March 16, 2018
Auckland to Itajai
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On Sunday, we set off on what is generally regarded as the ‘big leg’. Our Volvo Ocean Race journey will take us round the notorious landmark of Cape Horn, a special and unique place for any sailor and a new experience for many of our crew as we head back into the Southern Ocean for…
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February 28, 2018
Leg 6 Hong Kong to Auckland
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Our start out of Hong Kong was not our best. Not only did we lack speed, we didn’t get the lifts or pressure that everyone else was taking advantage of. Using the MH0 and the endless tacking did not allow us to pick up the pace for any decent manoeuvres and we often found ourselves…
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February 6, 2018
Auckland Bound
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Hong Kong has been an amazing venue to visit. It is a bustling city, with a fusion of cultures and a very dramatic skyline to sail into. Although the weather has been cold (almost as cold as the Southern Ocean) we have received a very warm welcome from everyone. The race village itself has played…
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January 22, 2018
Leg 4 – Melbourne to Hong Kong
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Sir Ben Ainslie was quoted as saying, ‘it is better to be lucky than good’. On this leg we were good but sadly not lucky and the others, well, they were both good and lucky. We had just one week of rest after Leg 3, which was a wet, cold and tiring leg. We were…
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December 31, 2017
Hong Kong on the horizon
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So with Christmas now a distant memory, we are looking ahead to Leg 4 starts on Tuesday 2nd January. For this leg we have three planned crew changes. Brian Thompson steps in for Nico as navigator and, having wracked up more speed records than any other sailor, he is the fastest man on water. We…
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December 27, 2017
Festive cheer from Melbourne
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The departure from Cape Town was windy and varied, as we had anticipated, with a huge transition zone in the shadow of Table Mountain. Although we had a poor start line up and were late, we worked hard at a reach to the first mark and got back in the game, controlled Akzo at the…
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December 9, 2017
From Cape Town to Christmas
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Our stopover in Cape Town has been most excellent. Fabulous food, great weather and some much needed R & R for me and the crew ahead of the next leg. However, the lure of so many cool activities has not seen us lounging around too much. As well as swimming with sharks and checking out…
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November 28, 2017
We arrived into Cape Town on Saturday night in last place and my team and I were heartbroken. After 21 days at sea, 7000 miles of intensive and close racing and with fifth place within our grasp right up until the very end, the final result was decided by just 1minute and 8 seconds. We…
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November 4, 2017
Onwards and upwards
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On Sunday, we set off on Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race for 7000 miles of ocean sailing. This is the most challenging and technical of all the legs and the most fun to sail. If I had to pick a forecast to make this journey, the conditions we are anticipating are close to…
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October 31, 2017
Leg One to Lisbon
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We left Alicante last Sunday with the Portuguese capital of Lisbon as our destination for Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. It was a relatively short but intense sprint which started with a great exit from the Mediterranean with lots of gybes and some fast furious downwind sailing. It was interesting how all the…
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