The start of the race from Fremantle to Airlie Beach was not an easy on. The wind was only blowing with medium strength, but from southerly direction so that we have to beat against it. That’s not really a pleasure and has caused some seasickness amongst the crew. Luckily I have been able to get through without this time. Maybe my body is starting to adopt. In the second night we had our first big […]

Last Sunday it was time to leave Cape Town. We started with a parade down to the boats which was lead by an African dance group. Once on board our boat we had the obligatory crew picture taken before slipping lines. Already in the entry to the harbour we were reminded of the warning words which were addressed to us the day before during the crew briefing. The wind blew with gusts around 30 knots […]

The stopover in Cape Town was superb. We reached Cape Town around noon in best weather but we had spotted Table Mountain already in the first sunlight. It still is something special to see the first bit of land after weeks with only the blue ocean around. Unimaginable how the early discoverers must have felt not knowing before when and how they would reach new lands. There was a little uncertainty early that night when […]

The world’s oceans cover roughly 70% of the earth’s surface. Correspondingly large is their contribution to our planet’s climate. But many areas are not well studied or haven’t been studied at all. For climate scientists especially the water temperature, salinity level, CO2 concentration and surface currents are of interest. The temperature has an immediate effect on how much CO2 can be absorbed in the water. While most of us know the transatlantic Gulf Stream from […]

We have reached the northern extends of the Southern Ocean in the last few days. At a little over 40 degrees south we let ourselves be carried east by the northerly winds. The winds have been relatively steady over the past few days, but have been increasing. Also the waves have been growing at the same time. More precisely we are looking at around 25 knots of wind and about 3 metre waves at the […]

There was a big relief on board when the recently repaired spinnaker was flying from the mast. The suspense was great as everyone knew how much time had been spent on the repair in Punta del Este. Even bigger were the emotions after the sail unfolded in all its glory. The signs of repair could not be missed, but it accelerated us right away. This was our reward for the endless hours of hard work. […]

The start from Punta del Este was a bit chaotic. Many spectators gathered on the breakwater, which had sheltered us from the incoming waves for the last few days. The course was set to start downwind, which caused a few challenges for everyone. However, it was again our boat which crossed the start line last. Of course it is not the end of the world to cross the start line a couple of minutes after […]