LAT 06 34.8N
LONG 127 23.5E
DTF 1535
ETA 25 Jan 2012
COG 220 SOG 10

WEATHER Wind 067@18kts, Sea Moderate, Swell NE 2m, Cloud 4/8, Baro 1005.5

It is Friday the 13th and with the lack of fortune that we have been having so far this race we are trying to be super
cautious and not leave anything to chance, particularly after this mornings antics which I have described later in the blog.

Gold Coast Australia has been making good speed and direction down the Philippine coast towards the Celebs gate and is in a
close toss up with the other 3 leading yachts in the race DLD, GWA and QIN. Whilst the other yachts are approaching the
gate from the east, GCA is the only yacht in the fleet approaching from the north and this tactic has some very promising advantages and this morning we moved up to second place in the leader board.

I have worked on Merchant ships in this area and have previously noticed currents up to 4kts down the Philippine
coast which is one reason we are trying to get closer to the coast all the time. Whilst we are not experiencing 4kts, we
are experiencing 1-1.5kts of current pushing us south and the closer we get to the coast the strong the current become.
Whilst we ride the currents south, the other yachts are most likely pushing into the current while sailing similar wind angles on the other gybe.

Overnight the race committee sent notice to all competitors announcing that due to light winds and piracy the passage
between the Celebes gate and the Restart Gate in the Baltic Straight just north of Malaysia would be a “cruising passage”.
This means that the race timer stops as yachts cross the Celebes Gate and the timer will start again when racing resumes at
the restart gate to the north of Malaysia. If required we are allowed to use our engine to navigate the tricky waters full
of shoals and possible pirates and also get through the patches of light wind that are expected in the area in the week to
come. As much as I am a firm believer that a yacht race should be sailed only, I welcome this decision from the race
committee as without it we would possibly drifting around the Celebes sea for the next week waiting for the wind and I think
we have done enough drifting this race. The Cruising phase will be in Stealth Mode for security purposes so do not be
surprised if you can not see us on the tracker or AIS. The benefit of Stealth Mode is that if the people at home cant see us on the tracker or AIS, neither can the pirates.

Last night we saw the first of many Philippine Fishing boats. During the day their colourful paint patterns and interesting
construction delight the crew, and at night they have a similar appearance of bright lights of various colours that rarely
represent the correct navigation lights. The fishing mother ships and their dowels move randomly (as do we while we sail)
and so it makes collision avoidance strategies interesting to say the least, especially when we have a squall charging down
on us with a spinnaker up making our sail plan not very manoeuvrable. Still, the fishing boats have right of way so we are
ready to drop the spinnaker in an instant to alter course if required. Often the fishing boats are tied up to Fish
Aggravation Devices (FAD’s) which are 3m x 1m orange or rusty cylinders that float on the surface and are apparently
attached to the sea floor by a 2000m cable. The FAD’s are hard to see during the day when there is more than 1m of sea and
are unlit so are almost impossible to see at night. The FAD’s act as artificial reefs in more ways than one as not only do
they attract fish, but if you hit them in a sailing yacht at 10kts they have the possibility of doing lots of damage. So
far today we have seen 4 FAD’s, and we are keeping a close eye out for more as we sail down the Philippine coast.

This morning a sudden gust of wind caused a tragic blow for Gold Coast when the helmsman rounded up causing the yacht to
broach, snapping the spinnaker pole (again). The spinnaker pole is replaceable and we had the heavy weight spinnaker flying
again within the hour after doing some minor repairs. The most frustrating part about the round up is the injury that it
could have caused and also the loss of the spinnaker pole. This pole will need to be replaced in Singapore and consequently
we will be deducted points. Our damage bill for this race is unacceptably high despite all the preventative maintenance and
work we do on the yacht ourselves to keep the costs down. If we carry on loosing points like this for the remainder of the
race our overall podium position is very well threatened. I wish I knew the magic recipe for preventing such incidents that
does not involve me staying on deck 24/7 or leaving the spinnaker in the bag or sailing around with two reefs constantly in
the mainsail, but this is racing so that is not an option, crew are just going to have to be more cautious.

Considering the amount of time we fly the spinnaker, such incidents are rare, and now the spinnaker is up and we are
charging towards the gate without a worry. Lets keep fingers crossed no more drama for the next 24 hours and we can get
through Friday the 13th without any further incidents and get to the next gate safely with good speed.

Looking out at the sky at the moment it looks like the NW monsoon squalls are clearing and have hopefully had their way with
us this morning and will not disturb us until tomorrow, though there are still a few dark clouds looming that could give us
grief. Hopefully the sky will clear and I can relax for a few hours this afternoon as tonight will no doubt be quite hectic
and full of FAD’s, Fishing boats, and squalls. Without all these distractions, sailing along down wind at 150 TWA with the kite up is very pleasant and a fantastic way to travel!

LAT 09 15.4N
LONG 130 23.3E
DTF 1798
ETA 0600 26 Jan 2012
COG 220 SOG 9

WEATHER Wind 055 Sp 18, Sea Mod, Swell 060@2m, Cloud 4/8 Cb, Cl, Ac, Ci Baro 1006.2

Gold Coast Australia finally got our wind back and made some great progress over night and throughout the morning. At
noon we gybed towards the south and we are now making our way down the Philippine coast to the gate between Sarangani
Straight and Marore Is. Whilst we are currently ranked 5th on the leader board on the http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com we are
in a good tactical position as we are the furthest western yacht in the fleet with good wind and good current.

Originally I had thought to sail even closer to the Philippine coast and we still may gybe again to get a bit closer as at
times when steaming down the coast in larger ships I have observed currents of up to 5kts flowing around the bottom of the
Philippines which would no doubt give us a substantial boost. The only problem with getting too close to this coast is that the wind backs to the north and is not as strong as further out to sea.

We will monitor the positions of the other yachts and the wind strength and may utilise this current as we approach the gate in the next couple of days.

One of the greatest achievements so far this race was reached today when our Medium weight spinnaker repair was finally
completed. This repair has taken almost 7 days of sewing in the intense heat of the cabin with a very temperamental sewing
machine and limited cloth and other tools on a “loft” floor that is moving, banging and twisting with every wave. Not only
have we fixed the repair but I also instructed for some further re-enforcing of the clews and luff tapes be made so
hopefully now the sail is better than new. This sail will be very useful as we sail through the lighter winds of the
Celebes sea and down to Singapore and so it is fantastic that it has been repaired so well.

Sailing further north than the rest of the fleet has been a slightly disappointing tactic for Gold Coast as the trade winds
were not as steady as predicted and at times for some reason were weaker to the north than closer to the equator. Many of
the yachts that exited the Solomon Sea and rounded New Ireland behind us were able to take a more southerly route and have
made massive gains on us and have had surprisingly good and consistent winds at 3 degrees north. I have been going over in
my mind and reviewing available information to see what I would do differently in this race If I could sail it again.
Unless I can find more information that would prove that sailing at 3*North is reliable and as beneficial than seeking more
“reliable” trades further north I would probably follow a similar route to which I am sailing now anyway. Hopefully when we
finish this leg somebody can show me the missing “piece to the puzzle” information that will make me change my mind, but for
now I am confident we have sailed a good race so far and have just been unfortunate when it comes to the issue of wind. For
the next couple of days we can only hope that the wind will play the game and we do not loose any further miles to our southerly competitors.

Richard Hewson

Yacht tracker viewed at http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com

LAT 09 31.5
LONG 134 16.0
DTF 2025
ETA Some time next year
COG Varied SOG 0

WEATHER WIND NONE SEA CALM SWELL N1.5M CLOUD 4/8 CHAOTIC, BARO 1005.7

This morning we sailed past the Pacific Island of Palau, and this afternoon we still remain 100nm to the north of this beautiful island.

Since the start of the race my tactics have been to head north to the reliable trade winds to make our way across the
Pacific to Asia in the best time possible. Normally trade winds are stronger away from the equator to about 12 degrees
north. This race we seem to be experiencing far from Normal conditions as Gold Coast Australia once again sits to the north of the fleet, sails flapping as we roll around in the swell becalmed.

The wind has been dying off for the last 12-18 hours, and finally it has culminated at this. 0kts of wind. Routing Charts
(Charts that tell you the direction and strength of historical wind trends) and GRIB files say there should be at least
15kts of wind for us to run with, yet we have 0 and I find this very frustrating.

On a positive note at least I had time for a quick swim this afternoon to cleanse myself of the dripping sweat that comes from living below decks in such a hot and humid environment.

Onboard everybody is equally frustrated but we try to see the funny side of things. We all know that we are sailing the
best we can and have made our decisions based on the facts we have and so for now there is not much more to do but to have a laugh, continue fixing the medium weight spinnaker, and wait for wind!

Richard Hewson

Yacht tracker viewed at http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com

LAT 08 15.0N
LONG 136 510E
DTF 2159nm
ETA 0600 26 Jan 2012
COG 280 SOG 9

WEATHER Wind 080 @ 18kts, Sea Moderate, Swell N1.5m, 060 0.5m, Cloud 4/8, Baro 1005.1 falling

Yesterday at our midday happy hour Team Gold Coast set ourselves a goal to make up the 70nm lead that was being held by
Derry at the time. Whilst it would have been near impossible to eat away at the entire 70nm, we managed to take away 51nm over a 24 hour period putting us back into second place.

Our northerly position is finally starting to bear fruits as we have more wind and assisting current taking us towards the
beautiful island of Palau. We intend to pass Palau to the north some time tonight, and carry on for another day or so
before gybing south towards the Marore island waypoint that has now been re-defined by the race committee as another gate.

Currents and wind for the next few days should be in our favour and we currently have 1-1.5kts of current helping our
progress and a few more knots of wind than the boats to the south, however for us to beat the current lead boat Derry to the
next gate we need to try to obtain a 100nm lead before we gybe as if you compare their route and ours to the gate they sail 100nm less than us over the next few days.

Our spinnaker repair team have been doing a fantastic repair on our medium weight spinnaker and hopefully that will be ready
to fly for the lighter winds as we sail down the coast towards our next waypoint where winds are expected to moderate significantly the further south we sail.

LAT 07 32.3N
LONG 141 05.6E
DTF 2355
ETA 0600 26 Jan 2012
COG 270 SOG 10

WEATHER Wind 060@20kts, Sea Moderate, Swell N 2m, 060 1m, Cloud 4/8 Baro 1005.9,

As we near the half way point in the race today Gold Coast has reflected on the race so far and where we have done well and where we could have done better.

Not to sound pessimistic but we have not had the best “luck” so far this race. Our stern glad gave us problems until we
replaced it in the Coral Sea, Sails have ripped for no apparent reason and winds have not played the game. Our “luck”
colmenated yesterday evening when we were sorting out some spinnaker problems on the foredeck and the mainsail ripped in two
just above some re-enforcing that had been done in Taronga to prevent such a tear.

The crew have been fantastic so far this leg and I have been very impressed with their good spirits and positive thinking.
There seems to be a strong can do attitude and everybody has no complaints in knuckling down to get the work done onboard
without question. There has been constant unpicking and sewing of sails basically since the start and the repairs done on
the mainsail last night were of a fantastic quality and will no doubt serve us well for the remainder of the race.

Why the mainsail split last night is anybody’s guess as the wind was only light and there was no flogging. Some poor
stitching or chafing from the battens may have been to blame as some was noticed on other batten pockets we inspected and
temporarily repaired while the mainsail was down. Further repairs will be completed in Singapore even if we need to take
the sail to KL on a bullet train while we are there there is no doubt that the mainsail will need to be 100% before the start of the race to Qindao.

Our tactics so far this race were good up until the Solomon sea where there could have been more research in local
conditions (though they did seeem quite random). In the pacific which is were we are at the moment all of my research
pointed to the Right hand side of the course (northern) particularly as we crossed the equator there was absolutely no wind
at the time to the west and we had no option but to head north. Now it seems all the new race leaders have just sailed
right underneath us with better winds and currents closer to the equator. It feels like I am missing a valuable piece in
our tactical puzzle and at the end of the race if somebody can tell me what it is I would be most appreciative.

Given all the problems over the last week, we have decided that our present position of 70nm behind the leading boat is
insignificant. A 3% increase in boat speed is all that is required to catch the leader and now we are focused on recovering a podium position prior to the finish at Batam Island near Singapore.

“Luck” is what you make it and we are probably the most prepared team in the fleet and usually our “luck” has been pritty
good. We also have a fantastic team full of smiles and personality who also know how to sail and have a can do attitude. So
far this race we have had our fair share of bad “luck” but now that is behind us. Onwards and upwards for Gold Coast Australia!

After a tear was observed in our mainsail leach yesterday evening the spinnaker was taken down and replaced by a Yankee 1, followed by the mainsail being bought to the deck and replaced by a trisail leaving us ploding along at a mear 6kts.
Teams were sent to work fixing the tear which was just above the 3rd batten. Im still unsure how it tore in the first place as the wind was only 18kts. I think the sails are just getting tired after over 20000nm and 6months of sailing. Hopefully we can re-enforce them all in Singapore.
Finally at 0700 this morning the repair was complete. The team did a fantastic job with the repair and though it took all night to complete, best it has been done properly given that we still have 2400nm to go until the finish which gives us plenty of time to hopefully catch the front runners.

Richard Hewson

A typical scene in the ITCZ – chaotic clouds

LAT 07 18.0N
LONG 144 25.7E
DTF 2555
ETA 0600 25 JAN 2012
COG 270 SOG 10

WEATHER Wind 066@20kts, Sea Moderate 0.5m, Swell 000@2m, 060@1.5m, Cloud 4/8, Baro 1004.7

Gold Coast continues sailing in fantastic sailing conditions north of the fleet towards the next waypoint at the eastern
edge of the Celebes Sea accross the Pacific Ocean. It has not however been all plane sailing for the Gold Coast team who had another upset with their Medium Weight Spinnaker

Yesterday it was reported that our Medium Weight Spinnaker was up flying again after some fantastic repair work by our team.
Later that afternoon I was woken up to an all hands on deck only to discover that the leach tape of the newly repaired
spinnaker had split in a completely different spot to the previous repair and the spinnaker was once again in two pieces.
The Spinnaker was taken back down below and replaced immediately by a heavy weight spinnaker and the the sewing team is now
back down in the sauna making new repairs and thinking positive thoughts while the crew on deck work away sailing the yacht
with the Heavy Weight Spinnaker to the west. On a positive note the repairs made the previous day were spot on and had held together perfectly.

Gold Coast has been carrying the heavy weight spinnaker ever since and trying to make ground on the yacht to the south. I
am interged to find that they seem to have more wind than we do to the north and hoping the tables will turn and we will
make gains from our investment over the next few days before the fleet starts to converge at the next gate.

Today we past Halik Atol which provided a bit of excitement for the crew however the distance we passed off was
unfortunately too far off to get a good look or see any signs of life but it was a good opportunity to re-calibrate and tune our radar for a known object.

Later this afternoon we should pass the Woleai Atol and that will be the last bit of land we see before we reach the next mark of Marore island.

Richard Hewson

Our Medium Weight spinnaker has once again blown in conditions third time. Each time this spinnaker has split we have had
perfect weather conditions running down wind, the wind speed has been steady and less than 18kts (less than 10kts apparent)
and there has been no swell or any other factor. Each time the spinnaker had not flogged, was being handled in the correct manor, and was flown within the guidelines of the manufacturer.
On a positive note, the repairs that we did on the spinnaker held nicely, rather the spinnaker split from the luff tape in a position just above the previous split.
This is a very disappointing setback and the crew are already on the case once again repairing the tear in good humour.