Race 3 - Day 15
Crew Diary - Race 3 Day 15: Cape Town to Fremantle
15 November

Two weeks have passed and I have got used to the routine of the life on board. The key words are tough, tired, cold, and tedious. As a retired Navy Officer served in Chinese Navy for 26 years, I knew and was quite familiar of the key words above from when I sailed on the warships. This is the normal status of life on the sea. But why did I participate in this Clipper Race when I knew exactly what to expect?

When I decided to participate in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, I asked myself this question again and again. I think maybe all of the Clipper Race crew will ask themselves this question. Why do we come here to join the Clipper Race?

For me, one of the reasons is I know it is very tough, tougher than I have experienced already. I have read the blogs written by Vicky Song, the Qingdao Ambassador in the 2013-14 edition of the race. And she is was a Round the World crew, the first woman in China to sail round the world. In her blog, I learned how tough the Clipper Race is, and I decided that I have to have a try.

There's a saying used by the U.S. Seals: if something is not tough, it's not worth doing. The easier way to travel from Cape Town to Fremantle is taking a flight; cheap, comfortable, and very fast. But this is not the way we desire to do it.

Today, we sailed into a wind hole. The sea is at peace and the sunshine finally came out again after too many cloudy days. Every crew member came on deck, enjoyed the peace and sunshine, with music and hot drinks. The Clipper Race is not always tough and boring. There's some moments of fun, leisure and happiness.