Sooo I have had an awesome, relaxing long break in Freo after the Southern Ocean. Mum and Dad have been here and we spent time with Helga, Chris and their wonderful daughter Toni. We have eaten well, drunk plenty of fabulous wine and shared excellent company. We visited the local wildlife, wonderful scenery and of course sampled the local vines 😀.
It’s now 8.27 on the morning of race day
The boat is victualled once more ready for the trip to Airlie Beach and my stuff is packed back in the cave lockers ready to go!
We met our new skipper, Rich who has some big boots to fill taking over from Mark after his sudden departure from the race due to personal reasons.
WTC Logistics (our AMAZING boat sponsors) sent the team Christmas pressies to open whilst in port- a pair of fantastic lightweight scooters to help us get around in port and some Christmas decorations to help get in the mood for Christmas! Dan (AQP) and I have decided to (try) cook a full Christmas Dinner for the team on Christmas Day- we have 4kgs Turkey breast, potatoes, carrots and parsnips to roast, sprouts and of course, mince pies and a fab Christmas Cake (thanks Helga!)
Because I have been busy relaxing in port again, I haven’t had chance to write a blog about the actual ocean crossing! However here is a blog I wrote whilst on the boat and it hopefully gives a taste of the leg!
Eat, sleep, sail repeat!
So, what to write? Well, I’ve mostly been either sleeping, eating or sailing in the last 18 days since leaving the wonderful Cape Town. I haven’t had chance to blog for a while but I have taken a few nice pics that Harry sent in which I believe have been posted online.
We have had champagne sailing, 40 knot gales, the obligatory wind holes (yes even in the Southern Ocean!) and I’m currently hanging out behind the helm, gently rocking on the swing chair I built on Leg 1, contemplating what to write about. Life on board is great, the boat is much less full which makes living a bit easier but sail changes are a bit more challenging and consequently, I think everyone is starting to get pretty tired. The weather on this leg has been much less extreme than Leg 2, but we have experienced the Southern Ocean at its’ best. I have managed to gain loads of experience at helming Black Betty and feel (mostly) able to control the beast now. However, there is still lots to learn, BB goes fastest when pushed and she goes quickly from pussy cat to what Paul W describes as “the crocodile”!
Whilst we’re mentioning Paul, I just typed up his blog for today – a poem he wrote on the back of the bread packet whilst he waits for two lovingly kneaded loaves to bake in the galley oven.
We have just finished the ocean sprint which seemed to go well, we pushed Betty as hard as possible in the conditions and did the best we could, so fingers crossed, but these things really do seem to come down to the luck of the wind you have at the time!
We have left the Southern Ocean now for this leg and are heading north towards Fremantle on the home run. The ocean has calmed to a gentle rolling, bright turquoise colour as we sail under blue skies with idyllic fluffy white clouds. The wind is warming up and layers are peeling off (thanks to Arshia for the most amazingly warm onesie and balaclava – they made the night times so much more bearable!) and soon we will be in lovely sunny Australia. The dreams of chilled Sauv Blanc, fresh food, a hot shower and a flat bed are becoming more real and I’m particularly looking forward to seeing mum and dad just before Christmas time.
I love the wildlife at sea; we have seen whales, dolphins, seals, penguins (in Cape Town) and even a few squids have landed on the deck (mmmm tasty – definitely the freshest Calamari going!) but my new favourites are the amazing albatrosses. These beautiful birds soar gracefully overhead on invisible thermals, chasing the boat and occasionally gliding down level with the water to playfully dip the tip of their wing in the sea before effortlessly rising back into the air. Sadly we seem to have left the Albatross behind now, it’s just us and the vast expanse of ocean, not another soul in sight (well except for yesterday when we briefly saw and overtook Zhuhai in the sprint).
I have taken lots of pictures but there is no way to capture the stark expanse of an ocean, or the speed at which the weather can change. The images that will last forever are of the millions of twinkling stars which are so unbelievably bright and clear, so many of them in a vast inky black sky and the magical shooting stars flashing past on which to make a wish.
Anyway, it’s nearly watch change now, so better get back to eat, sleep, sail repeat job 🙂
I feel privileged to have sailed from Cape Town to Australia with such an amazing team of people. There was so much positivity and great moments it embodied team spirit.
Anyway I’m just about to eat one more breakfast in Freo sailing club and need to decide between Eggs Benedict (always hard to resist!) or smoked salmon and crab scrambled eggs…. it’s a hard life 😀
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friend and family, see you in 2020!!
Rachel's Race around the World 