Race 5 - Day 15
Crew Diary - Race 5 - Day 15
06 January

‘The Climes they are a Changing’

David Fitzpatrick

If you love waterscapes and enjoy continually looking towards the horizon, uninterrupted, in all directions, ocean racing is the sport for you. Since leaving Fremantle, we have seen four other vessels, fellow racer Punta del Este, last seen as we headed further South into the Southern Ocean, two yachts returning north after the Sydney-Hobart race (that many of us were very sorry not to be a part of this year) and, early this morning, shortly before dawn, a cruise ship heading Northeast from Sydney and crossing our path some distance ahead of us. You become so used to only having the waves and sea to look at, when you see some lights towards the horizon, your first response is to consider that your eyes are playing tricks on you! This time they weren't!

Since leaving Fremantle, apart from the lack of other vessels to see, another topic of conversation has been how effective different boot designs are at keeping their wearer’s feet dry. As an Irishman, wearing boots made in Ireland, in the small town of Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, I am very pleased to say that, at least amongst my watch colleagues, I possess the driest boots in the boat. Quite an accolade after everything the Southern Ocean and Bass Straits have thrown at us.

Benefiting from useful changes in wind direction and strategic positioning for favourable currents, we have been pushing Northwards with as much speed as possible over the past few days and, although we were making good progress we had been surprised at the continuing levels of cloud cover, both day and night, and relatively cool temperatures.

Not to worry, that changed overnight and, even in the early hours of the morning, shorts became the order of the day. Perhaps we have now, finally, left the moderate southern climes and are about to be exposed to the other extremes of Australian weather. As a temperate climate inhabitant, where anything above 20degs is ‘very hot’, I already know which I’m going to find more challenging! So, pack up the cold weather gear, pull out the shorts, shirts, hats and sun-cream, it is going to get toasty!

Enjoy the weather wherever you are. We are going to enjoy the change, at least initially.

David.