Race 2 - Day 13
Crew Diary - Race 2 Day 13: Punta del Este to Cape Town
17 October

Hey there, checking in for the final time as a crew blogger (I signed for Legs 1 & 2). As we approach Cape Town, with just less than 24 hours to go, it is 3:15am and I am on my final 2:00 – 6:00am shift.

So I have been thinking about what to share with you about my reflections of this incredible experience and it is quite the task to distil it down without sounding cliched or from my comfort default position of being satirical or flippant thus minimising or trivialising.

I feel that I will not be able to completely understand the true impact until I return home and have left the 'Clipper Race Bubble' that I have inhabited since 8th August but there are some things that I do know and can share.

I have been privileged to have shared this adventure with some truly very special people who I will miss dreadfully. By the nature of this race, the allocation of crew becomes a form of human Russian Roulette, being placed together through a set of selection criteria that has now created a unique bond.

I have met new people and made new friends that I shall treasure, I have not laughed so much in years and have also, at times, never been so scared. As a novice sailor, those moments of anxiety and fear have been many and I have got through them with the support of my fellow watch who have been patient, understanding and supportive. The magical moments of the night sky were always going to be a highlight for me and they were. Awe inspiring and humbling by the enormity of the bigger picture spread above my head.

As a lifetime one-off, it would be hard to beat our arrival into Punta Del Este, with flotilla, brass bands and dignitaries, the welcome we received was overwhelming and the completion of the personal challenge of five weeks at sea was a milestone for me. Life on board was not as challenging as I had imagined, again that is no small part due to my fellow crew. The wet and the cold were the hardest though.

I have learnt that you can live without 'stuff', overcome fear, learn new skills, make new friends and feel the satisfaction of contributing to be an effective and efficient team. So, a big thank you to Wendo and all the Sanya team and I shall be with them all in spirit as I take on the role of boat to shore contact and will be seeing them all later on down the line and of course for the big finish in Liverpool.