Leg 4 – Race 5 - 7th January

January 11, 2010
Leg 4 – Race 5 - 7th January

After the excitement of the previous night, getting up on deck to find that there was still a deck and sails up was reassuring!  However the winds had dropped and so had our speed and I after half an hour of watching our chances of gaining ground on the other boats disappeared, we finally woke up the skipper hoping he'd make a decision to change down to the light-weight kite to get us going.  As is often the case when you feel forced to wake Piers when you know he needs more sleep, the second he was up on deck the wind picked up and we were off and running again. Luckily he seems to view 2 hours of sleep as “plenty”!  The winds continued all morning to be variable, so we did get the lightweight up on deck to have the wind pick up again. I decide this is tactics we need to use in the future – everytime a sail is mis-behaving we get the next sail up on deck and threaten the one flying with a take-down! It might not be something straight out of the Sailing Almanac but it worked this morning, so I think it's something we should seriously consider!
With the wind dropping, the heat on board is becoming unbearable. Night-time sailing is great – shorts and t-shirts – no need for jackets – day-time sailing is all about dealing with the sun. The deck is too hot to walk on with bare feet; bikinis and shorts are the order of the day and really the only thing you want to have on is sunscreen!
The threat of the Lightweight spinnaker works and we keep just enough wind to hold on to the medium weight spinny all day and as the wind builds towards evening change down to the heavy-weight.  The nights have been cloudy and very, very dark, which makes trying to helm with the spinnaker very difficult. The last thing we need now is a bad spinnaker wrap.  It's a tough call as we are still in 6th position and really need to be trying to work our way up the fleet. The scoring gate is now looking unlikely for us and we need to focus on a good race position.  The heat is on – in every way possible!


 

Leg 4, Race 5 - 6th January

January 11, 2010
Leg 4, Race 5 - 6th January

Another scorching day on the water.  However we wake up to find the wind has died right down. In fact it died pretty soon after we went off watch and during the last 6 hours Jamaica had gone past us.  We were a bit disappointed, as the previous 6 hours we had been the fastest boat in the fleet and had taken miles out of everyone. But it also made us more determined. Now, unlike leg 1 when we were also faced with light airs and we floundered not really knowing what t...
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Leg 4, Race 5 - 5th January

January 11, 2010
Leg 4, Race 5 - 5th January

Last night we took the heavy weight spinnaker down and sailed night-watch with a poled-out yankee 2 sail and the main.  The seas are still quite rough and confused and this is by far the safer option – especially with everyone finding their feet and their helming heads again – and for some of the leggers it will be the first time they've helmed at night with the spinnaker. As night fell we could still see the lights of the other 7 Clipper yachts around us. It w...
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Leg 4, Race 5 - 4th January

January 11, 2010
Leg 4, Race 5 - 4th January

If we thought we would have a gentle settle into this race on our first night watch, we were mistaken.  With all the fleet so close and the wind changeable we had almost 6 full hours of constant graft.  We went through 2 sail changes, bagging and packing sails and reefing the main in and out. By the end of the watch we were rigging a spinnaker pole ready for a potential hoist by the other watch at first light.  I was hoping that this would mean after a very long rac...
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Leg 4 – Race 5 3rd Jan 2010 – Race Start Day

January 11, 2010
Leg 4 – Race 5 3rd Jan 2010 – Race Start Day

(editorial note: as this is posted, the blogs have skipped from Christmas Day straight to here. The missing days may get patched in later).

We were all up bright and early in our apartment – despite staying out later than we should have done and then also having had a very difficult conversation with Charles last night. It was blatantly obvious he was still in a lot of pain and extremely uncomfortable with basic sleeping and moving around.  We ...
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Geraldton – Christmas Day

January 7, 2010
Geraldton – Christmas Day

Christmas Day is Christmas Day however old you are and wherever you are in the world. It is just as exciting regardless. Well for me it is anyway! I got up eagerly – if a little gingerly (too much beer and wine last night!) to see if Santa had left me any presents under the tree. I was pretty optimistic – because I always am - but mainly because I'd had a huge stash of parcels waiting for me yesterday which I had deposited under said tree ready for this morning!...
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Leg 3 Day 24 – Christmas Eve!

January 7, 2010
Leg 3 Day 24 – Christmas Eve!

Last night was busy.  Busy helping Albert in the galley, box up all our food that can stay on board and busy doing the final 'fling' on the bits that can't.  Also I'm needed on deck to help out drop our headsails as the wind strength is such that the main alone is enough to keep us trucking along. I also happen to know that Piers is trying to delay our arrival into Geraldton until around 6am – when it's light and the cameras will be able to film our arrival an...
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Leg 3 Day 23 - 23rd December

January 7, 2010
Leg 3 Day 23 - 23rd December

I'm on Mother watch with Brett today – which is bound to be interesting as Brett notoriously hates mother-watch!  I make Bread for Lunch which is baked and out of the oven just in time to be eaten with baked beans and salami – lots of salami as we are now eating up everything we can't take into Australia with us.  Anything not tinned has to be used or slung overboard as the Aussie custom rules are very strict! It's an amazingly bright, sunny day. Good strong wi...
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Leg 3 Day 22 - 22nd December

January 7, 2010
Leg 3 Day 22 - 22nd December 

It's still not sunny or particularly warm today and we're not happy at all! The day brightened up this afternoon but we are starting to doubt that it can possibly be 40 degree mid-summer heat in Geraldton – which is now after all only just around the corner! We were expecting to be in shorts and t-shirts by now and topping up our tans ready for Chirstmas! As the day continues the wind picks up gradually but is still not quite the strong winds we should be getti...
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Leg 3 Day 21- 21st December

January 7, 2010
Leg 3 Day 21- 21st December

We wake up each day expecting to have sunshine and for it to be much warmer – and each day doesn't quite deliver.  In an effort to put a spring in our step, I decide it's time Christmas arrives on board H&H and so get out the few bits of tinsel and the Santa hat I had bought in Cape Town, along with the mini-tree, decs and tinsel Albert bought and a few of us set about decorating the saloon and Nav station area. I get 'Blue Peter' creative, dig out some coloured c...
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