Race 12 - Day 11
Crew Diary - Race 12 Day 11
18 June

My first blog was in early May, a few days into Leg 7, Race 11. Here we are already in mid-June, nearing the end of Race 12 and my entire leg/race experience in the coming days. The time has passed quickly yet felt like forever all at the same time! Exhilarating, exhausting, all-encompassing and exasperating too, with the wind hole lottery never quite working in our favour - are just some of the ways I’d describe my race.

I need to find my next race/challenge yet, first I am looking forward to a long shower, an even longer run, and the longest of sleeps. What I will miss when I step off Bekezela is being close to the power of Mother Nature and the lapping waves of the Ocean. What I won’t miss is the harshness of life below deck when the boat is heeled at 45 degrees or the 46 degree heat we had at one point! Clipper Race is right in saying that this is as much about an experiment in human co-existence as it is sailing. I could, and might just yet, write a book about the former…It’s time for me to sign off, having made a loaf and a carrot cake before my sunrise watch and finished my sunset watch Saturday, with a final bit of foredeck work, doing what I’ve loved the most, having spent the last couple of days grinding, grinding and then grinding some more!

What follows is circa 30 hours of motoring into DC and some maintenance tasks, so I will leave you with this quote: “You cannot swim for new horizons unless you have the courage to sight of the shore.” (William Faulkner)

So thanks for following along virtually and good luck to the final Leg 8 joiners on Bekezela!

Bring her home guys.