65^th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race – The Approach                                                                    24^th December 2009

The team assembled at Heathrow airport late in the afternoon of 17^th December, an almost palpable sense of anticipation hanging in the air. It was a chilly, overcast day and the take-off was delayed by snowy squalls, but, despite the smart Transglobe Gill technical fleeces on everyone’s backs, shorts and flip-flops were being held in reserve, ready for the moment we touched down Down Under. Eventually we took off on the long journey, just making our connection in Hong Kong, to be met by Windy, Roddy and Murray at Sydney airport. Although the pilot told us it was 7.30am local time on 19th, our body clocks were up the spout and the crew spent the rest of the day adjusting to Australian time – it seemed the best way to do this was to go for a swim at the beach followed by a nice cool beer at a cafe!

The days since then have been spent working on the boat in the mornings and knocking off mid-afternoon so we can get around and have a look at Sydney. We’ve been for a practice sail around the harbour and for the obligatory photo under the Harbour Bridge and in front of the Opera House. The sun is shining and there’s plenty of breeze so conditions are cracking. As the time gets closer and closer to the race the CYCA (Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which runs the race) has got busier and busier, with all the crews milling around prepping the boats. The marina is open to the public as well, so lots of locals and tourists stroll along pontoons to look at the boats. The three Challengers attract a hefty amount of interest, as you can imagine, and the skippers have done a lot of interviews with the local press too.

A few days ago the forecast suggested we would have quite light winds which would have made for a frustrating drift down to Tasmania in the 48-ton boats, but a low to the south of Australia has turned north bringing stronger winds with it so it looks like we might see some heavier conditions. This is good news for us bigger boats, as long as it doesn’t get too extreme!

Sydney has been great to spend a few days in. The central part with the Bridge and Opera House has a load of bars and restaurants along the seafront, but we have explored other areas as well. Bondi Beach surprised us by only having one surf hire shop which had sold out, so we attempted to body surf instead – with varying degrees of success! Manly impressed us with better surf and a nicer seafront but top so far has been Palm Beach of Home and Away fame. Kings Cross and Coogee Bay are great for nights out, although plenty of backpackers have realised the same. In some places the only Australians are behind the bar or on the door. Just like London then.