Goodbye Singapore

Sunday February 5th, 2011
A terrible Start 

We had a terrible start and were last for some time. Then we got going better and, I would guess, moved up to maybe fifth. We have headed north in towards the coast, we think on our own so we don’t know how we’re doing compared with the others now. We are getting back into boat routine slowly. I’m pleased to say i’m feeling fine. Lynne and Brett are both suffering though. So, off to bed for me. have a great flight home. i hope you get a decent seat and they treat you well.

Monday February 6th, 2011
A bombshell from home 

What a bombshell at the end of your email. How can they do that? Why have they gone straight to solicitors? It is so threatening.  Surely you should come to an agreement between you. You have so far. How can they set the terms and conditions unilaterally? Are they blaming the recent school problems on us and using that as justification. It seems bizarre behaviour. Well i’m glad the flight went well. You obviously went into it with a positive attitude and it paid off. Joss sound interesting. We could meet up when we visit Banksie. I’m trying to do the same (be positive), although we are now very far last it is difficult to be positive. However, I am being and we will catch up, I’m sure….. The weather is still hot and we have good wind albeit it is coming straight from where we want to go hence our tacking. Sorry. I don’t have much news. It was nice being watch leader again while Dave was mother but he is back now.

Thursday February 9th, 2011
Lazy Mother, at last! 

Well I’m back to bed. I’m the lazy mother, for a change! Mind you it is still hard to sleep as the boat is crashing along and healing. It is still hot below decks as well. Sorry the phone call was so frustrating. It’s a terrible and expensive service but I will ring you again before you go to Edinburgh. That’s tuesday the 14th isn’t it? Valentine’s day. I am mother that day, so maybe I could ring you early that morning. Mind you – remind me. It’s a long way ahead! We are bouncing around in a good amount of wind, still doing very badly. We’ll have to be very lucky to finish well after the start we had. I had a bit of an episode this morning but am over it now. I just couldn’t sleep and I started panicking about not being able to sleep. I guess I was just over-tired.

Friday February 10th, 2012
Wet and windy 

We are trucking along with 2 reefs in the main and the number 3 yankee up. The waves are getting bigger and the wind consistently blows over 25 knots. At least the sea water is till warm. This morning Hale and I had to go to the bow to tie another foresail down better before the wind and waves washed it off the deck. We got absolutely soaked as waves were breaking over the bow, but it was fine as the water was warm, we won’t be so keen north of Taiwan, when it will be a whole lot colder! Still 9th and not really catching 8th. We need a big wind change to give ourselves a chance of any improvement. What a shame.

Saturday February 11th, 2012
Squalls and rain 

Last night was tricky. We had a few squalls and it rained like mad. We couldn’t see beyond 20 yards from the boat. The wind was all over the place. Still, at least it is still warm. I expect we’ll have snow soon enough, too! I am sleeping a bit better – I guess I’m tired enough. We are still hammering to windward. We go one way then the other slowly making our way north. But you can see that on the race viewer. I am watch leader today as Mikey Dave is on mother watch. Much more fun! Well I see the wind is being unkind and we are being pushed slightly south again. This is not particularly fun! Sailing against the wind. The challenge races, which were the forerunner to the clipper races used to sail the ‘wrong’ way around the world i.e. against the prevailing wind so they would be tacking like this for weeks on end. Not fun.
Sunday February 12th,
2012 Taunting winds

We are all wondering why we are going so badly. As usual the wind seems to taunt us and each time we want to go north the wind comes from the north and each time we tack to the east the wind blows from there. Very frustrating.

Monday February 13th, 2012
Lost cursor (excuse the language!)

I seem to have lost the fucking cursor on this fucking email machine which is fucking great when your sitting on a hard wooden bench with sodding sore arse, healing at 45 degrees so you have to hold on with one hand and / or the cheeks of said sore arse, trying to fucking type!! i hope the fucking alt keys work.

Tuesday February 14th, 2012
Valentine’s day

Happy valentine’s day … again! Thank you for my beautiful card. It is stuck above mine and James’s bunk. You did brilliantly to change the hotel booking. (I had to pretend to be Sam otherwise when I got to Qingdao they would not have checked me in as the booking was in his name!) Well done. Could have been tricky if you hadn’t. We have slowed down again, lack of wind. We don’t think it will last and there will be a LOT of wind soon. From where we want to go. Deep joy! To try and explain… a sailing boat cannot sail straight into the wind, the sails just flap and the boat goes backwards. If you want to go where the wind is coming from as we have for the whole of this race, you have to point the boat about 45 to 50 degrees from the wind, sail for a bit, then tack and sail 45 to 50 degrees from the wind with the wind on the other side of the sail. You slowly zig zag to your destination. Remember after One House Bay in the Ionian we tried to go to the anchoring bay but it was too much like hard work so we went somewhere else. Mother watch is over and it’s gone very well. Bit of a panic as I dropped to sleep mid-afternoon after phoning you and woke at 5 with spag bol to prepare for 6.15. We made it, just. Just off to have my weekly shower and then, hopefully a good sleep. Lynne has given me a couple of sleeping pills to try but, to be honest I’m sleeping much better now it’s cooler.

Wednesday February 15th, 2012
Sleep at last

I got 8 hours sleep last night after my shower. Mother watch is great when you can sleep! It is definitely cooler now which helps as did Lynne’s tablets – a bit I expect. We have had horrible light winds and are probably 10th again, but we’re moving nicely again now, albeit we could do with more wind. That is certainly forecast and we will soon go from too little wind to too much. oh well! at the moment though, it is still shorts and t-shirt weather although you need a jacket at night.

En Route to Singapore…..

Thursday January 12th, 2012
Still behind Geraldton

It’s 23.30 which means I’ve had 5 hours sleep. Woke up dripping as usual, but 5 hours is good and I was feeling so much better by the evening anyway. I shall go back and try for more sleep after this.

We are still behind Geraldton, but only by a couple of miles now. It’s very exciting.

Friday the 13th
We overtook Geraldton

I have had some sleep and am back on deck, post-mother watch. We overtook Geraldton this morning. We were neck and neck for about an hour. At one point we were 30 metres apart with spinnakers up. I was helming. I got two lucky surfs on 2 big waves and we got passed them. Very exciting. We kept ahead then they went south looking for better conditions and we haven’t seen them for a bit.

Then we had to gybe, (turn the boat) to avoid a fishing boat. Really unfortunate as we had to take down the spinnaker to do it. That is such a pain. Before we can put it up again, we have to tie wool round it every couple of feet and pack it. It takes 6 people a good 20 minutes and is very tedious and sweaty. We think we have changed spinnakers 5 times today already!

Anyway better get off to bed.

Saturday January 14th, 2012
4th across the scoring gate

We were 4th across the scoring gate behind Geraldton by 45 minutes and just 15 in front of Singapore. It was most frustrating and I think our Friday the 13th has been chronicled by James in a blog. Nightmare.

We are now motoring (bumpily) up the cerebes sea with Geraldton and Singapore. Very uncomfortable. As you say, it will probably take 4 days, which will be boring, with highlights. For instance, earlier, we had to pass Singapore some antibiotics as they had run out and it fell to me to throw the package which I did immaculately and it was caught by there watch leader! phew!

Sunday January 15th, 2012
Motoring across the Celebes Sea

We are still motoring through the Celebes sea in the company of Geraldton and Singapore. We have lots of maintenance jobs to do so are keeping busy. We had to scrub the floor boards on the deck today, a job we usually only do in port. Tedious!

Monday January 16th, 2012
Geraldton need milk powder

Chipwrecked sounds good (Josh and went to see it)! Say Hi to the Wilkins for me. Bella pasta eh? I am not jealous as I am pasta and riced out at the moment (I did not tell him I had steak!)

Yesterday afternoon the 3 boats came to a stop and we were allowed to go swimming! It was lovely, diving off the boat. The water was so warm although you didn’t want to think what was below you …. 2k depth of water! James and I swam over to Geraldton to deliver milk powder which they had run out of. It was farther than I thought and I was swimming one handed while carrying the milk powder. I was knackered when I got there! The swim back was a lot easier. We have been motoring on since and are now well in the sulu sea.

Back to ‘work’.

Tuesday January 17th, 2012
Oh no forgetfulness sets in……

It is 9.20 on Wednesday here 0020 in Oxford.

I’m not sure how long we will be in Batam. It looks like it’s all going a bit pear-shaped. Edinburgh, Finland and Yorkshire are so far behind. They have had to wait for Edinburgh. There is little wind forecast in the south china sea. I think they’ll ask us to motor some of that but we don’t have enough fuel so we may have to stop somewhere to get it. It may be turning into a non-event.

We have been busy in the dog watches (between 11 and 3) but mainly easy. Last night’s navigation was tricky as we had to avoid a reef and several ships which are all funnelled into the same channel as us. Yesterday evening we stopped for another brief dip. I had a moment afterwards, we were all sitting on deck and talking about which boats had won media awards. I knew Gold Coast had for their halloween video but when I came to say it I couldn’t remember the word halloween. Long embarrassed pause while I tried to find the word, then the conversation moved on. I remembered about half an hour later!! (Wish Sam realised this happens to all of us, well it does to me often, tis life passing us by!!!)

At this rate we will get a lot of the maintenance work done at sea never mind Batam and I know we will do the deep clean at Batam, not Singapore, so there should be little to do in Singapore.

Wednesday January 18th, 2012
Diverting to Kota Kinabula

Not sure if you have the news yet but we have been told not to start racing after all but to divert to Kota Kinabula in Malaysia to buy more diesel. We should be there tomorrow morning our time. I guess we haven’t ‘popped out’ of stealth mode and I guess it is unlikely we will race anymore days to Batam, but we don’t know. The wind may fill in.

well i am on mother watch today. we’ve done breakfast and my dough is rising.

All is well. I’ll keep you informed!

Thursday January 19th, 2012
Time called on this race

Well you have probably heard that the sailing race to Singapore is over – at the start to the Celebes sea – so we are 4th. Our best result. We are delighted and determined to get on the podium at Qingdao. We now have 4 to 5 days of motoring, which is pretty tedious, but we may swim again and will have time to read and watch movies. We have joined up with New York and DLL so there are 5 of us.

We seem to be out of phone signal at the moment but I will keep checking.

Friday January 20th, 2012
Preparing for Chinese New Year

We are still motoring along. It blew for a bit so we switched the engine off to cool while we sailed. Back motoring now. It is raining and overcast so no-one felt they’d missed out on a swim.

Navigating is still tricky. You have to avoid shoals and reefs. we are passing Brunei and there are loads of oil rigs in the water, many with flares burning.

Brett is cooking dumplings for chinese new year meal tonight. I’m sure they’ll be lovely. apparently the chinese new year tradition is to spring clean…. so that is what we will be doing on the boat tomorrow! Still at least it gets it out of the way for Batam and Singapore.

Saturday January 21st, 2012
Murder in the air

We are still motoring. with DLL (I heard Peter on the radio today), New York, Geraldton and Singapore. We are heading back towards the equator slowly so it seems to be getting even hotter. We just stopped for a swim but the relief is only temporary.

We are 1 day into a game of murder. I have to kill Mark Burkes with Lynne’s shoes in the skipper’s cabin. Not sure how I will achieve that – don’t tell him by the way! Still trucking on (snore).

Sunday January 22nd, 2012
Chinese New Year

Today is Chinese new year. Brett has written lots of Chinese words on squares of paper and stuck them up everywhere. There are laminated pictures of Chinese words like ‘happiness’ and ‘longevity’. These have been stuck up round the boat as well including the door to the heads. I believe this is day 30 or 31 which is the longest we have ever been at sea, although we did call in at Kota Kinabula for fuel a couple of days ago. It is looking like we will be in Batam on the morning of the 24th. Yeeha! can’t wait.

Monday January 24th, 2012
Arriving in Batam

Just to say we are in Batam. we made it just before nightfall on the 23rd. Unfortunately at the moment, my phone is refusing to find a signal. I’m going to let it charge, then I will take it to the hotel and see if I get a signal there.

Wow. We arrived in the worst squall I have seen to date. We were heading towards Batam and this squall literally stretched from one side of the Mallacca strait to the other. As we approached it just got darker and darker. We entered the squall, the rain bucketed down it hurt and it was really cold. The wind went up to 30 knots and we quickly put in 2 reefs, we must have sailed through this rain, visibility down to 30 metres for about half an hour. It never really got warm after that.

Batam looks cool. i shall work out the lie of the land tomorrow or the next day – we have our deep clean tomorrow.

Hopefully, I can get this bloody phone working even before you receive this.

Crossing the Philippine Sea

Monday January 9th, 2012

Well we have come to a grinding halt. We’d just completed 30 unbroken hours with the spinnaker up when this squall came along. We got the spinnaker down, but now there is no wind at all and we can feel the rest of the fleet sailing by us. Very frustrating. Hopefully, it will pick up soon. We are sailing into a current and felt that Derry and Finland would be past us soon anyway. Oh well! We’ll be back.

Great to hear Graezy is doing well. Say hi to him from me. I will try and get into running when I get back but this sport is not great for leg strength or aerobic fitness.

It definitely feels a little cooler these days and I have managed to get a few good sleeps, which is most welcome.

Better go. Are we half way? We may be. Can’t wait.

06.11 Tuesday January 10th, 2012

Glad you liked the blog! It was everybody’s idea, and they all really wanted to show their appreciation for all your efforts.

Yes we are very gutted we sailed into a wind hole and just couldn’t move. It took 20 hours before the wind filled in. We went from 3rd to 5th to 7th. Appalling. So unlucky. At one stage we did 12 miles in 6 hours. Still we are blasting along again now. Perhaps the same fate will befall some of the new leaders. Lets hope so.

15.43 Tuesday January 10th, 2012

It’s 5 past 10 in the evening on the 10th and I’m due on watch at 11 so shouldn’t be awake for another 30 minutes. It’s so difficult to sleep as it is so hot and the prospect of waking up in a pool of sweat is so off-putting.

We are trucking on again, but I get the impression the whole fleet is going well so we are not making gains. This is a mammoth leg, we think we may be over half way now! Last night Brett was giving us Chinese lessons! I used to be good at languages but it goes in one ear and out the other! I can just about say hello – ni hao! He has translated a speech for Ian which he will coach him on. We ate spag bol with chopsticks last night to practice!

Wednesday January 11th, 2012

Sorry I’ve not written for a bit but we’ve had another busy day. This afternoon we must have raised a spinnaker 5 times. Each one we raised got a little rip and had to come down to be repaired, then repacked then re-raised. We didn’t get any sleep in our off watch at all. I am knackered!

We think we got ahead of Geraldton briefly to go 3rd but they have got ahead again so I think we’re 4th, but catching New York. Would love to catch Derry!

Mother watch tomorrow.

02.53 Thursday January 12th, 2012

Well here we are, breakfast out the way, bread dough mixed and rising. We can see Geraldton about 3 miles ahead and have caught up Derry a bit. We are doing are best.

Yes I’ve read their plans. of course we shall still be able to email, don’t worry about that. They are just doing risk assessments I should think.

Good old Graezy. Glad he is well. Say hi from me. I think walking would be good exercise. I could seriously do with some. I think i’m quite strong at the moment, but not particularly fit. I’m certainly puuting the weight I lost back on, slowly.

I’m trying to think. where is the Magdalen arms? Blackberry and Apple pie does sound good!

08.32 Thursday January 12th, 2012

Well lunch is over and washed up. I went up and helmed for an hour to help out, the conditions are such that only the experienced can helm and that would leave James and Mikey Dave with a 2 hour stint each which is hard.

Geraldton is in sight about 3 miles away. I didn’t make anything on them but didn’t lose. Now it’s Mikey Dave’s turn. He is very good as is James. I don’t know how Derry are doing. We don’t have quite enough wind to keep going at a good speed.

 

A New Year – Qingdao’s journey to Singapore continues

New Years Day

Got to be quick as on watch in a mo. Will write more later. I’m stuck to this seat with sweat!! Very unpleasant.

Yep we are going well although last night was hard. We had to drop the main twice, and reefed a couple of times too. It’s exciting though and the watch passes quickly. We are definitely RACING!

Got an email from Jimbo yesterday. He is getting better, and has a sports physiotherapist. We are all writing back to him.

January 2nd, 2012

Yes we are 4th and very disappointed and yet again the wind seems to be determined to blow from where we want to go. It’s most frustrating. At least we have some wind. Ian thought from the forecasts, we would be stationary by now.

For the last couple of off watches I have slept on deck. It has been much cooler than in the ghetto. We have a big fan in the ghetto, but Terry and I have the upper back bunk on the starboard side and the air doesn’t reach it so it’s exceptionally hot and sweaty. Yuk!

January 3rd, 2012

Yep we think we’re not too badly placed but could do with the wind freeing us. Also, according to the weather files, we hope we have more wind than the others. The fact that Gold Coast is this way is good.

Things got a bit better today. We had to make a decision on which way to go to avoid a tropical storm. We can see them building in the day. Ian and I agreed to hold on rather than tack and we avoided the storm – hoorah!

It’s been a beautiful day today. Really sunny. The sea is calmer so the front hatch can be open ensuring the ghetto is a bit cooler. Did I say I slept on deck last night? Very cool!

January 4th, 2012

We are third again I believe. Yeeha. Right now we have wind although not quite in the right direction and are going north rather than north west. We were supposed to have no wind so this is a bonus.

Well it is now your birthday here if not where you are. Where will you go for your birthday supper with Banksy? The Mole? I hope you have a lovely time. By the way you asked where the cards were. I asked Sharon to post them. I hope yours has arrived in time!

January 5th, 2012

Sorry it is nearly 24 hours since our phone call, but again, we have been busy. I’m afraid we have lost the wind and the others have gained on us massively. Having said that at lunchtime today ( it is now 1600 on the 5th) the wind at last got up and we are flying north west under spinnaker.

Hopefully, the other boats won’t be able to do as well.

I can just envisage our lovely bed on a windy winters day. It does sound great! I have just woken in a pool of sweat. I looked at my watch and thought it said 6.00 i.e. nearly time to get up but it in fact said 1600 – another 2 hours till get up. DOH!

Glad you had a nice dinner with Sarah and David. Have you heard from your Mum and Dad? I’m so sorry not to have been with you for your birthday, please look out for Qingdao blogs… shame for David Starr. I didn’t realise things were so bad still.

Had a great email from Sam. He said that wasps had lost their last 5 league games… what?! Also, at last 2 people have been convicted for the Steven Lawrence murder. At last.

02.23, January 6th, 2012

We are cracking along now, hopefully still in third. We did have a difficult morning yesterday with little wind and we think a few boats caught us up a bit, but we’re still 3rd I think.

We crossed the equator last night about 10 o’clock so now I am in the same hemisphere as you. Mark was Neptune and the 5 leggers were initiated with gunk and had to confess their sins. We all made a sacrifice to Neptune. Then we had rum and a selection from the shot bucket which, after new year and the equator is now finished. I haven’t drunk my Baileys yet, perhaps i’ll keep it to drink with you in Singapore!

Anyway, better go and help Terry who seems to have started getting lunch ready.

06.59, January 6th, 2012

I know. We are delighted. We know it is only down to the way the distance to finish is calculated and we think the boats to the north will come past us again soon, but it is a fantastic feeling. (Being 1st)

Lunch is now over. Pasta and pesto. Very easy. 3 loaves of white bread made. Cool. Washing done. Had a shave. Finished a book. Going for a kip now, if i can. It’s still very hot.

January 7th, 2012

Mikey Dave caught a fish today! I was just having a solar shower in the snakepit. I looked behind us and there was this thing bouncing along behind us. It turned out to be a Wahu, about 3 foot long. Mikey Dave cleaned and boned it and we had steaks for supper, they were wonderful.

We are now within 6 miles of Geraldton and slowly coming together. Don’t know if we’ll stay in front. There is still a long way to go. Derry is catching us and we don’t know how well Gold Coast’s tactics will work, although obviously they have in the past.

We had a beautiful spinnaker reach today for about 6 hours, then decided to take it down as it got dark. Shame. I think we could have carried it.

It is not Cath’s birthday, but it is the day she could pick up her bus pass. I thought that happened on your birthday but apparently not.

Well, we’re trucking on.

January 8th, 2012 

Yep – we could see Geraldton for all of last night and felt we had kept ahead. I’d heard that Derry had made good time too. We are still flying along. This morning we had the medium weight spinnaker up and the wind got up and we had to change to the heavyweight, which we did flawlessly! It looks like we might be in company for many days.

I hadn’t thought of the boatshow. I bet that’s it. Well we keep writing them so they better publish them eventually.

Still very hot. I just woke bathed in sweat again. nice!

Leaving Gold Coast for Singapore

Goodbye to Gold Coast, so long to those they love.

I just love this picture, look closely and you can see the different emotions on their faces. I think Sam knew I had lost it and was just holding on, Lynne certainly was very emotional and David, well what can I say……….

Christmas Eve 2011

Usually I have an email to reply to but it’s only 10 to 4 on the first afternoon (and I – Hazel  - am on a plane heading north to Singapore). I’m off watch but I can’t sleep. 2 reasons. It is very hot already and I have a heavy heart! I miss you very much. I wish you could tell me that this monotony and discomfort is worth it. This distance between us that is growing with every keystroke, and it’s Christmas tomorrow and it will be horrible without you. I will just miss you more. I wish Jimbo was here to talk too.

Christmas 2011

Last night was good and I got some sleep and felt better. On mother watch today. Terry had to make breakfast because my watch had so few working crew. Both Brett and Lynne are extremely sea sick. We don’t have to make Christmas lunch because Lynne had it delivered but we have to get it out and carve it which should be interesting – we have 30 knots ‘up the chuff’ at the moment and are rolling a lot.

I’m going to try and get some sleep now. Thank you for your encouragement. Happy Christmas with Jess and Josh.

Boxing Day 2011

What a fantastic uplifting email. From the depths you reached on the flight. Then your Christmas – how you turned it around. That is what I love about you. You can be so positive in the face of adversity.

Our christmas was over when I phoned you but we have a great boxing day with beautiful weather and the spinnaker up. I believe we have dropped to 5th which is a shame but we are all close and we hope we can pull it back.

Lynne is much better now and she has been helming as has Brett and Hale.

Brett has quite a difficulty with English but he helmed well. The first couple of days – in the strong winds we couldn’t really leave it to the newbies and did loads of helming. Lucky it was the beginning of the leg.

After the afternoon watch today I had a shower on deck like we used to on the way to Rio. Really rereshing. It is really hot on deck already. I hope we have enough suntan cream.

The only downside at the moment is that I have not found the presents. I have looked in the mate’s cabin (in the stern on port side) and found the box of hand warmers. It is a case of going through the boat from front to back – but I will find them.

Watch leading is going well with James and Mikey Dave’s help and as you can probably tell, I’m feeling a lot more positive. Mother watch with Terry again was good – he told me at lunch time that Mandy was probably at Southport yacht club then, with $160 of wine to attempt to get through. oh oh!

Right – I’m off present searching. I will try and phone you again on your birthday (and obviously email loads before then).

06.05 December 27th, 2011

I found it!! It was stored in a locker in a the ghetto. Thank you so much!

The fishhook from New Zealand is great, I am wearing it all the time now and thank you for the Baileys, the sweets and the book. I have started reading it today. I got a T-shirt and socks from Debbie, which was great.

Everybody loves the Christmas baubles – the purple one will double-up as a new year glitter ball for the new years eve ball!

All is going well. The sun is very hot – as are the nights. Everybody is feeling better although there is another depression heading our way in a couple of days. Oh well.

We think we are ahead of the schedule so far although we are now in 7th but think we are well placed for when this depression hits us.

Just been interrupted and have to go back on watch now, but will write again soon.

22.29 December 27th, 2011

That is one thing we don’t have to deal with – jet lag!! I’m feeling particularly well at the moment!!

Last night (27th) we had sundowners. We didn’t on Christmas day because it was rough and so many of the crew were seasick. We had champagne, there was a tub of shots and we each had one, and a can of beer. Luxury! I will keep the Baileys, maybe for new years eve or your birthday. We have so many Christmas goodies – our supporter, Hilary Strickland bought us all a lip salve, which is really thoughtful. Such a good present as they are small AND useful!

Glad to hear your dad seems better. How is your mum?

Started reading your book (Fatal Storm written by the Commodore of Southport Yacht Club about the Sydney to Hobart race), yesterday. It seems a cracker. Very well written, I think.

Well we were down to 8th but i think we’re 6th again. It’s all very close.

December 28th, 2011

Yes there are socks. I didn’t know they were from Lynne. We haven’t had them yet. Your christmas baubles are really appreciated as are your handwarmers as were your cakes which were polished off rapidly. I know Cath keeps telling me how much she appreciates your support as does James and OB.

Currently in 3rd we believe and heading for the scoring gate. Yesterday morning we saw New York on the horizon. It took half a day to overtake them. Very exciting. The sea is calm and we have some wind albeit from the wrong direction.

December 29th, 2011

Sorry I haven’t written since yesterday but we’ve been busy!

We had a great few days – ovetaking a few and culminating with just keeping ahead of Singapore through the scoring gate. We hope that made us 3rd but we are not sure.

We have had tropical storms which are amazing. We were on watch yesterday evening and we saw it getting dark and cloudy. James and I took off our shirts ready for a free shower. Suddenly, though, the wind went from 17 to 30 knots in an instant. We had to get the sails down quickly. Rain fell horizontally. There was lightning all around. We could hardly see. Then it passed. This went on and off for about 12 hours – until we passed the scoring gate. In the next watch I helmed all the way through as we were so busy. By the end my hands were like prunes from being wet for so long!

Last night we were going to draw the secret santa before the tropical storms started. Maybe today instead then!

New Year’s Eve

We were jubilant with our scoring gate point. I helmed for 4 stratight hours in the watch that we crossed the gate, but everybody worked so hard. We have never seen such explosive changeable conditions. Calm one minute, gale the next. Once Dave, Ian and James were on the foredeck and I couldn’t see them because of the rain and spray! Now we are 4th as Singapore overtook us last night but they are less than a mile ahead and we are catching again slowly.

You should see me typing this. Because we are healing so much I am in the nav station with my back against the wall and my feet on a piece of rope to stop me from sliding. The keyboard is on my knees. I am sweating – it is so hot and humid and airless. At least on deck the air moves! I am mother watch today so I’m going to find time to wash me and some clothes. My bread is proving slowly. We have to cook instant pasta for lunch – a doddle. The sun is shining and it is hot. Have I mentioned that?!

A birthday message

RACE 7 – DAY 12 – by Sam Lloyd (Qingdao)

To: Hazel Knowles (unofficial shore mother) Oxford England

Dear Hazel

Well here I am on your birthday, and there you are. Ho hum! I hope this letter goes some way to help your celebrations.

As I speak, we are third again, which is fantastic news. At one point last night we were only three miles behind Gold Coast Australia - such exalted company! We are definitely racing!

For much of the time, just to make things a little trickier, the wind comes from where we want to go and there are any number of reefs and islands to avoid. (We have just tacked to avoid Lyra Reef. Skipper said we could, theoretically sail over the top of it, but we know how accurate (or not) these charts are.

Another hazard. Last night we came close to being netted by a local fishing boat. With no wind and the Mighty Q stuck without steerage, this purse seiner closed within about 300 metres (well it seemed that close to me) before we found a breath of wind and pulled away from him. Repeated forays to ask sleeping skipper for advice during these nervous moments were answered with useful comments like ‘make sure the engine is ready’.

After the event, it is slightly worrying that skipper cannot remember even being woken!

Again, Mother Nature put our feeble efforts to shame. I took a solar shower in the snake pit just before going on watch at 1900. At 2000 a tropical storm unleashed it’s deluge of water over me for half an hour, as if to say ‘anything you can do…’. This morning though, she put on one of the most awesome sunrises, as molten skies to the east painted the towering clouds across the sky, every shade of pink. Stunning.

There was a hole in our Yankee 1 today, the sail that is putting in a lot of work this race, but a quick bit of needle work from Dave and Skip had it back up in double quick time.

This leg is turning into a classic. The sailing is mainly fantastic, and, buoyed by our position, we are indeed the happy boat – with a hint of steely determination! However, I know what will crown it will be leg end, with you, in Singapore.

Love, Sam

P.S. There are a few other sailing souls here who have a word or two to add!

Hello Hazel.

Well it is your birthday I understand. I wished I had realised before leaving Gold Coast as I would have got you a card…but hey ho I did not, so here are my virtual Birthday Greetings to you…sorry but I now want you to imagine I am singing to you…Happy Birthday to you Happy birthday to you Happy Birthday to the dear fandabbydozy (that’s a good word by the way…like wonderful…a word I learnt from one of my dysfunctional students!) Hazel, Happy Birthday to you. Have a great day and enjoy.

We will go out in Singapore to celebrate your birthday and engagement (as I missed it in Gold Coast). Obi says to say a big thank you for all the help with the food and for all those bits like washing our tea towels and cushion covers etc.

It is so helpful and we love you loads. We will look forward to seeing the purple lady on the pontoon in Singers.

Phew Hazel it be very hot here but like Sam said when it rains it rains but it is so warm and even though we get soaked through to the skin (as we are in t-shirt and shorts only), but when the sun comes out we quickly dry off again. It was funny to see Mikey-Dave dash up on board yesterday (he was off watch) with his shower gel & have a shower in the rain trying to catch water that had caught in the reefed main sail. We do have a laugh on this boat whatever the conditions. Hope you get a nice gooey chocolate cake.
Catherine xx

Happy Birthday Hazel, I’m sure Sam will have an expensive present for you in Singapore! Cheers Terry

A huge Happy Birthday to the best arrival hugger around the world! Hope you have a super day, it’s lovely out here right now. It seems odd that we have so much to lose in terms of racing at the moment, but good that we are still doing it all in our usual style, with plenty of laughter and smiles (Mikey Dave still wants us to be the angry boat but I can’t help it!) So thanks for sending some unforecast wind to us, it is all very helpful! Also send our thanks to Hilary for the Cocoa Butter – most luxurious – we really are spoilt. love James

Hi Hazel, and happy birthday! I think I just heard Sam say, damn the expense, my fiancé can buy whatever she likes for her birthday whilst I’m away at sea – or things to the effect… Have a great day. See you in Singapore! Media-Mark

Approaching Southport, Gold Coast

Sunday December 11, 2011
Exciting racing

Yes it is all getting very exciting. Just got the scheduless and we are 6th but think we can beat Yorkshire and maybe Singapore. It’s 14.30 on the 11th and we should be there in less than 2 days (379 miles to go). We do seem to go slower. Sometimes we are in a wind hole, sometimes the others have more sail up. We are trying our best anyway.

Everything has calmed down after the storm of yesterday thankfully. Right now we are trucking along straight towards Gold Coast at 8.5 knots.

We just had a fantastic lunch of quiche and chocolate orange cake cooked by Bambi. She even made the pastry from scratch. I am mother tomorrow – a difficult act to follow.

Monday December 12th, 2011
Mother Watch again! 

This is so frustrating. We have mothered through ridiculous weather, leaning over at 45 degrees to make lunch and breakfast. Just keeping ahead of Geraldton and New York and catching Singapore and Yorkshire and now the wind has died. I can’t believe it. We have worked so hard. So many sail changes. We have been soaked to the skin in pouring rain and driving spray. We were looking at Tuesday mid afternoon to come into Gold Coast.

God knows what it will be now. Very depressing.

Got to go and help Ian with the yankee 1 which we dropped down the hatch about 2 hours ago without even folding it!