Race 7 - Day 1
Crew Diary - Race 7 Day 1
24 February

Goodbye Subic Bay - for 8-10 days! What a friendly place it has been to visit, and to top it all off, what a shock it was to see my Mum, sister, niece and nephew standing on the pontoon as Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam came in third. I had no idea they were coming and would have probably cried my eyes out had there not been a camera and camcorder in my face. I am very lucky to have so much support from my family - we managed to squeeze in a lovely beach day together and even a spot of horse riding, and I was thrilled they could see us on the podium at prize giving.

So we are back sailing wahooo!! I was on deck for the Race Start but descended to the galley shortly after to start a long Mother Watch with Jade, my partner in crime. 'Seattle was so close this morning we shouted Good Morning to them, but we seem to be alone again after the pack has broken away and started to do their own thing.

Life on deck has resumed and is as gleeful as ever, although we are all pretty tired as we settle into the watch system, after enjoying Air Con and eoght hour sleeps back in our Subic Bay hotels! Everyone's dehydrated faces have started to fill out again and belt notches have been readjusted back to their ''normal weight'' mark after many over indulgences in Subic Bay .

As I write this, there are beautiful shades of pink and peach filling the sky, Tim is making everyone a ''posh coffee'' (Tim calls them the coffiend's who clearly miss their daily Starbucks), and Josh is poking fun at Jacqueline for wearing primary colours and looking like a children’s presenter (think Noddy and you're not far off).

I quite enjoyed last night. As the darkness settled in, I was thinking about how everyone becomes a silhouette. I realised how well I'd got to know my crew. I could tell who the shadow was by the shape of their head, the way they sat (or where they sat - everyone has their favourite spot) or the way they moved up the companionway steps. I bet they aren’t even aware of the tendencies they have. It’s bizarre how well you get to know someone in such a short space of time, and it is this that makes the Clipper experience so unique and wonderful.

Well goodbye for now - it's getting late and I need my Pistachio fix!

I can’t wait to see you all soon (humans and canines). Keep looking after one another.

Charlotte xx

P.S. to my dear friend Lotte Lamb....I hope all goes well with your operation this week - sending good vibes your way.