May 11, 2018
Leg 8 – Itajai to Newport
premium
We had a great start from Itajai, the sun was shining, and the promised sea breeze filled in making the in port section a good battle before we sailed off over the horizon to cover the 5000 plus miles to Newport. As a team we were sad to leave our newest recruit, ‘Snoop’. We had…
premium
April 20, 2018
Itajai to Newport
premium
Another stopover and another whirlwind of activity as the shore team have worked tirelessly to get the boat ready for the off again this coming Sunday. Leg 8 will see us heading from Itajai, Brazil to Newport, USA and we anticipate being at sea for around 18-19 days for this section of the race. Looking…
premium
April 8, 2018
Our plan at the start was to keep it simple with no mistakes and then aim to stay with the fleet as we reached East Cape 24 hours later. We managed to executed this plan and this made life easy for the whole crew, including our tactician, Frederico. Without additional sail changes we were able…
premium
March 16, 2018
Auckland to Itajai
premium
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…
premium
February 28, 2018
Leg 6 Hong Kong to Auckland
premium
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…
premium
February 6, 2018
Auckland Bound
premium
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…
premium
January 22, 2018
Leg 4 – Melbourne to Hong Kong
premium
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…
premium
December 31, 2017
Hong Kong on the horizon
premium
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…
premium
December 27, 2017
Festive cheer from Melbourne
premium
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…
premium
December 9, 2017
From Cape Town to Christmas
premium
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…
premium