Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 23, 23rd March

I woke up around midnight in agony. My shoulder was in intense pain. I peered out of my bunk to spy Kirsten's legs on  “step-watch” on the companion way and hissed at her, trying to get her attention without waking the sleeping skipper in the bunk below. Brendan, who wasn't asleep, heard so got up to fetch me more painkillers, some water and words of sympathy. Hunger and discomfort eventually drove me out of my bunk and the food and the company of the n...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 22, 22nd March

Having managed to climb up and then roll into my bunk last night, I got up for night watch as per normal. I knew I wouldn't be of any use but I needed my next round of pills and I felt a could at least show solidarity with my watch and be there in support. I also wanted to be awake in case we had any update on California Clipper. I hadn't really slept, through discomfort and worry, so after supervising some bread-making and catching up on a few emails (very...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 21, 21st March

It's a grey, rainy day today - still wild although promising to ease but is still gusting up to the late 30s and low 40knots. Last night our highest gust was 63 knots of true wind – that's pretty wild! The programme of heavy weather helmers continues and the saloon looks a bit like a doctor's waiting room as the helms with their wing-men, wait expectantly, oilies half on, for their next session to commence. I dose in and out of sleep perched in amongst th...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 20, 20th March (again!)

The winds continue to blow today as the low hovers over us. The waves are building in size and strength all the time and after last night's crash gybe, Brendan isn't taking any chances and we've gone down to a few 'heavy-weather helmers' per watch and only two people on deck at any one time – a helm and a wing-man – someone to spot the really huge waves and also a back-up should the helm get knocked off his or her feet! There is also a third role -...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 19, 20th March

I really wasn't looking forward to night watch last night. The sea was choppy, it was freezing and so dark you couldn't see the mast of the boat from the cockpit. Sailing in those conditions is always slightly surreal – you could be anywhere, sailing in any direction with any number of things around you just out of sight. The only light came from my fallen stars - the phosphorescence – as they danced just beneath the surface of the waves that gushed past. W...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 18, 19th March

There may be a low and some big, big winds on the horizon but night watch last night saw the winds get lighter and lighter. Soon we were grimacing along with the regular flog, flog, flogging of sails as we had sub 5 knots of breeze and the Yankee 1 and main struggled to catch enough of a puff to keep them filled and powered. It was the first really clear night we've had in ages and the stars were out in force. We tried spotting the various constellations and go...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 17, 18th March

Night watch last night was fairly busy. We took the Y2 down and went up with the Y3 and reefed in. It's still very cold and the water temperature is cold too, so when your Oilies get wet the effect has an instant cooling of your all over temperature by several degrees. The winds are still good – in the mid to high 20's and we are tanking along at 10 & 11 knots. The winds having piped up looked like they were settling down again but we spent all watch thinking...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 16, 17th March
St Patrick's Day

Kevlar arrived in the saloon this morning dressed from head to foot in Green, sporting an Irish Leprechaun hat and a big grin. Today is St Patrick's Day and yacht race or not – we're going to mark it! He made a speech in Irish and then dangled the promise of some goodies for us all later – sent from the Cork crew to help us all celebrate with him. We also got an email back from Piers – who sounds in fine form – and is lapping up the atte...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 15, 16th March

Morning watch was busy. We had the Yankee 2 up and poled out then dropped it almost immediately as the wind went through a switch, in favour of the Yankee 1 on a reach. Almost as soon as we'd done it the wind changed again – sod's law – but instead of reacting I suggested we “Do a Dudin” and wait for 10 mins (on average the time it would take him to roll and smoke a ciggie while pondering the next move!) In the end the wind steadied and we ran with the ...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 14, 15th March

Didn't sleep again but nonetheless felt much more rested today. The temperature has dropped again – we're back into needing mittens on deck and the layer I had stripped out of my sleeping bag was hastily restored. I've been taking most of my off-watch opportunities to catch up on sleep – or rest at least but am also conscious I'm now way behind on my blog and other jobs are queuing up.

In the afternoon we get an email from Piers which cheered us all up. ...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 13, 14th March

Although sleep is still fitful, most of us felt better and ready to get back to sailing  today. After a fairly calm day yesterday we are back into big seas, big waves and rolling conditions which reminds us we need to be alert and on the case. It doesn't matter what we've been through or whether or not we have a skipper – the sea doesn't stop or wait for anyone. The challenge is still right here in front of us and we have to step up to the mark. We receiv...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 12, 13th March

Yesterday evening was a sombre affair. Brendan did very well to settle us down, congratulate us on our handling of the situation and lay out the plan for a steady next couple of days. I'd volunteered to do another mother-watch with Albert as the galley needed a thorough sort out after the rough weather had played havoc with everything. The day passed in a haze of food, tea and tears as the adrenaline from the previous 36 hours wore off and exhaustion set-in...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 11, 12th March

When Albert nudged me into action an hour and a half later I didn't want to get out of bed. I knew I had a job to do but as soon as I got up, the day would officially begin and it would be a day in which we  waved goodbye to our skipper. I wanted to try and put it off but I knew it was inevitable. We were on route to the rendezvous point and Australia were gradually catching us – although they had a problem with their engine so progress was slow. Clipper ...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 10, 11th March

This is surf city! We are trucking along and have been for a couple of days. We're in second place and taking miles out of every boat at every race schedule. We're riding the edge of a low pressure system and have hit it just right – perhaps our luck has changed ...for once!

The wind changes during the morning - we gybe the Yankee across and drop the pole and are now reaching with the winds bang on the beam – not a great point of sail.

The sun comes out d...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 9, 10th March

Today I lost my sense of humour - big time. I tried to find it but it wasn't in my bunk or in the forepeak, am pretty certain it wasn't in the saloon and I'm damn sure it wasn't in the galley. I know this because that's the torture chamber where I spent 14 wretched hours today!

The conditions on deck are fabulous – some sunshine – a bit of relief from all the rain we've had and good speeds under a poled-out headsail. We are not heeled over very much and t...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 8, 9th March

Our night watch last night was more of the same. We expected the winds to die off a bit and although they did occasionally dip down as far as the early 20's, gusts of 28, 29 knots kept coming every few minutes – just enough to keep us from shaking a reef out.

By our midday watch start the winds were up again and it wasn't long before we dropped the staysail and then later swapped out the Yankee 3 for the storm jib. The sea state had picked up again and seeme...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 7, 8th March

My foot feels better today, the swelling has gone down. The main problem is still getting my boot on and off – once it's on though, it's not too bad at all. Had a great zzzzz this morning with Ipod on and a short 'bunk disco' (interesting in a sleeping bag!)   – although still too hot despite the northerly winds now being some slightly colder air.  Had a rude awakening for watch – my bunk (I'm on the top) was being pushed up and down, earthquake fashion, by...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 6, 7th March

Got up and after quite a struggle got my boot on and was on deck for watch – I was given some stick that I shouldn't be there but the winds had gone light again so the boat was fairly flat and steady and not likely to be too challenging for my ankle.

On watch later it was quite a different story. We went from barely making headway with a windseeker straight to Y2 plus 2 reefs in the main. The gear change was like going from pootling down a country lane at 30 mph...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 5, 6th March

I didn't really sleep during my 8am to midday off-watch. I lay in my bunk with my ipod on and snoozed, eventually rousing to the realisation that I was far too hot! Not a sensation I expected to experience at any point of this leg! I couldn't believe that I might actually have to take a layer out of my sleeping bag!

The rain had cleared up, it was still relatively mild. Still the mid-layer salopettes and thin fleece were donned – not because I really needed ...
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Leg 7, Race 5 – Day 4, Friday 5th March

Mike B woke me at 7.15am. My initial reaction was “shit, I'm late for motherwatch” and then I realised that was yesterday and I was back to normal today. The lack of violent boat motion once again gave away the fact that we were in a light wind situation and just to underline that as I was about to go on deck for watch, the mid-weight spinnaker was shoved down the companion way at me and I could hear the Windseeker being hoisted. It was the start o...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 3, Thursday 4th March

We had held on to second place all of yesterday right up until the final sched when we then dropped to fourth as Australia and Jamaica snuck past us.

Today my contribution to keeping the boat going fast was to keep the troops fed and watered.  The wind had dropped right down and had spun round behind us, which made the motion of the boat much easier – it also made my bunk far too comfortable and I was loath to leave it and Bertie Bear – my newly p...
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Leg 5, Race 7 – Day 2, Wednesday 3rd March

By this morning the fleet had dispersed again and we were back to battling against Cape Breton Island – who were once again neck and neck – (or bow and bow) with us on the horizon.  Now our sail changes had settled a tad and as it was still (and likely to be for some time) pretty darn cold, Tom our watch leader reinstated the system of having limited numbers on deck so we could warm ourselves in rotation in the comparative warmth (which wasn't r...
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Leg 5, Race 7 Day 1 - 2nd March Race Start Day

5 hours of sleep is barely enough, I decided as my alarm sounded at 6.15am – just time for a final luxurious hot shower and hair wash – quite possibly my last for the next 4 1/2 weeks! Albert and I, who had been sharing a cheap and cheerful apartment since we'd arrived in Qingdao, did a final scout around for left items and scurried off just before 7am, to grab a taxi back to the marina.

As we'd come to expect, it was a bitterly cold morning bu...
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