine. They have been avid followers of the race since I left and I can't wait to show them round the boat, although I think waiting until the deep clean has been completed will be the best option.

Anyway life goes on on the good ship Dare To Lead and I must now get back to my mother watch and make sure the potatoes are boiling nicely.

As always a big shout out to my parents who will also be in Sydney and have organised a tour boat for the start of the Sydney-Hobart race, and to Sarah who I can't wait to see in Airlie Beach.

Bye for now,

Stephen Carter