LAT 15 40.6N
LONG 117 55.8E
DTF 1211nm
ETA 0600Z 22 FEB 12

WEATHER WIND 060@10kts, Sea Moderate, Swell NE 1m, Cloud 6/8 St Cl, Baro 1011.7

The sea has calmed down and the wind veered to the NE as we sail north within the leading group of yachts that I predict are
in approximately a 25nm box. The wind is very localised and patchy and consequently one yacht may have wind from the NE at
12kts, while another only 5nm away has wind from the North at 8kts. As a result DLL sailed away to the east of us this morning in a completely different breeze than what we were experiencing.

Temperatures have begun to cool down and down below inside the yacht no longer feels like an oven. Adding to this the sea
has calmed down a lot so Im hoping it will be a good chance for the crew to get some good rest as everybody was becoming
quite fatigued after a week of crashing of waves and living in unbearable heat. Increasing singing and karaoke displays
indicate that crew moral is on a high with the increased rest which is alwys a good, though im not too sure about
singing karaoke on a 68ft yacht it will defiantly give us the advantage on arrival in Qingdao.

The lighter wind also gives us an opportunity to do some maintenance on the boat and rig. In particular we are trying to
fix the windex as the very top of the mast that was damaged by a bird over the past few days. Sailing without a windex in
such fluky conditions is very hard as the delay in the electronic instruments is often slightly too long resulting in us not
performing to our maximum potential. The windex is a visual aid, and therefore what you see is what you get, which is
exactly what you need when the wind suddenly shifts 30 degrees or you get thrown off course by a big wave. Hopefully we can
fix the windex before nightfall as it makes life a lot easier helming at night when there is no moon or stars to rely on.
While crew Lisa Blair and Chris Hopkins are up the mast they are also checking the rig for any fracturing that may have
occurred in the race so far, though it is unlikely as conditions have been quite mild. Considering the conditions that we
may face as we sail past Taiwan where there have been known to be 8m seas and strong winds we want to ensure that there are no existing problems with the mast.

1hr later…

Ive just come down from deck and our mission to the top of the mast to fis the windex was successful. On the way down we
have noticed some slight cracking in one of the spreaders. This is nothing to be concerned about at the moment but we will
continue to monitor it over the next few days and ask Clipper tech support their opinion on drilling it out while the wind is light.

While writing this blog the latest sked came in, we are now back in the lead in reference to the waypoint at the bottom of
Taiwan with DLL 20nm to the east and Singapore and Geraldton 20nm to the west. We are sailing well along my predicted track
and should be in more favourable current than the other yachts. If the GRIB files are correct we should also receive better
wind over the next 12 hours which will hopefully advance us further away from the other yachts. It will be interesting when
the next weather data comes in to see how much it has changed from yesterdays forecast. Hopefully we will maintain our
position as leading boat in the fleet until Qingdao but the competition is fearce making this the most interesting and diverse races in the series so far.

Richard Hewson.

LAT 13 35.3N
LONG 116 40.9E
DTW 553nm
DTF 1355nm
ETA 0600z 21 Feb 12

WEATHER WIND 055@20kts, Sea Rough 1m, Swell NE 2m, Cloud Cl, Cs, Ci, Baro 1011.6

It has been a very challenging 24 hours for Gold Coast Australia filled with fishing vessels, nets, lines, changing wind
strengths, and shifting wind direction and the crew and me are starting to show the signs of fatigue. Boat speed for Gold
Coast Australia still remains a concern and the boat is not performing in her usual way increasing my suspicion that we may have a net caught on our underwater appendages.

Last night I was called on deck to find a line of strobe lights as far as the eye could see. Knowing that is was most likely
marking a drift net on the surface we were forced to tack and sail along the net. I spun back down below to call DLL on the
VHF who were by this stage sailing straight into the net then returned on deck to tack around the end of the net some 3nm
off our previous course. I presume DLL managed to sail around the other side of the net. Generally the presence of drift
nets and fishing lines are not incorporated into sailing races, and rather than see a fellow competitor get caught up.

GRIB files that show the predicted wind patterns are emailed to us daily and no other sources of information are allowed.
The GRIB seem to be constantly changing in this location and forever unreliable making tactics difficult. I always like to
look ahead to where I want the boat to be in three days time, however when the weather conditions are changing so fast with the monsoon it makes it very hard to predict.

This in the early hours of this morning I was predicting the wind to veer and allow us to tack to the north with the
assistance of a current eddie. The wind however had other ideas and as the morning went on we continued to lift higher and
higher on port tack taking us further and further east away from our rhumb line and away from the current system that we had
observed and wanted to be in. Finally the wind veered far enough to the NE for us to contemplate a tack, and we did so but
only making a course of 340T. DLL who were sailing to the south of us carried on to the east. At mid morning the wind
dropped out altogether and then backed around to the NW (despite the GRIB showing a predicted NE 20kts). We changed sails
to our Y1 and were just about to put the Y2 below when the wind picked back up and veered 70 degrees to the ENE and we
tacked back to the north. Finally the shift that we had been waiting for since midnight came which will hopefully put us in good stead for regaining our lead from Geraldton who are 20nm to the NW.

The ever changing conditions that consist of clouds, wind, sea, swell, current etc make it very hard for the crew who have
little racing or sailing experience to get a feel for the boat and to work out the best way to trim and steer. It is very
hard to explain to people who are relatively inexperienced for such conditions how to sail the boat by feel and the
different ways of trimming depending on the conditions and tactics. I will often wake up in my bunk because the boat does
not feel right, check the instruments then poke my head back up on deck for some instruction but there is so much
information to take in. The hardest job for a skipper is to transfer his skills to the crew and teach them as much as
possible but there is just so much to teach and learn and learning becomes a lot harder when levels of fatigue are increased
due to rough conditions. Imagine giving a physics, maths, geography, meteorology and PE lesson all in one to a class full
of sleepy students. The crew are doing a fantastic job and remain devoted to racing the boat hard and learning as much as
possible in these challenging conditions. I admire the level of knowledge the crew have built up in such a short amount of
time and their thirst for knowledge and just wish that I was a better teacher. Who would have thought teaching skills could be one of the most valuable asset in a race around the world!

We are now sailing north at 010T with a slight lead on DLL and hopefully with the wind we are currently sailing in we are
making some big ground on Geraldton though this will not be known until the next Sked (skeds with yachts positions are
received every 6 hours). As we sail north we sail away form the unpredictable monsoon weather and hopefully into some more
stable and predictable weather that will support our tactics further into the race as we head towards our next waypoint and the start of the speed gate adjacent to Taiwan.

LAT 12 21.0N
LONG 113 37.4E
DTF 1480
ETA 0600 21 Feb 12

WEATHER WIND 025@16-20kts, Sea Rough 1m, Swell N1m, Clound 4/8 Cl Cb, Baro 1013.9

Gold Coast Australia earned two extra points as we apparently crossed the scoring gate in second place last night. Only
hours before crossing the scoring gate the wind veered 50 degrees to the east, so the best option was to tack towards the
gate. Geraldton got the same shift and as they were north of us at the time passed through the gate 40 minutes before us.
Our position across the scoring gate is yet to be confirmed as we were not sure where DLL was at the time however when we
picked them up on AIS a few hours after crossing the gate they were very close its 12 degrees latitude and therefore one can
only presume they were third across. At this mornings sked none of the other boats in the fleet had crossed through the scoring gate.

As soon as we crossed the scoring gate the wind resumed its normal NNE direction and we tacked back to the east. We are now
sailing low groove for best speed to windward trying to get to the eastern side of the course as the wind is expected to veer to the east over the next 20-48 hours.

This mornings sked had us back in first position on the leader board, and at the present time we are drag racing DLL who are
6nm to our south east trying to over take them before the wind shifts to the east. Geraldton seem to have carried on to he
north after the scoring gate opting for a different tactic and it will be interesting to see how it pans out for them as
there are a number of different tactical strategies for this phase of the race and there is not much separating them in
distance or time to the next waypoint near Taiwan. Weather changes daily and the difference in the forecasts could mean
that they have made the right move, but all the information currently available to us tells me to sail east and then up the cost of the Philippines.

This area has many fishing boats and poorly marked nets. As I began writing my blog I heard the sickening sound of an
object scraping past the side of the hull and was called to the deck to see a line of floats dissapearing in our wake.
Hopefully none got caught up on our underwater appendages, no doubt joining other nets and lines that we have unknowingly
run over since the start of the race. Fishermen are quite friendly and will often motor towards you to have a look at these
massive racing yachts as they sail past. I can only imagine what they must think and guess that they would not see too many sailing yachts like this racing through here.

For now we just need to hold onto No1 position and not make any more mistakes or take our minds off the game. As far as im
concerned we have just received our get out of jail free card, and now we must be fully focused on winning this race.

LAT 11 22.0N
LONG 111 47.2E
DTW 827
DTF 1622
ETA 0600 21 FEB 12

WEATHER WIND 010@20kts, Sea Moderate, Swell NE 1m, Cloud 6/8 Cl, St, Baro 1013

A poor 24 hours for Gold Coast Australia with a poor performance loosing over 30nm overnight. After a decision to
prioritise making the scoring gate we unfortunatly lost sight of the overall picture of the race and as a result
stayed on a tack that would lead us to the closer western end of the gate rather than focusing on our race plan which is to
head east. This poor decision has cost us a lot of miles, however the good news is that we still have a long way to go and
a lot of tactical decision to be made before the end of the race which will allow us to windback the miles.

Given we had such good boat speed at the start of the race I am unsure why we are not on the pace at the moment. With the
wind forecasted to lighten off over the coming few days I will most likely take a dive to check the keel and rudder for
fishing nets as there is a high chance that we may have run over a line or some nets which are often lost or discarded by
fishermen in the area and left to drift aimlessly around the ocean, not only continuing to catch fish but also boats as
well. Until the wind dies off and the opportunity arises to have a look over the side all we can do for now is to focus on trim and continue sailing the boat as best as we can.

With our current position and speed it is unlikely we will make the scoring gate in first place and so during our crew brief
today decided to discard the gate and focus on the remainder of the race. With some luck we may squeeze through the gate before the other yachts who are fast catching us up.

The last GRIB file received paints a different picture on the race tactics over the next few days as lighter winds are
expected across the entire course. Analysing all information available will be critical in use making up ground that we
lost overnight and hopefully we can catch Geraldton and DLL who now lead us by 8nm.

LAT 09 39.4N
LONG 110 34.5E
DTF 1752
ETA 0600Z 20 FEB 12

WEATHER WIND 035@22kts, Sea rough 1.5m, Swell North 1m, Cloud 3/8 Cl, Baro 1012.7

Conditions have changed from the fickle winds of the tropics to strong NE trades overnight and Gold Coast Australia has been
changing gears to deal with the increasing winds and sea state. As I write there is a regular call of “wave” followed by a
crash, splash and the pouring of water along the deck and into the cockpit making for some exhilarating sailing. With only
150nm to go until the scorning gate we should be through tomorrow an our current position in the fleet places us in a good position to gain another three points.

Yesterday at midday we changed form a Yankee 1 to a Yankee 2 as the winds increased past 14kts. As the winds continued to
rise in the evening we put our first reef in, and by this morning we had two reefs, Yankee 3 and Staysail as we power along at 7 kts to windward in 22kts of wind.

This is the first race of the series that is almost entirely upwind and with the renound conditions of the pacific and
yellow sea Gold Coast has adopted an entirely new ethos of how we are sailing the boat. This race is about endurance and
survival the the only way we are going to win is to first of all finish the race. Consequently our new ethos is about
changing gears early, this means putting reefs in well ahead of time, and changing down sails. Though the wind at the
moment is only blowing 22kts, we still have 27-30kts over the deck from our apparent wind.

The sea has changed dramatically from the calm waters of the tropics that we were experiencing yesterday, to moderately
rough conditions of short seas with no backs, This means that if the helmsman is not 100% on the ball the yacht will
continue to slam off the backs of the wave, causing a jarring motion of the boat and rig as the pressure wave of the wave is
transferred through the boat when it slams into the trough of the wave. Such conditions are almost not good for the
integrity of the hull and rig and make it almost impossible for the crew to sleep in. It is only out of pure exhaustion
that the crew finally get some rest, more often than not while lying in their bunks gripping onto whatever they can.

We have been quite lucky this race as the conditions are only gradually increasing allowing the crew to build up their
tolerance to such conditions, unlike in New Zealand where the conditions went from calm to rough in a matter of minutes
shocking the crew into action. (No offence Kiwi’s, New Zealand still offers some of the best sailing in the world xox).

Survival will be the key to this race in the weeks to come, and it is preservation of crew, boat, equipment and sails that will win us this race. Crew are instructed for each manoeuvre to:
1. Brief – watch-leaders brief the crew on the procedure from my procedure guide, 2. Allocate positions – Everybody must know exactly what they are doing
3. Prepare – Make sure everything is ready, check the rigging to ensure nothing is caught
4. Conduct the manoeuvre fast and efficiently – Minimise flogging of the sails and possible damage 5. Tidy up
6. Check everything is secure
7. Debrief

Last night putting in our first reef was a good example to crew how things can go wrong when the above steps were not
followed. Lucky the wind was reasonably light and no damage was done. Adding up the damage tally that could have occurred
if we were not so lucky came to over 1000 pounds, this means three points taken from our race tally. Even in the Volvo race
things can go wrong, and the recent loss of a V70 mast due to rigging damage that occurred while reefing is a perfect
example. It just proves nobody is perfect, and everybody must check and double check the equipment and procedure to ensure
no damage is done. I am happy to say that our subsequent reefs and sail changes were some of the best in the race so far,
so now the cobwebs are dusted out of the attic we should continue to dominate the racecourse.

LAT 07 08.4N
LONG 110 24.7E
DTW 1074
DTF 1876
ETA 0600Z 20 FEB 12

WEATHER WIND 034/14 SEA 4 SWELL N1M CLOUD 3/8 CL BARO 1011

Gold Coast Australia has been making good ground overnight on the other yachts in the fleet managing to find more wind than
the other yachts and being on the right side of the course to take maximum advantage of the increasing wind that has a
greater resemblance to the GRIB files than the light fickle winds over the past few days.

In addition to the developing wind yesterday we found the eddie of current that I had researched prior to the race start and
have been looking for ever since. The eddie has not only been identified by the extra 1-2kts of speed that we have over
ground, but also (unfortunately) by the number of floating plastic bottles and other junk that we have been seeing that appear to be trapped in the vortex.

Last night we passed through a large fishing fleet who were trawling in the South China Sea. The trawler captains were
quite inquisitive of our yacht and consequently altered course to take a better look. As a result we passed the bow of one
of the larger fishing vessels at no more than 300 yards, close enough to see the captain wave at us in his lit up wheel
house. It was very pleasant to see that he was friendly and his actions of altering course were to take a better look at our 68ft racing yacht as opposed to warning us off their fishing grounds.

As the wind has gradually increased throughout the morning we have changed from our Yankee 1 to our Yankee 2 headsail and
continue to power on to the scoring gate. Later today our course will take us past a number of reefs and banks which will no doubt attract vast numbers of fishing vessels.

Before the start I divided this race into three phases. Phase one was the start to the scoring gate, phase two scoring gate
to Taiwan, Phase three Taiwan to Qingdao. We now have just over 300nm to sail until we reach the scoring gate, and we will
be working hard to maintain our lead to ensure we reach the gate in first place and win another three points before entering
the second phase of the race towards Taiwan. Overall we are making fantastic speed in this race and I was not expecting to
finish phase one for at least another few days. We are now basically clear of the fickle tropical wind and should have good
predictable wind from now on, at least until Taiwan where if the low pressure system currently developing in China has anything to do with it could be a bit rough.

LAT 04 52.4N
LONG 109 45.3E
DTF 2022
ETA QINGDAO 0600z 22 Feb 2012

WEATHER WIND 338@6kts, Sea Calm, Swell NE 1.5m, Cloud 2/8 Ci, Cl, Baro 1011

As we sail through the South China sea the race becomes increasingly tactical with yachts trying to make the best course to
windward. The fleet has basically split into three groups, with the majority of the fleet to the north, us and Singapore in
the middle and DLL and NY to the south. The winds in this area are notoriously fluky and so it becomes apparent as the
skeds come in every six hours when we watch different groups of yachts accelerate in localised wind and then fall away again
when the wind disappears. Occasionally the yachts become visual, or at night we see a light in the distance and the AIS
lights up, but for most of the time we are on our own, sailing as best we can with the performance of the other yachts unknown until the next sked.

At the moment we are sailing ENE in only 6 kts of wind but with 1-1.5kts of current with us doing 5kts over ground. Our
main tactic is to find the big eddy of current that I know is in the area and use it to sling shot us towards our next mark
of the course 250nm to the NNE but without the information that is normally available in modern day racing such as satellite
thermal images and tidal prediction we are doing it all by feel and constantly monitoring the sea water temperature.

Added to the challenge of navigating in this area is the unreliable weather information. Forecasters do their best to
determine what may happen in the tropics, but it is extremely hard. Above us we see the low clouds streaming past in the
direction and speed that the GRIB predicted, but unfortunately the wind does not reach the sea level. At the moment all we
can do is play the sifts, watch the clouds, and use all the information available to sail in the direction in hope that my analysis is correct.

The light wind is giving us a chance to do some maintenance on the boat and make some small light weather improvements. The
light wind also gives us a chance to do a thorough check over the boat and ensure that everything is in perfect order for
the stormy weather that awaits us in the weeks to come. It has been a while since we have had to sail the boat in these
light airs upwind, and this time we are looking at it from a different angle. Now the crew have more experience they are
making adjustments and experimenting with sail trim a lot more to try to get that extra 0.1kt of speed.

Without the wind, life onboard can be likened to living in an oven, and the small 12v fans work overtime as crew try to
sleep and work in the heat. The watermaker works overtime as we drink water by the litre. Team gold coast make the most of
the calm conditions however, and there is always time for a laugh and a smile, especially during air guitar competitions
during happy hour as we train ourselves up to be Karaoke rock stars on our arrival in Qingdao.

Richard Hewson

LAT 03 24.5N
LONG 108 52.1E
DTF 2115
ETA QINGDAO 0600 22 Feb 12

WEATHER WIND 030@10kts SEA 3 SWELL N1M CLOUD 4/8 Cl, Ci, Baro 1011

Gold Coast Australia has had a fantastic 24 hours of sailing with better speed and height than most of the other yachts in
the fleet allowing us to sail between the gap of Palau Bangurum and the coast of Borneo gaining advantage from a large
counter current. At midday we were clear of Palau Bangurum and could tack to the north to ensure that we remain in the wind zone and don’t fall into the light winds that haunt the coast.

Team Gold Coast are sailing really well at the moment and concentrating hard to ensure the correct trim and heading is
steered as we begin to tack our way up through the South China Sea in almost perfect winds that have far exceeded the
forecasted conditions. Grib files are not so accurate in this part of the world and make routing quite challenging. What
we really need to focus on is the movement of the clouds and try to avoid areas of no wind.

Over the past six hours our lead has increased considerably as the yachts to the south were forced to tack to the north as
they approached the shallow and poorly charted waters of the coast. Our game plan now focuses on placing a loose cover on
the other yachts and place ourselves between the scoring gate and the rest of the fleet. While doing this we are monitoring
the wind closely as it starts to abate to ensure we don’t sail into any wind holes. If we can maintain our lead it will hopefully only increase as we sail into the stronger winds to the north.

Richard Hewson

LAT 02 11.4N
LONG 106 34.4E
DTR 2280
ETA QINGDAO 0600 22 FEB 12

WIND 015 @ 12kts, Sea 4, Swell N 1.5m, 6/8Cl, Baro 1011.0

Thanks to some good tactics, navigation, sail trim and helming Team Gold Coast have managed to gradually to over take the
other yachts one by one and at the last sked were leading the fleet who are almost all now lined up to the south of us and
in visual sight. The crew have been working and concentrating very hard to keep up our boat speed and height as we sail through the South China Sea in almost perfect sailing conditions.

Looking at the weather developing a few days ago I was expecting to still be drifting close to Singapore at the moment but
the winds have been very kind to us with a constant 10-13kts of wind. With our biggest headsail up, full mainsail and a
staysail we are sailing at about 8 kts which is very impressive for this stage of the race. It will be interesting to see
how the actual weather correlates to the forecast and when the other yachts decide to tack and make some miles to the north.

Navigators need to make sure they don’t leave the tack too late or yachts risk sailing in uncharted waters, fishing fleets
and oil rigs. There also seems to be less wind forecasted on the eastern side of the course but also less current or even
the occasional back eddy of northerly current which may assist the yachts. As a result the decision on when to tack could be the difference between a winning and loosing decision.

Richard Hewson

Richard Hewson and Team Gold Coast Australia had an interesting start to race 8 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race today.

At a fantastic farewell by friends, family, officials and the people at Kepple Bay Marina the fleet was blessed by the
traditional tossing of the Noodle. They say that the higher the noodles are tossed the more fortune you have, and so all the Race Skippers made a good effort to ensure our fortune.

The crews then marched down to their boats to traditional drum and dancing and then for the final time departed Kepple Bay
Marina and sailed to the race start which was positioned on the southern side of the Singapore straights in the vicinity of Batam.

With 5 minutes to go the 10 yachts were all jostling for position and flinging the 68 foot yachts around like laser dinghys.
Unfortunately due to a stronger tide than expected Gold Coast mistimed their run to the start and was pushed over the line
by New York. As a result Gold Coast was required by the sailing instructions to sail around the end of the line and re-start.

Thankfully the re-start was a quick manoeuvre and less than 5 minutes was lost when we crossed the line for the second time and started to chase down the fleet.

Thanks to some good tactics, navigation, sail trim and helming Richard Hewson and Team Gold Coast have managed to gradually
to over take the other yachts one by one and at the 1800 sked were leading the fleet again with the Geraldton Western Australia our other Australian entry in a close second place.