A lot has happened since our arrival to Australia at the beginning of December. There were the festivities at sea and many more impressions, I will likely remember forever. Nonetheless, the time has come to bid farewell to Australia. But I will be back at some point. To clear out we have moved our boats to Mackay over night. Following that we drive them just outside of the Great Barrier Reef. The way led us through the Hydrographer’s Passage, which is very narrow in certain areas. Thus, we didn’t start the race but sailed this bit as a convoy. The race only started once we were all in the open water.

To start the race with no start line or committee vessel onsite, the sailing instructions detail the Le Mans start. For this all boats line up next to each other with only the mainsail hoisted and using their engines. One minute prior to the start the engine must come off. Only at race start it is allowed to hoist the headsails, which were agreed beforehand. And it is not before ten minutes into the race that other sails may be hoisted or the course changed. And it worked pretty well this morning. All boats were nicely lined up and we managed a comparatively good start. Now we are underway with destination Philippines.

As one could anticipate, it is incredibly hot. Only the wind brings some relief as even the water is very warm. In those conditions almost everyone is struggling to find sleep. And rest is so important, especially at the beginning of the race. During the watch it is almost unthinkable to stay in the shade. The only things that help are long-sleeved cloths, a big hat and loads of sunscreen. But sunscreen only really helps if it isn’t washed off by sweat or sea water.

The winds are light but we make good progress so far. If everything goes to plan we are reaching the Doldrum’s Corridor east of Papua New Guinea in a few days. In there we are again allowed to cover a pre-defined distance with the help of the engine, to get through this notorious low wind region without too much delay. Only afterwards it might get a bit colder again.