Race 5 - Day 10
Crew Diary - ​Sailing the Roaring Forties
02 January

I joined Punta Del Este in Fremantle for Leg 4 with some trepidation, not knowing what to expect. Spending a few days at sea during training is very different from ocean racing for several weeks. How would I cope with the cramped living conditions, the different personalities, egos large and small? By a stroke of fate, and for different reasons, a number of our RTWs (round the worlders) decided to take a break from Leg 4 and so we found ourselves to be a crew of only 13 plus skipper Jeronimo, AQP (another qualified person) Ryan and media official Maeva...a total of 16.

On board, there is an eclectic mix of nationalities, professions, backgrounds, characters and motivations. The nationalities are Spain, Canada, France, Jersey, Switzerland, Germany, England, Wales, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, USA, Australia and Austria. There is a perfect 50:50 gender balance which makes for a very civilized social environment with all on their best behaviour. We all share a passion for sailing and adventure.

Punta Del Este is a happy boat! After the initial bout of seasickness over, the mood is upbeat. We just beat Visit Sanya, China in the scoring gate trial giving us an extra 3 points – yesss!!! And, we are closing in on the laggards of the main fleet. We are under almost clear blue sky in the Roaring Forties at S43deg 10.8 E133deg 20.3 with a strong westerly of 25 knots gusting to the high 40s.

Now for the living conditions...I have never been on a cleaner Clipper Race boat with better food. While I am writing this, I am sitting in the galley filled by the sound of Ibiza chillout lounge music and the smell of flapjack baking in the oven (courtesy of today’s fabulous mothers Petrissa and Josie), the boat is heeling over and I can hear the helmsman yelling ‘VANG’. It goes off with a big loud bang and the boat straightens up a little.

Bye for now from a decidedly happy place!