LAT 30 39.6S
LONG 164 26.5E
DTF 600
ETA Gold Coast 0600 Tuesday 12 December 2011

WEATHER Wind 049@38kts, Sea Rough 2m, Swell 080@5m, Cloud 6/8, baro 1002 dropping 2mb/hr

The team of Gold Coast Australia are sailing hard and fast trying to catch the two yachts leading them towards South Port
Yacht Club and The Gold Coast. Should we be concerned that our 0001z sked distance to finish was 666 or is this appropriate for the boat nicknamed by others as Hell Coast

While we have been sailing the boat hard it appears that we just can not get the same speed as the two boats in front DLL
and Visit Finland, nor do we have the speed that we would normally have in these conditions. It is almost like we have a
something wrapped around our keel, but the more likely option is the growth on the keel, rudder and hull from 5 months at
sea without being slipped has got out of control and is gripping to the water as it slides past.

This morning we were sailing with our heavy weight spinnaker in 30kts of wind and the boat still would not go faster than 10
knots. It is a little bit soul destroying watching the other yachts sail faster than us while we do everything we can to
catch them. This afternoon I was watching Visit Finland on the radar pass ahead of us and they were averaging at least one knot faster than us the whole time.

As the winds increase the mood onboard is a mixture of excitement, anxiety and in some cases fear. On our race around the
world crewmembers know all too well how rough the oceans can get and while some get somewhat immune to the massive waves and
strong winds, others are still very nervous. Tonight we will see the strongest winds of the race, and gradually through the
day Team Gold Coast has been preparing for the increase in winds by changing down sails and reefing in on the mainsail.
Whilst putting the first reef into the mainsail today some lines got caught at the end of the boom resulting in the Skipper
Richard Hewson having to climb to the end of the boom and re mouse the reefing pendants, untangle the spider web of lines,
then re run and re tie the reefing pendants. A very exciting exercise when the boat is surfing down waves the size of houses at moderate speed. Video footage can be found at http://www.goldcoast.com.au

Massive storms are predicted for the Gold Coast Beaches over the weekend and these are the same storms that we are going to
be battling over the comming days. Winds are expected to further increase tonight and start to back to the north as the low
pressure system moves south ahead of us. The changing wind will make life onboard even tougher as we will no longer be
running with the wind and waves, but they will be on our beam. Tomorrow conditions will get even harder as the wind
continues to back to the north east which will result in head winds as we crash our way towards the finish at Southport.

With 600nm still to race there the race to the Gold Coast has only just begun and with the fleet so close any number of the
yachts could win. Rest assured Team Gold Coast are still holding few cards close to our chest to play before the game is
over. Hopefully the team on Gold Coast can out wit the other yachts as beating them on boat speed alone is not going to
work but out smarting them will defiantly put us in the running for another yellow pennant.

LAT 31 45.3S
LONG 168 57.9E
DTF 896nm
ETA 0600 TUES 12 DEC 11

WEATHER Wind 082@15.9kts Sea Moderate Swell 080@1m Air Temp 23 Sea Temp 27 Baro 1011

SKIPPERS BLOG

Gold Coast Australia has experienced a very frustrating 24 hours filled with light winds but very nice trade winds type
sailing. Our plan of attack from New Zealand was to use the better winds to the south to sail a more direct course to
Southport while the winds lasted and then head north into the wind belt that is developing to the north of us.

We had a good run close hauled for the first 100nm from North cape in fantastic sailing conditions that allowed me to head
up the mast to do some maintenance on the mainsail and check the wind instruments at the top of the mast that have been
playing up, as well as clear a halyard. Heading up the mast while going to windward is no easy task, as the pounding into
the waves is amplified 75ft above the deck making for a wild ride that can be likened to a rodeo. The time up the mast is
always enjoyable and the views across the vast stretch of ocean that is considered by many as one of the roughest in the orld is a splendid sight.

As the winds backed late yesterday evening it allowed us to hoist our medium weight spinnaker and we were able to make some
miles on Finland before the wind completely died out in the morning and we watched Finland once again sail away from us.
Gold Coast Australia was left with no option but to gybe to the north and hoist the light weight spinnaker to try to find
some more wind. As we headed north we have come across basically the entire northern fleet and to this point have crossed
ahead of all of them. As the Northern fleet also gybed to the north it has basically become a sprint between the 7 or so
boats around us as the crews trim and helm to maximum ability trying to work that extra 0.1kt out of the boats. This race is
definatly proving how nearly all the boats are very similar in performance and how important it is to navigate the yacht to
the best route possible. All in all from the sprint to NZ to Aus we re enjoying the close racing amongst the other yachts in the fleet and its nice to have all the yachts so close.

Tonight we will pass approximately 100nm south of Norfolk island taking us into Australian waters and I would like to pass
an official Aussie welcome to Australia for all the other skippers and crews. It has been seven years since I last visited
Norfolk island and remember the visit clearly as half of our ships complement were stranded on the island when a ferocious
storm came out of nowhere forcing my ship to raise anchor and head to sea. Hopefully we will not see such a storm this time while passing Norfolk island.

With over 800nm to go until Southport this race can still be won by any of the 10 yachts particularly as there could be some
very important tactical decisions as the wind changes later in the race as a low pressure system moves to the south east
from northen Australia. Hopefully Gold Coast Australia can navigate some good routing to get around the low in more wind
than the rest of the fleet then use our local knowledge and be the first boat home!

Some very unfortunate news recieved today from one of Gold Coast Australia’s biggest fans.

My father John Hewson has been painstakingly preparing his Seabiter Trailer Sailer “Casper” for the last few months getting
her ready for the big trip up the Australian coast (via the Hume Highway) to Southport Yacht Club on the Gold Coast so he
could see us in and stay with us for Gold Coast Australia’s stop over in The Gold Coast.

Unfortunately I have just found out that Dad rolled the car and boat as he was driving up the hume highway to Southport to
support us on our arrival. Hopefully some of it is salvageable as he loves the boat very much.

Some very fun memories of me and dad flat cutting spinnakers for the new boat in the living room at home and going sailing together around Victoria.

LAT 33 21.718 S
LONG 171 16.985 E
DTF 1019 NM
ETA 0600Z 12 DEC 11

Throughout the night Gold Coast hugged the coastline until the tide turned and then we headed north allowing the backing
wind to bend our course around to North Cape New Zealand. The wind backed as predicted from the north to the south west
over a period of 12 hours allowing us to remain on port tack as we sailed into the Tasman sea and commenced our sprint to the Gold Coast in Australia

Gold Coast Australia passed the North Cape of New Zealand at approximately 0500z this morning and passed into the Tasman
Sea. At about the same time we managed to overtake Derry and now we are hot on the heals on Visit Finland. Despite our
determine efforts to sail the boat hard and fast, trimming for every extra knot of speed Visit Finland seem to
be consistently faster than us no matter what we do and Olly and the guys are obviously sailing the boat very well indeed.
Despite the current question of why we are going slower than Finland everybody onboard is very motivated and continue to
work the boat hard as we are all focused on our goal to get to the Gold Coast in first place.

At the moment Gold Coast Australia has another problem. With our generator out of service the only way to charge our
batteries required for navigation and communication equipment is to use our main engine. Unfortunately the intake for the
main engine is positioned on the port side, so when we sail on port tack at an angle of more than 10 degrees air gets into
the intake which may cause the impeller to self destruct and the engine to overheat. We are very cautious about this
happening and so when we do have to run the enging one of the watch-keepers must be spared to stay below and inspect the
intake to ensure the egine is getting water. Another way to solve the problem is to use less power, so for now all
computers are switched off apart for during happy hour and sked times, all lights are switched off, and all AC power sockets
are switched off until we can flatten the boat out and run the engine to charge the batteries. It is however a lot more
peaceful without the constant wine of a generator and computer fans, and it is nice to be sailing without the use of computers for a change.

Due to more forecasted light winds, conditions are not overly favourable for crossing the ditch this time and it looks like
we are going to have a slow but exciting crossing. At present there are 4 yachts within 10nm of each other and we are all
gunning for first place to Gold Coast. If me and my team are successful we will be only the third yacht in the Clipper
race history to achieve a home port win, and we will also beat Hugo Boss’s Alex Thompson’s record of 6 consecutive victories
in a row. This race will no doubt be the closest and hardest fought race of the series so far and everybody onboard is pushing to the max to achieve victory.

LAT 34 58.1S
LONG 174 01.8E
DTF 1146
ETA Gold Coast Australia 1200 13 Dec 11

SKIPPERS BLOG

Yesterday Gold Coast Australia sailed offshore to avoided the light winds that were forecasted along the coastline and pick up from the gradient winds further our to sea. Unfortunately the gradient winds out to sea were not as predicted and Gold Coast spent many frustrating hours yesterday without wind.

Just before mid night yesterday the winds began to fill in from the North East as forecasted for earlier in the day. Along with the wind came a few hours of torrential rain. Whilst the rain was uncomfortable, nobody complained as we were moving again, back up to a speed of seven knots, sailing away from the light air zone and towards North Cape New Zealand.

Gold Coast made good ground to the north and remained on starboard tack as the wind continued to back to the North. As we sailed back towards New Zealand we passed close to a number of other yachts in the fleet all within 10nm proving how close the racing is at the moment and how similar these boats are in speed.

Gold Coast tacked back onto port to clear Poor Knights Islands only 6nm astern of the fleet leaders Finland at midday and then tacked back to Starboard to head further inshore towards Cape Brett and the Bay of Islands.

By remaining on Starboard Tack while the other yachts headed north on Port Tack we took a bit of a knock, hoping it would be a good investment as now the wind has settled and become more consistent over the whole course there are we see a number of tactical benefits from being closer to the coast including lifts from the land, flatter seas and tidal assistance. One benefit of staying close to the coast is the beautiful scenery. Especially as we passed Cape Brett at the southern end of the Bay of Islands where we saw a number of other yachts exploring such delights as the hole in the wall as well as some local wild life.

It was very pleasing to find at the midday sked that in 24 hours we had climbed the score board from 9th to equal first place and the mood onboard has been very jovial indeed. Not only in Gold Coast sailing well, but the sun is out, the winds are perfect. During the afternoon however we were reunited with the other boats after having lost sight of them in the morning. Derry and Finland passed under 10nm ahead and we dipped the stern of Yorkshire by less than 50m as we sailed north to clear Cavali Islands and are currently match racing them up the coast.

Gold Coast Australia will work hard throught the night to advance through the positions again as we aim to round North Cape in first place and gain the full benefit of the SW winds in the Tasman Sea.

LAT 35 57.2
LONG 176 17.2
DTR 1268nm to Gold Coast
ETA 1200L 12 DEC 11

Weather Wind Variable 0-5 Baro 1006.3 Sea Calm, Swell N 0.5 Cloud chaotic

Where is the bloody wind!!!! At the moment we are racing a sprite can I just threw overboard and its matching our course and speed!

SKIPPERS BLOG

Gold Coast Australia had a good start to Race 6 to Gold Coast Australia and worked hard throughout the night to match DLL and pull away from the rest of the fleet. Unfortunately the wind has calmed prematurely allowing the other yachts in the fleet to catch up and leaving us in a tricky situation

With a complicated low pressure system over New Zealand conditions for Gold Coast Australia have been very challenging as we navigate our way up the coast through fickle and variable winds. Gold coast Australia crew have been using every available recourse legally available to determine where the best winds are to be found over the next few days.

Forecasted conditions are slightly better off the coast than along the coastline and we are sailing wide of New Zealand to try to get the more consistent gradient pressure. While seeking this pressure it has been very frustrating today observing the majority of the fleet making the most of localised wind on the coast and making better speeds closer of the shore.

Added to the frustration is the results from the daily sked which show GCA in second last position. This is not the first time we have been in this position at this stage of the race and we will be working hard to win back places and work our way back up the scoreboard.

LAT 37 13.8S
LONG 176 053
DTR 1310
ETA 1200 Saturday

Skippers Blog

After a good start Gold Coast Australia had fantastic tussle with DLL and Finland in the Bay of Plenty as we make our way up the NZ coast.

Finland and DLL appeared to have far superior speed to Gold Coast at the moment and we are constantly trimming and trying to solve the problem as the majority of this race is to windward and if we continue to sail slower than the other yachts we will not achieve the desired result.

The crew had a fantastic stopover in Taraunga and found the hospitality and friendliness of the local people in such an idealistic location very welcoming.

Now the race start nerves have calmed down and we are settled into our regular watch routine everybody is focused on sailing the boat well and having an enjoyable race to Gold Coast.