dATE 18.08.11

LAT 14 34.0N

LONG 24 08.6W

DTR 2513

COG 202

NOTE: ACCESS CONTROLLER CONTINUALLY OVERHEATING, EMAIL USAGE MAY BE

AFFECTED CLOSER TO EQUATOR.

SKIPPERS BLOG

Another cracking day for Gold coast Australia with an unfortunate twist.

Team Gold coast picked their path through the Cape Verde islands well, with

fantastic wind all day until this evening where the wind is starting to

reduce as we near the ITCZ.

An unfortunate blow hit Gold coast just after midday. Gold coast was flying

along in perfect consistent breeze, and only a slight rolling south

Atlantic swell to affect the movement of the boat. I was getting my head

down after a bath on the back of the boat, as it is quite easy for a

skipper to sleep when the conditions are so perfect when suddenly there

was a call from the deck. I raced up the companionway to find the Medium

weight spinnaker in two pices. The incident was recorded by our trusty

North 1 camera at the back of the boat, and after reviewing the footage

and inspecting the spinnaker, I can find no reason for such an occurrence.

This is a massive loss for Gold coast, as the Medium weight spinnaker is the

workhorse of the boat in these conditions, especially at night when the

light weight spinnaker has the potential to suffer damaged if the helmsman

loose their course in darkness or if the wind shifts in directions

suddenly. Nb the wind just shifted a full 60 degrees to the south while I

was typing this email creating a flutter of activity on deck.

Gold coast continues to race to the Eastern “bottleneck” of the ITCZ and

hopes to move up the ranks throughout the night. BT

dATE 18.09.11

LAT 34 40.0S

LONG 018 11.0W

DTR 1805

GOLDCOAST AUSTRALIA WOULD LIKE TO ACTIVATE STELTH MODE. PLEASE INFORM US

WHAT TIME THIS WILL COMMENCE.

SKIPPERS BLOG

Its been a long, cold and windy 24 hours for Gold coast Australia as winds

rarely fall below 30kts and are regally in the high 30’s and early 40’s.

You know its windy when you think that you are sailing through a lull and

you look down and see that the wind strength is still 28kts. To the boats

credit however Gold coast Australia is handling the conditions extremely

well and I am very impressed with her seakeeping ability and speed in such

conditions.

The constant high winds has had a disastrous effect on our wind

instruments as they are now either frozn in position or readings random

numbers. Come dawn I will need to investigate the condition of the windex

arm as I believe it may have been bent by a gust through the night or

nudged by Albatross passing too close.

Everybody onboard is finding the temperature quite tough and while we wear

basically every item of clothing we have onboard we are still cold.

Thankfully we know it wont be for too long as we know we will soon be

heading north again to the warmer latitudes and the wind will eventually

turn and be with us once again. BT

dATE 18.11.11

LAT 47 29.5S

LONG 168 42.7E

DTF 916nm

ETA 24 Nov 11 0800

WEATHER Wind 205@30 Sea 1m Swell 240@3m Cloud 4/8 vis Good Baro 1009.2 steady

SKIPPERS BLOG

This morning Gold Coast Australia rounded most southern of the New Zealand turning marks “Boomerang” and altered course to

the north towards Taraunga.

Last night was a pretty wild ride with seas up to 4m on top of 4m swells combined with wind gusting over 50kts making

helming very challenging but a lot of fun as the boat accelerated down the massive waves and surfed for incredible amounts

of time.

At one stage when I was helming last night the bow just dropped into a black hole. I was not sure what way she was going to

accelerate or if she was just going to broach and roll down the wave sideways. I said to Tim Burgess who was on the

mainsail trim next to me that things could get interesting and suddenly she accelerated straight down the wave and hit

24kts.

Helming in such treacherous yet enthralling conditions was made even more exciting by the blackness of the night and the

absence of any stars or moonlight due to the overcast sky’s. Due to the blackness of the surrounds you can not see anything

until a wave suddenly crashes next to you or on top of you and releases a mound of phosphorescent light. Last night our top

adrenalin pumping speed that was reached was 26kts through the water.

As the winds of last night started to ease very early this morning they also began to back to the south allowing us to hoist

our storm jib and sail some better angles towards the Boomerang virtual mark, leaving Snares Islands on our port side. As

we crossed the continental shelf the depth went from 4000m to 140m and I was expecting a massive change in sea state,

however by this stage the sea had calmed down somewhat and the change was insignificant. After such a rough and tiring

night it was very nice to finally have New Zealand soil only 140m away and know that we were once again nearing the

completion of another race in the lead.

This morning at 0242z Gold Coast Australia rounded most southern of the New Zealand turning marks “Boomerang” and altered

course to the north towards Taraunga. For the next 24 hours Gold Coast will be in Stealth mode as we navigate some of the

currents up the East Coast of New Zealand and hopefully put ourselves into a good strategic position to make the most of the

light winds ahead to further extend our lead. With New York fully repaired and nipping at our heals, if we are complacent

our lead could disappear overnight, particularly with the forecasted light wind, so we want to stay on the ball, stay

vigilant and stay in front. BT

dATE 17.09.11

LAT 35 10.8S

LONG 022 11.0w

DTR 1999 (Lets party like its 1999)

SKIPPERS BLOG

As the wind continues to back and moderate Gold coast Australia is

beginning to sail higher angles to the wind and slower progress to

Capetown. Because we are the most southeasterly boat in the fleet the

changing pressure affects us earlier than the other boats. Unfortunately

this will mean that as the wind continues to back and we start sailing

north again the boats to the northeast of us will make significant gains

until the wind starts to veer again. Gold coasts original tactics had us

sailing to the south of the high pressure system that dominates the

weather at the moment however due to its movement to the west this option

is becoming less and less available and we must create a contingency plan.

Though the wind is generally moderating it is still very unstable and we

are still experiencing the odd squall, some of which carry hail which

would provide fantastic ice for our drinks after each watch if it was hot.

Thought the windward course brings new challenges including living on a 15

degree angle and constant streams of water over the deck making the crew

wet and cold, moral is still high and there is still time for a bit of a

laugh between teammates as we punch through another big wave. Team

Gold coast is currently relishing in the current conditions and making the

most of the windy conditions as we know that it wont last and in a couple

of days we will be drifting around, becalmed with the crack crack crack of

the flapping mainsail as the boat rolls to the swell in no wind. BT

DATE 17.10.11

LAT 45 38.1S

LONG 065 36.4E

DTR 2800

ETA 1800 28 October 11

WEATHER

WIND 000@27 SEA 5 SWELL 340@4m Wavelength 30m Baro 1005 Sky Overcast with

drizzle Cloud N/A Temp Outside 12C Water 9.6

ECG NO SIGNAL – Have set to Indian Ocean and Les 322 Perth and checked

wires on transponder without success.

SKIPPERS BLOG

Until midnight Team Gold coast was bracing for another large storm as the

wind gradually increased in the evening to 30 kts. however we were largely

disappointed as the front was a lot weaker than expected only bringing

with it the very occasional gust up to 40kts. Sailing conditions however

are fantastic at the moment as we run down wind with a reefed mainsail and

headsail surfing waves reaching speeds of up to 18knots.

The weather systems are quite complicated at the moment making the

apparently easy route from Capetown to Geraldton very challenging to

navigate due to the high pressure system that is currently to the north

west of us being a lot further south than expected as well as being

elongated to the east and west. The movement of the high pressure system

as it gets closer to the Australian Coast will be very interesting and

will determine the path we take for the remaining 2000nm North East to

Geraldton. There are substantial gains or losses for the yachts that get

it right or for the yachts that get it wrong. Consequently this race is

still anybody’s game and even the boats at the back of the fleet have a

good chance of sailing around those in the lead if the weather does not

start to behave itself.

Yesterday before the storm was due I took the time to climb to the top of

the mast and observe the fantastic scenery around us. Having your boat

sailing perfectly below you while nearly 80 feet in the air is a very

special feeling. I sat up the mast for a good half an hour enjoying the

serenity as I watched the Albatross glide below me. One Albatross flew

higher than normal and drew level with me at the top of the mast, turning

his head as if to approve my presence in his airspace, before dipping his

wings and surfing the air draft of the mainsail to the wave below. On the

way down the mast I conducted a full rig check and was pleased to note

that everything was in order and no damage had been done from the previous

storms.

For now the we are not only racing the other boats around us but also

racing the weather systems. It is interesting to observe how similar the

Clipper 68’s are in speed and how much effort is required to make extra

miles in these conditions. Gold coast Australia is certainly making that

effort at the moment and are determined to stay ahead of NY and DLL. BT

DATE 17.08.11

LAT 18 50n

LONG 24 05.0w

COG 135

DTR 2747

BLOG

As Gold coast Australia crossed the magical scoring gate at 0350 the team

are now waiting apprehensively to find out if we scored the points and if

it has been worth it.

Currently heading away from Rio after a change in tactics, Gold coast is

hoping traveling the extra miles is worth it. Our game plan for this leg

was to cover the fleet, and we have been doing this over throughout the

race so far expecting a crossing of the ITCZ west of Cape Verdie. The

interesting weather patterns now seem to have split the fleet, and

Gold coast have had to make the decision to go to the west or to the east

of the Verdies. Whilst at the time of the decision we were to the west,

many scenarios were trialed looking at wind direction v’s speed v’s time

for the next week from the available weather routing data, and now we are

following the scenario that had us coming out of the other side of the

doldrums almost half a day faster than all other scenarios. This option

outweighed the others by so much more it was irresistible. This option

however may be affected by local wind conditions that the Gold coast crew

will have to deal with when the time comes.

The good news for the crew at the moment is that with the spinnaker down,

lighter conditions, and the requirement for minimal movement on deck, crew

have a lot more down time, so the possibilities of each crew member

getting up to 15 hours sleep today are quite good. With everybody well

rested it is certainly a very happy little ship indeed. The crew will need

their batteries recharged as we enter the doldrums because soon there will

be endless sail changes as we try to pluck the bones out of what little

wind is available.

The wind on our current course is getting lighter and lighter as we

expected, and now all we can do is trim, trim, trim and look up at the

clouds. BT

DATE 17.08.11

LAT 17 53.52720

LONG 22 56.3

DTR 2720

COG 160

SOG 7

SKIPPERS BLOG

Another day in paradise onboard Gold coast Australia with a very well rested

crew enjoying some relaxing sailing and

conducting the usual maintenance on the boat such as winch servicing, chafe

prevention, and cleaning. The conditions are

such that I allow the crew to open the hatches in daylight hours go get some

airflow through the otherwise hot, humid and

occasionally smelly boat.

The topics of today’s happy hour brief were weather systems in the region,

hygiene, food, and cleanliness. The first of these

topics was what causes the ITCZ, and what to look out for. The more eyes the

better to look out for looming clouds that may

either be a sign of pleasant sailing wind, or occasionally squalls. The crew

are getting very good at calling me to ask

about certain clouds that they are concerned about. As my standing orders say

– call me if in any doubt at all. Hygiene was

another topic of conversation at the midday brief, as we approach hot sweaty

conditions, it is important for everybody to

bathe daily, quite a luxury considering in most conditions bathing is limited

to once every three days to save water. The

hot humid conditions have also resulted in fruit and veg going off quicker than

expected, so rather than wasting these

valuable sources of nutrition they are cleaned and separated at the first sign

of mould, and the fruit baked in some tasty

cakes – banana cake for desert tonight! There is also some mould growing

around the boat – something that has only happened

in just 5 days out of Madeira so the crew have been instructed to clean it

straight away before it can spread. If not done,

Gold coast could be a floating fluff ball by the time we get to Rio. For the

non seafarers amongst the readers, this may seem

hideous and you may think that Gold coast is in a rancid state, but actually it

is quite the contrary, and she is currently

one of the cleanest vessels I have sailed on, luckily the Gold coast team have

high standards as this will create a more

comfortable environment for the weeks to come.

The weather systems in this area, and the area we are passing through can be

very confused, and grib files or forecasts may

occasionally be wrong, so eyes are out and about, and I am scanning every

source of information available to me to determine

our tactics for the next few days to get us across the doldrums as fast as

possible. Nothing is more frustrating than drifting around with no wind, so I

hope I have got it

right. Wherever we go, I want to be moving. If it means sailing away from the

Rumb line for 24 hours towards wind then its

better than drifting around for 4 hours without! As predicted the wind has just

veered 40 degrees, and we are now broad reaching

with a kite in a southerly direction with 6.5 kts of boat speed. Everybody is

loving life and the best is yet to come – banana muffins are smelling pretty

tasty and are almost done. Happy days on Gold coast

Australia. BT

DATE 16.08.11

LAT 20 17

LONG 54 50

DTR 2808

ETA 282200Z AUG 11

ETA GATE 0200Z

Skippers Blog

As Gold Coast screams towards the gate with the faithful Medium weight kite

up, we hope to get there in time to get some points. It will be

interesting to see how we have done against the other leading yachts.

Gold coast is hoping that sailing hotter angles at speeds of over 10 kts,

will do the trick, and hope that the other boats are in less wind sailing

broader angles towards the magic line.

After a long nigh of challenging conditions and numerous spinnaker changes,

I could tell the troop were exhausted. As gold coast runs a three watch

system, and we were pretty well set for a day of no sail changes, the

standby watch were allowed to stay in their bunks for their watch, so

everybody today was allowed at least 8 hours of rest. If conditions stay

similar to today in the coming night, the crew may even have the

possibility of getting another 8 hours sleep, that is 16 hours sleep in a

24 hour period.. unfortunately I do not give myself the same privileges, an

constantly running around “like a kangaroo on steroids” as my crew say,

keep this fine yacht racing hard.

Tactics of crossing from North to South in this ocean are doing my head

in, as there are so many possibility’s that can change daily with changing

variables… oh for more information, if I could only link in to the

internet and get all those funky weather sat pics I want to help make my

decision, rather than just be limited to the GRIB files sent by HQ my

decision would be a lot more informed. The good part is that all the

other yachts are using the same information, and I guess im lucky to have

the luxury of Grib files and MSL diagrams. I admire the navigators of

old who navigated these areas by some natural ability that many of us have

lost through generations of technology. Get away from the computer Rich

and look up at the clouds, feel the wind, and look at the waves. Don’t get

too swept up with watching the dotted red line. I think our crew blog for

the day by Wayne Reed says it all. BT

DATE 16.09.11

LAT 33 20.5

LONG 026 05.2

DTR 2215

SKIPPERS BLOG

Conditions aboard Gold Coast Australia this morning far from emulate the

beautiful conditions in our sponsored city Gold Coast. The winds have

backed towards the south earlier than I expected, bringing with it the

coldest conditions we have seen since leaving the UK. Winds have

generally eased slightly, though still require the use of a second reef in

the mainsail which unfortunately means our pride and joy “the boxing

kangaroo” is now tucked in a pouch with only his ears showing above the

boom. One squall this morning at 50 plus knots bought with it hail which

stung our hands and faces like frozen needles as we eased sails and ran

away with the massive gusts of wind.

The changing wind direction has required us to change gears slightly, and

we are no long running with the wind and surfing big waves. Instead we

are power reaching at speed. The change in gears brings a different angle

to life onboard as boat heals over and walls of water fly down the deck

as we punch through the big waves ahead, drenching the people on watch.

Down below the crew can only appreciate the warmth of their sleeping bags

and rest as they know it wont be long until it is their turn to go on

watch.

The mood onboard is surprisingly jovial and there is still the occasional

whoop on deck as we surf down a confused sea and laughter and chatter

below as the crew discuss change in conditions and the ground we are

making on the rest of the fleet. It will be interesting to see what the

next move is for the remainder of the fleet when the change comes. BT

DATE 16.08.11

LAT 21 53

LONG 24 16

DTR 2910

SKIPPERS BLOG

TIME 0145.. If you think the Skippers of the Clipper Round the World Yacht

race have it easy, sipping coffee, sleeping and occasionally barking

orders you may have read the same brochure that the crew, who are currently

wooling the 4th spinnaker for the night, have read.

Nightime for a Clipper Skipper is not a time for sleep, its a time to

thrive and survive. When its dark, the armature helmsmen and women have a

hard time keeping the boat on course, particularly in light airs with a

swell on the quarter. This results in many spinnaker wraps and accidental

gybes and the occasional accidental drop!

Most yachts in the fleet are flying anti wrap nets to stop their kites

getting wrapped, I pride myself on teaching my crew how not to wrap a

kite, and in the unforeseen occasion that it does wrap, how to get the wrap

out quickly so as to minimise damage to the spinnaker, and to prevent the

mother of all wraps (as experienced by a good percentage of the fleet so

far). So far we have been reasonable lucky, with only a few little nicks

out of our medium weight caused by the “razor sharp” braided wire

stainless steel forestays and inner forestays.

Currently I type my blog, waiting to jump back up on deck and save my 10th

wrap for the night, though as we have just gybed back to the gate, the

swell is not causing as much as an issue so the chances of a wrap are

minimised. I pity the fleet further to the East who I think may have

less wind, and therefore a harder job to keep the kite full. I think I

have now reduced the timing from being asleep (normally with one eye open

like a crocodile) in my bunk to on the helm to save a wrap to under 5

seconds!

Gold Coast tactics at the moment are to stay further west than the rest of

the fleet in more wind. Whilst we are heading towards the gate, our

position “covering the fleet” gives us a good opportunity to bail from the

gate and head towards the equator at the best crossing position possible.

Where this magical crossing position is located will not be revealed

(including to me) for another few days, but I know one thing, it will be

further west than our current location, hence, our position west of the

fleet gives us the advantage.