The 14 strong crew of Adventure are now all ready to face the seas of the Bass strait during this southern Hemisphere 638 mile offshore challenge. They have acclimatised to the 11 hour time difference and have been working hard during the days since arrival to prepare the boat for the 65Th Rolex Sydney to Hobart race. Whilst the weather has been mainly overcast and warm, luck was on our side as the sun shone for the press day on Monday. Much to Richard's delight, this enabled plenty of photos to be taken of the boat and crew sailing passing the Sydney Opera house and under the Sydney Harbour Bridge whilst under spinnaker,  from a chase rib.  The crew had some extra equipment on board during this photo shoot as channel Fox sports and Channel 10 also made good use of the sun and breeze, taking the opportunity to film interviews delivered in the evening news. A second day at sea on Tuesday allowed wives and girlfriends aboard and the tacticians Will and Bruce  to fine tune wind bends and local currents, whilst the crew polished their maneuvers. The temptation to immerse Hugh and Adrian into the sea during man over board drills was not resisted. This served a dual purpose, the second being amusing as they donned their ocean neoprene suits becoming  instant red seals of the southern hemisphere.

With crew morale high, a crew meal in Darling Harbour on Christmas eve was an very enjoyable experience with a fireworks display aptly timed before the port and toasts commenced. After which a fair handful of songs and Christmas Carols were sung, including sunshine mountain with the necessary chairs being used in a suitable manner, the crew returned home for some well earned rest. 

Many thanks to Royal Australian Navy Sailing Association for allowing RNSA the use of their facilities for the Christmas day BBQ which was enjoyed by the crews.

Individual shout outs:  Hi to Tom, Grace and Alex from Richard.