12/13/23 2:29 PM Central time
After almost 5,000 nautical miles leaving from Cape Town, South Africa, and sailing for 25 days, 7 hours and 29 minutes Bill arrived in Fremantle, Australia. Race 4 complete.
12/13/23. 6:19 AM Central time
We are laying the finish line going 10-11 knots with the yankee 1! The forecast is for the wind to hold until we finish. Our ETA is 4am on the 14th. Maybe 2pm your time? I believe the time difference is 12 hours, which means I’m on the exact opposite side of the world from you! It’s 8pm here and 6am at home. Apparently, the marina is another 15 nm from there. Hopefully at the dock at 7 am. That will give us time to get the boat put away and get ready for customs to come aboard. I should be checking into the hotel in the afternoon! When the wind filled from the south, we were the southern most boat, so that should be a huge advantage for us. Qingdao popped up on AIS 13.5 nm north (downwind) of us! They have about the same distance to the finish, but have to go more to weather. Hopefully, we can pick up a few places. We set the code 3 this afternoon and were immediately out of control and broached with Hannah on the helm. We had to cut the tack line to recover the spinnaker. Just an absolute debacle. Hopefully no more excitement until we finish.
12/12/23 @ 2:00 PM Central time
New boat feed video with brief sighting of Bill and great description of the star show they have been enjoying.
https://www.facebook.com/clipperroundtheworld/videos/2552548924913796
12/12/23 9:53 AM Central time
We have wind! It came in as forecast at the start of my last watch. We have the code 2 spinnaker up going 10-11 knots. The other watch is gybing now which should put point us almost directly at Fremantle. We could potentially arrive in less than a day and a half if the wind holds! Fingers crossed! I cannot get out of the corporate sail event with the Events DC folks. Also there is some significant damage to the yankee 1 caused by flogging the sail. We consulted with the sailmaker about repairs and it’s going to be a major effort. We will be super busy along with cleaning, maintenance/repairs, and victualing.
12/12/23 12:45 AM Central time
We’re all in good spirits. Lots of jokes about the food, or lack there of. Our food runs out tomorrow. We have some leftover cans and then emergency rations. Tonight we’re are having meatballs that are 1/3 “mechanically-recovered” meat and 2/3 soya. Yum, yum! Our one last hope is a weather forecast that has to wind increasing this afternoon and coming behind us. Fingers crossed. Not sure if they will call the race and have us motor, but they would have to make that decision soon. We can only motor at 6 knots, so it would be two full days at that speed. I would not put much stock into the Clipper ETAs since the winds are so light and fluky. I have been enjoying the night sky. The Milky Way is beautiful and bright. We’ve seen shooting stars and even a couple of fireballs. Pierre saw a string of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites last night. I helmed last night using the Southern Cross. Have not seen a single aircraft or ship since a few days after leaving Cape Town.
12/11/23 2:44 AM Central time
So slow…. The winds are not bad, 20 knots earlier and 14 now, but blowing from the direction of Fremantle. We have to tack back are forth. If our boat speed is 7 knots, we make only about 4-5 knots toward the finish which is 400 nm away. At that rate, the last 400 nm would take about 3.5 days or sometime on the 15th. We are out of a lot of food and staples and improvising. Our delicious lunch was Asian rice noodles with hotdogs and red chili oil. LOL t the 1pm crew meeting, the weather update is that winds will decrease this afternoon and tonight. There will be yet another wind hole and then winds filling from the southwest. That’s our only hope for getting in earlier than the 15th.
12/10/23 1:32 AM Central time
We have managed to go from middle of the pack to dead last (not counting Nano who had serious broken boat issues) in just a day. The crew is demoralized, we’re going to have to break into our emergency food rations, people are missing flights, etc. We are beating upwind, so it very uncomfortable. What’s beyond frustrating is that we’re breaking basic racing rules: sail towards the finish, sail on the favored tack or gybe, stay with your competitors, etc. At the mid-day meeting, I specifically asked Hannah if we were on the favored tack. She said the tacks were about equal and we were headed south to get in a favorable current. I checked the chart plotter after the meeting and the other tack is much more favored. WTF?! All of the other boats near us are on the other tack. And yesterday, we waited almost an hour to make a sail change decision. We need to be sailing upwind to Fremantle and with the wind speed we clearly need to use the yankee 1. Olly went on and on about using a spinnaker, which is a downwind sail. WTF again. We lost probably 4nm debating a no-brainer.
12/8/23 2:14 PM Central time
Last cookie duty in the books! Taking my well-deserved time off until 1pm tomorrow. Still in a wind hole. Still dealing with the dreaded boat cough. With the sanitary conditions here, I just glad it’s not something worse.
12/7/23 9:09 PM Central time
Ok, breakfast done! The boat is flat and the lunch and dinner menus are easy, so all is good on the cookie front. Taking a nap for an hour before starting lunch. It’s SO frustrating to be SO close and SO slow. We are starting to run out of food, so improvising quite a bit.
12/7/23 3:07 PM Central time
We are sailing slowly in about 8 knots of wind. It should be nice and flat for my cookie duty in a couple of hours. The last two days may be upwind. We are getting close!
12/6/23 10:51 AM Central time
We have <1000 nm miles to go and are making great progress towards Fremantle! We had just another fantastic day of spinnaker sailing today. So glad I did this leg! The Harvard professors are great. Bence is my cookie/bunk mate. Florian came on deck today in just his underwear and life vest hoping for a splash. Bence and I did have a debate over whether 6 packs of bacon with 7 slices each was 36 or 42 total. I have the dreaded boat cough again.
12/5/23 8:41 AM Central time
Sir Robin sent a very nice email message to us today. I will get a copy to put on the blog. A huge southern right whale broached 30 yards from the boat today. Just amazing! No fin on the back is how we identified it. We finish the ocean sprint tonight and will then head as directly as possible to Fremantle.
12/4/23 11:57 PM Central time
This has been my favorite leg and I’m really enjoying it. Had to describe how fun and exciting it is to drive a fast boat through big seas. Just amazing! But, I want the damn boat pointed at Fremantle after we finish the ocean sprint sometime tonight!
12/4/23 4:29 AM Central time
We finally gybed towards Fremantle. About 1500 nm to go! We are starting the ocean sprint soon, so may be gybing back during that. The crew discussion today was whether to blow off the ocean sprint (and the possible 1-3 bonus points) and go straight to the finish. My preference is to sail fast towards the finish. I helmed last night in very hard conditions. Pitch black in big waves and winds gusting up to 41 knots. Really struggled. Helmed again this morning until the 1pm meeting on deck. Winds had been moderate, but pick up when John was helming. Winds picked up, we reefed, then gybed, and then it was my turn to helm. It was tough, but an absolute blast! A sleigh ride in the big waves of the Southern Ocean. I got a couple of “Very good helming” kudos from Hannah. I may have gotten too excited when, at the end of a long surf, I yelled out “29.4 knots boat speed!” after mistaking the apparent wind speed for boat speed. LOL. We were “only” doing 19 knots.
12/3/23
Another frustrating day. We are going perpendicular to the direction we need to go to get to Fremantle. We’re actually going further south again and not making any distance toward the finish.The plan at 7am when we went off watch was for the new watch to reef the main and gybe towards Fremantle. I woke up seven hours later to see that we still haven’t gybed. Not only that, but the wind has lightened and we’re going slow. We should have put up the code 3 and flown it all day.
Great Facebook Video / Boatfeed. Bill is in the background in several spots.
https://www.facebook.com/clipperroundtheworld/videos/6589574531170001
12/2/23 12:57 PM Central time
Less than 2000 nm to go! Hopefully the worst of the weather is behind us. We are headed back north out of the Roaring Forties. Very warm today and perfect sailing conditions. We have the boat opened up trying to get the condensation out. The code 3 spinnaker is coming down just after the start of the other watch. It has a small tear which our watch probably did during a broach earlier. At 11pm Vasi and Olly finished sail repair on the code 3. There were several other areas that needed attention. The other watch is wooling it and putting it away. Lots of pelagic birds today so far from land. There are some desolate, uninhabited islands close by. Maybe they call those home. The albatross seem interested in the boat. They go out of their way to fly close by “in formation” and fly circles around the boat. The smaller birds seem totally indifferent. The smaller birds land on the water and when there is strong wind just spread their wings and levitate off the water without flapping their wings. The albatross usually flap their wings and “walk” on the water to get airborne.
12/1/23 9:47 AM Central time
We are between low pressure systems now. They move faster west to east than we can. The winds are much lighter and the seas much lower. The rouge wave that broadsided us yesterday may have been 40 feet. Conditions are wet and cold. I can see my breath down below. My drysuit is wonderful, but hard to get in and out of. On deck, usually only my hands get cold. We actually had a few hours of warmer weather today. On the chart plotter, I see that we are heading back up north to warmer weather. The weather forecast for the rest of the trip looks good with more downwind sailing. Hopefully, the worst of the storms are behind us.
11/30/23 6:47 AM Central time
The weather is still rough and the waves are much bigger than I’ve ever seen. The biggest waves are probably 35 feet. As we were getting ready for lunch, there was a huge impact. We thought we had hit a whale or a container. It was so hard that someone yelled to check the crash bulkhead in the bow. I did and it was OK. It turned out to be a huge wave that struck us broadside. Hannah and the others on deck were watching a whale and didn’t see it until too late. Condensation is a big problem when it’s cold and rough. Everything is just dripping. We have a cover for the companionway to keep out waves, but it also keeps out fresh air. All hatches and portholes have to be kept shut at sea. Harry has been washed across the cockpit twice now. Waves wash over the boat occasionally and sometimes fill the cockpit. The first time he also took out Izzy who was sitting next to me. The both ended up on the other side of the cockpit. The second time was when the big wave hit us. That time he hit one of pedestal grinders hard. I am being super careful not to get injured. We are over half way according to Hannah. I haven’t looked at the chart plotter in a while, but hope that means we are heading north soon into warmer weather. You can see your breath here. It’s maybe highs in the lower 40s and lows in the upper 30s. Pretty tough out in the wind and spray. I have taken some videos which may show how crazy the sailing is. Will try to upload ASAP in Fremantle. Our Clipper videographer, Tiger is still down with a back injury, so has not been videoing much lately.
11/29/23 11:20 AM Central time
Crazy helming on our night watch. Winds were 28-41 knots with 20-25 seas. We had one reef in the main and the yankee 3. Izzy was helming and I was checking her. Winds started gusting into the lower 50s and several times we were close to being out of control. Izzy was having a hard time turning the wheel by herself, so I was reaching around helping turn it. We quickly put in another reef which helped, but still very hard helming. I gave it a go for 30 minutes after Izzy and then passed it on to Maricio.
11/28/23 7:38 AM Central time
We had a hard early morning watch, but things seem to be moderating. The “bomb” low pressure system looks less ominous now. It is going to get very cold, maybe 2-3 C. I’m on cookie duty tomorrow, so may avoid being out on deck in the worst of it. I’m now back in my bunk again after my day watch. It is a wild and crazy day. Big winds and big seas. Helming is amazing and I’ve taken so great videos with my GoPro. We had some safety issues last night that are very concerning to me. I’m copying them here to make a record. I also made notes in the ship’s log. Hannah addressed them at today’s meeting so hopefully they won’t happen again in the future. Nothing the worry about. Tiger has been taking lots of photos and videos. There is a production company putting it all together. Will probably be released in Fremantle.
Safety Issues
– Main trimmed to AWA 90 with starboard foreguy off the winch and center foreguy loose with no safety turns. Boom approximately 40 deg out with end extended way beyond the leeward rail. Traveler centered. Potential for a catastrophic accidental gybe with uncontrolled boom and mainsheet. Could take out the windward running backstay.
– Only one safety turn on yankee sheet winch.
– No safety turns on windward traveler winch
11/28/23 Boatfeed video
10/27/23 10:13 AM Central time
Not much to report today. We are making steady progress towards Fremantle. Less than 3000 nm to go. I did get a great view of a large whale as it surfaced about 50 yards from the boat. The flukes were about 15 feet across. The weather is much colder. We had sleet and snow mixed in with the drizzle. We have three on deck at a time (helm, check helm, and cockpit) and the others are below trying to stay warm. We are in a moderate low pressure system now, but expect a much stronger one after that. Trying our best to outrun it.
11/26/23 5:08 AM Central time
We had a crazy morning today. We went on watch and noticed a tear in the code 3 spinnaker. So that had to come down immediately. We put up the code 2 and noticed a tear in it. So we took it down and put up a yankee. Olly and I sewed the code 2 using the sewing machine. We wooled it and had it back up in less than an hour. Our Isles and Oceans passed very close behind us and we could also see Qingdao and UNICEF. We are about one-third done with Leg 3. Hopefully the rest of the leg will go as well as the first part. At least three boats are unable to use their code 3 spinnaker due to damage. Hopefully our strategy of being conservative will pay off. Punta had an issue with the sail slides on their main and were stuck in reef 3. It’s really hurt them and they are at the back of fleet along with PSP and BCF.
11/26/23
Very cold this morning. Probably in the upper 30s, but luckily dry. I should say dry outside because the inside of the boat is wet from condensation. The other watch is setting a spinnaker now after breakfast. I am warm and toasty (or getting there) in my bunk. We gybed back from the 46 deg S limit and are going on a much more favored gybe towards Fremantle.
11/25/23 Boatfeed video starring Bill!!
https://www.facebook.com/clipperroundtheworld/videos/308030945371555
11/25/23
We had an excellent lunch of roast ham, roasted potatoes, and sweet corn on the cob. Just amazing! Winds have mostly been in the 20s and low 30s. The seas are 10-15 feet. It’s chilly, but not cold. We have 3800 nm to go. We are getting close to the 46 deg south limit, so we gybed after lunch. We saw UNICEF in the morning and Qingdao after lunch. Qingdao was flying a spinnaker while we have a yankee #1 up. Perseverance tore their spinnaker into two pieces today while gybing, so we are being conservative.
11/23/23 4:43 AM Central time
Thanksgiving Day in the Southern Indian Ocean. What a difference a day makes! Today is sunny and warm. About like a summer day on Lake Michigan. Winds are moderate and seas are just 6-8 feet. We’re getting ready to set the code 3 spinnaker. Not sure how far south we are going. We are currently about 41 deg. It depends on the weather systems passing by. The ice limit is 46 deg, so no lower than that. I expect that we will turn more east towards Fremantle in the next couple of days. We are making good speeds, trying to stay above 10 knots.
11/23/23
Ken shattered our speed record yesterday. 28.6 knots! It was a combination of a huge wave and a huge gust of 68 knots. The bow buried in the trough and water rolled over the boat and completely filled the cockpit. Well done Ken! This was on the other watch. Sorry to say that I was off watch and missed it.
11/22/23 11:33 AM Central time
Wow. Into the Roaring Forties again and this time they really are roaring. I just finished a very, very hard six-hour watch-by far the hardest sailing I’ve ever done. Waves have been around 15-20 feet with a few larger. Winds have been 18 to 46 knots. We are making great speeds and reeling off approximately 250 nm per day with about 80% in the direction of Fremantle as we gybe downwind. My high speed today while helming was 20.6 knots, but John hit our daily record 21.6 knots while he was helming. Currently we are still favoring going south to get to stronger winds. Not sure we need to continue doing that! We had one really bad squall today. We were late reefing the main and were partially knocked down. We had 50+ knot winds and almost white out conditions for a couple of minutes. The wind finally decreased and we popped up and were able to reef and get going again. Hannah was on the helm and was unflappable. No one seemed scared or panicked. I think probably because we all have a lot of faith in the strength of the boat. Our watch attrition rate for crew is too high. We all need to be more careful. One day 5, three of us on my watch have been injured and another, Pierre, is down due to seasickness. Jono has bursitis—his elbow is extremely swollen. Vasi dropped a floorboard on two of her fingers and the fell on the floorboard. The two crew who came to help walked on the floorboard without realizing that her fingers were still trapped. They are smashed and cut. I was knocked across the cockpit in the squall while reefing and once again have hurt my hip. I’m also still having quite a bit of discomfort with my shoulders. Ibuprofen is my friend. I’m still able to helm, but am staying in the cockpit for now. Jono is unable to helm or do anything with one arm. Vasi is unable to do anything. Tiger has been taking lots of video which he uploads to Clipper. Expect to see that online soon. He uploads every four days. Chris won the Broken Hank Award for exceptional crew performance for everything her did on foredeck during the squall. Well deserved! The wind is forecast to decrease after tonight, so hoping that happens. I’m back on watch in an hour and will do the engineer duties and check out the engine and generator.
11/22/23
The imbedded Clipper media person is on the DC boat for this leg so there should be some great media from Bill’s boat. Here is the first video posted on Facebook. As usual, Bill has completely avoided the camera.
https://www.facebook.com/clipperroundtheworld/videos/309996025256978
11/21/23 9:31 PM Central time
The other watch saw whales today. One crossed the bow 50 yards away. We also saw porpoises including possibly a baby. We had a squall come through this afternoon. Winds in the 40s. It was a bit too exciting. I was check helm when the helmsman lost control and rounded up. We both fought with the wheel to bear away, but it was too late and we broached with the wheel hard over and the boom in the water. Luckily, the the wind dropped to mid 20s and we were able to get the boat up and moving again with no damage or injuries.
11/21/23 4:24 AM Central time
I’m just coming off my break from being cookie. Really nice to have some time off, but looking forward to getting back to sailing the boat. The other watch saw a large whale cross the bow just 50 yards away. Starting to get cooler and will probably be cold in another week.
11/19/23 1:17 PM Central time
At one point today, we were in third place. Perseverance fairly quickly passed us, but overall happy with how we’re doing. Ben seems to be a good fit with the team. He’s quiet and low key, but knows his stuff. Zero drama. OMG cookie duty SUCKS. We were doing a nice flat run, but started close reaching just before breakfast. So much harder to cook with the boat heeling. I’m in the “cookie” berth now, waiting my to start dinner with my fellow cookie Benson. It actually is the size of a coffin. The opening to get in is about 15”, but 5” of that is blocked by the engine exhaust hose. It’s very claustrophobic. I have graciously offed to let Benson stay in the bunk we share. There’s a new canvas companionway cover we installed in Cape Town. Its purpose is that keep water from waves that go over the boat. It’s doing its job, but also blocks the fresh air. It’s not very cold yet, so it’s hot and stuffy below. We’re heading southeast, below the rhumbline, which is the minimum distance route. The plan is the get in stronger winds and more than make up for the extra distance we’re sailing. We have 4446 miles to go at noon. We sailed 236 miles in the last 24 hours, which is very good. I’m very happy when we can do 1000 nm in less than four be days!
11/19/23 11:04 AM Central time
Things are much improved after a chilly, wet night with very little wind. I helmed from 8am until 10:30am. The winds picked up to low to 20s and we have been flying the code 2 spinnaker since the previous watch set it. We’re doing 10-13 knots in the direction we want to go. Winds are forecast to increase for the next two day, but still aft so we can continue sailing downwind. Hoping we can knock out 1000 miles in four days.
11/18/23
Wow, what a send off and race start! Nice wind at the start. Very exciting. A helicopter followed us for a while maybe 100 ft off the water and 200 ft away. Our sponsors from Washington, DC, were in the media rib and came close by to wish us well. Very excited to have Tiger, from Sweden, aboard as a media representative. He’s been taking lots of photos and videos. I’m excited to have him document our dip into the Southern Ocean. The Clipper Cape Town curse continues. Clipper lost a 70 when it went aground shortly after leaving Cape Town. There were also two major collisions at starts in the past. We got a stern warning from the Race Committee not to let stupid things like these happen again. This year, however, CV20 was hit by another boat in light air hours after the start. There is a five-inch hole at the waterline, which seems small, but is actually huge in terms of letting in water. They talked on the radio about returning to Cape Town, but are continuing and attempting a repair while racing.