Race 3 - Day 5
Crew Diary - Race 3 Day 5
30 October

So, here we are after all of training, all of the buying of kit and all of the goodbyes we are at sea.

For some of us novice sailors, this is our first time of venturing outside of the English Channel. The four weeks of Clipper Race training has done a fantastic job preparing us for our ocean crossing, however, there is a world of difference between putting in and shaking out a reef in the Solent and doing it in a windy Southern Atlantic.

After a quiet start coming out of Punta del Este and venturing into a wind hole, we have found the breeze. This has so far provided some brilliant experiences of working at the mast and on the foredeck in windy conditions which can provide a bit of an adrenalin rush with a dose of seawater thrown in for good measure. It's safe to say I sleep well between watches.

Other good experiences come from working with a fantastic group of people who make up the Leg 2 Race Crew on UNICEF: People are always willing to pass on their knowledge and are generous both with their time and humour.

However, even working with my fellow crew can't top the wildlife we have seen so far. We have seen seals, and I am reliably informed we have seen petrels and southern albatross gliding effortlessly across the waves as we, at times, crash through them.

We have also met whales, hearing them at night in fog is amazing if not a little unnerving but nothing has been better than sailing within metres of these magnificent creatures as they go about their daily business, just pottering around here in the South Atlantic.

For Alex and Beth x