Race 14 - Day 4
Crew Diary - A sailing newbie on a racing yacht
02 July

We are on day 4 of Race 14. After an early morning start on 30 June we quickly headed south to ride the strong Gulf Stream current east. Unfortunately we overshot our target a little, sailed out of the Gulf Stream again and ended up in a wind hole. We were fighting really hard to catch every little bit of wind that Zeus would offer us and after less than a day we were back on track again but now we are chasing the field which is a new experience for me. This is only my second race and after winning the first one from Bermuda to New York, I got really spoiled, thinking winning these races was that easy but it’s not. Every boat wants to win but we have an amazing crew and everyone is giving their best to get us back into the game. With one more race left, I’m confident we can keep our overall lead and win the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

Personally, my biggest concern before starting this amazing journey was being away from friends and family for so long with very limited ways of communicating, and for instance not being able to celebrate my Dad’s 70th birthday tomorrow. If you’re reading this, Dad, “Happy Birthday.” Also, living with 20 other people in a confined space for almost three weeks seemed like a real challenge and I have to say, it can be. However, so far the mood on board is great and the crew is working together very well. We have a good mix of newbies and some very experienced round the world sailors. We are a very diverse crew and I’m learning so much about both sailing and life at the same time. Aside from sailing, the part I love most is learning about other people’s stories and their lives and there is no better place to do this than here. I have to admit though that I can’t wait to see my friends and family again and to take a real shower. To be continued...