Boat Diary

Part 8

9th December:

The wind picked up again and we just dropped the wind seeker and hoisted Yankee 1 along with the Staysail. The sea was peaceful and quiet and according to the forecast it would remain like this till our arrival in Fremantle. This was by far the longest wind hole I have ever seen. We were swimming like a duck in a bath tab for about 30 hours now. Nothing much to report, just accepting the circumstances and moving with the flow.

10th December:

It was almost the same like yesterday but getting warmer and much more comfortable. The highlight of the day was the night. We had a beautiful clear sky and I saw so many shooting stars that I didn’t know what else to wish for. Lol! The sailing condition was a bit tricky as the wind was veering and backing constantly. We were sailing close-hauled upwind and I kept everybody awake for the time being when I made an accidental crash tack just after the handover from Chris. I looked for my navigational star to fix the course while the wind shifted at the same moment, and then we tacked. The sky was so beautifully clear that I followed the lead of Orion northerly for two hours.

Our rations were depleting slowly and we didn’t have any midnight snack anymore, neither any hot chocolate nor chai/tea latte. Unfortunately, I had totally forgotten, due to departure stress, to buy anything for myself that might have helped a great deal for my midnight cravings as nothing beats some sweets at night.

11th December:

The day went by and slowly everyone got a bit frustrated as we just made 5-7 knots towards Perth. We tacked twice but other than that nothing to report. The hours suddenly felt like days and it seemed not to have any end. Due to the very bold move from Bekenzela, we lost another position, making us on 6th place now. Due to the start of leg 4, on the 19th, we would only have a short stay. To maximise the time we would start with the “deep cleaning” tomorrow on the water and see how far we could get. We would also do some maintenance on deck and check the winches. Besides all this, we are just looking forward to reach the land as everybody’s exhaustion is getting more and more prominent.

12th December:

We started the cleaning and it was just horrible. Lol! During the day it gets pretty warm outside which heats the boat from inside to a bit uncomfortable temperature. I got lucky enough with Charles to clean the bilges where we had stored our safety emergency food. We needed to sort out all the cans which were fully corroded. Before starting we put our gloves on and sorted everything according to Australian custom regulations. We had to dispose off most of the food in the sea. Once we cleaned this part of the boat, the real challenge was waiting at the galley. You cannot imagine how much food gets collected between and below the floor boards. To remove and clean everything was by far the most dirty job I have ever done and really on the border line. So make sure you read the small print before you sign anything, lol! After everything was done, I went straight to the stern of the boat and washed myself thoroughly with the refreshing sea water all over.

13th December:

After 25 days at sea, we finally reached Fremantle in Australia and what a wonderful and exciting sailing day it was. With the code 1 up, we made great progress and pull some miles to secure our 6th position. But then the unbelievable thing happened again and we lost our second spinnaker halyard. 80 miles before the finish line, the halyard snapped at the same point as the previous one, just after the shackle. After the Big Bang everyone from down below rushed up and together we could secure the spinnaker within no time. We got lucky and the spinnaker didn’t get caught anywhere neither damaged anything. We set Yankee 1 instead and continued the race to the finish line. The weather was perfect with 20 knots of wind and a bright sunshine.

Around 9 pm, we finally crossed the finish line and WE DID IT! We crossed the Southern Ocean. What a feeling of accomplishment it was with so many other different emotions emerging at the same time. We got a very nice welcome from other boats at the pontoon and the media team was already waiting there.

Now, all we need is the custom clearance to step off board, and all I need is a long relaxing shower.