www.gipsymoth.org

Townsville, Queensland
30-Aug-06

When we were alongside in Hamilton Island one of the many visitors to Gipsy Moth IV invited us to visit Townsville on the way to Cairns, as a guest of the Yacht Club. So we have received another warm welcome form another group of very friendly Queenslanders. Townsville seems quite different to other places we have visited – it is a ‘real’ town, not just a place for tourists and backpackers to enjoy themselves. But it is also a very good-looking place with beautiful buildings and a picturesque Strand along the seashore with palm trees – all rebuilt after a devastating cyclone some years ago. Our host, Colin White, took me and the girls to the top of Castle Hill which is a sheer-faced rock behind the main town and we had a fantastic view over the surrounding area – including being able to see the Moth dressed overall alongside at the Yacht Club.

The 24-hour sail up from Airlie Beach the previous night was an interesting trip. We did most of it under headsail - cruising chute during the day and running sail at night averaging about 5 knots overall. This was a first experience of night sailing for Emma and Natalie, as well as a chance for us all to enjoy the “Gipsy Moth roll’ when running downwind.

We have just one more hop up the coast now to Cairns, and then our time in Paradise will be over.

Andrew Eccleston
1st Mate GMIV


29-30th August
Sophie Hedman –Crew member.

Hello again its me Sophie I hope you missed me because I have loads to tell !! the other night we set off for our first proper sail and night watch so we set off from airlie beach after are yachting club party where I put my natural speaking skills in to practice which was not to hard because talking and trying to Inspire others about something I’m passionate about really does not seem like a duty. As for my experience so far on gipsy moth an my past experience have made me feel like I’m really part of the whole project an I love to share what I’m passionate about with others. As you no I could not stop talking but if you had seen an experience what I have you would’ve to. But I got loads of claps and I was chuffed as well as Steve are skipper being impressed made me feel that I should use my skills to help gipsy moth more I would love to be a ambassador for gipsy moth iv when she goes over to the states but I defiantly know that at the end of my leg I would love to remain in the project an help gipsy moth do her travel around the world inspiring all.

We set off are sail to Townsville as we saw dolphin swimming close up to the bow of the boat which even now seems like it almost did not happen they where just happily swimming and jumping up at the side of the boat. Then we started our night watch system an I was with Grandad aka Andrew are first shift was 6 till 9pm then we woke up at 3am to start are night watch again till 6am even though the weather was choppy an I was a bit tired but not to much because weirdly I had a good night sleep. Maybe because he brought me back to my first experience on gipsy moth iv when I docked her at Plymouth with Simon ,Richard ,David Green ,Kim ,Jodie me helming to all hours of the night as the two girls where being sea sick but I did not mind because I loved every second of it. I feel that when you do a night watch its so relaxing with all the stars which are so bright compared to south London stars it really makes you reflect about everything it really weird when you sitting in that cockpit an you know that your reasonable for everyone’s life down below it really makes you think even though sailing is a fun thing its full of reasonability’s which has made me more independent its not just looking out for yourself like some people do in life but looking after 5 other people. Me and grandad had a very inspiring talk on are night watch which really made me think about what ive achieve an how many things there are for people to go in to in the future because look at me I’m on the gipsy moth. It really made me think what I’m going to be doing in a year’s time. After are night watch me an grandad aka Andrew saw 3 shooting stars me seeing two him seeing 1 we ate are little pocket size mars bars an went to bed being woking up to bacon sandwiches yum!! As we got in to Townsville we where greeted by Colin as we set up Gipsy moth flags for are opening but first we had a pizza and I have not eaten so much in my whole life. Then Colin brought me Nat an Em around to site see Townsville then we came back an did are opening day an we met Sir Francis.c distance relative which was interesting an now i am sitting here typing to you lot in the cockpit with the crew waiting for Steve because are lovely skipper is treating us to a meal and then we are off to are voyage of a life time tomorrow to cairns.

Natalie Crawford
Crew Member
28th August 2006

Well at the moment we are only half way through the day- but it has been a very busy morning! We had a very small lie in today- waking up at 0600 instead of our usual 0545- I felt so lucky! Breakfast was ready almost immediately- but don’t be too impressed- with Sophie as mother for the day a simple meal of cereal and toast was on the cards- but what a delight it was especially as I had my chocolate spread to keep me happy! I was a bit confused as it was early in the morning and I had to navigate my way to the shower block in a new marina now that we are moored at Airlie Beach- it felt odd being away from Hamilton Island that has become our home over the past week. It was worth it when I got there though because I had my best Australian shower yet to wake me up!

After showers and breakfast we had a lot of cleaning to do to prepare for our second open day of the voyage. The decks were cleaned, brass scrubbed and even the cockpit was made to shine. I think Steve was happy with our job well done and so we were all divided in to groups to complete our tasks for the morning. Emma and Steve, Sophie and Jules and finally ‘Grandad’ and I were placed together. By the way ‘Grandad’ is our new name for Andrew as we feel he has become our adopted grandparent for the voyage- a role that I think he enjoys! So Emma and Steve went off to buy a fishing rod (and a sneaky McDonalds!) whilst the rest of us hitched a lift with our friend ‘Stack’ to the local supermarket complex. I have to say it was a bit weird being in a car for the first time in weeks and driving around a place that remotely resembled home- it was very different from Hamilton Island!

So off Andrew and I went searching for cleaning products, barbeques and toolboxes to make our journey to Cairns as comfortable as possible. It was quite a fun little trip hanging out with real Australians- it felt very authentic. Also, because I was so well behaved Grandad decided to buy me an ice cream sundae as a reward! So, after bringing all the shopping home and unloading it all- with some patronising comments from Jules for a change- we were ready for a quick lunch and more cleaning for the 1300 opening of the open day. So here we are now sitting round the table and chatting to a local reporter who has come to take photographs for an article on the boat. More from me later!

Well, now I am sitting in the cockpit as we are sailing along at a nice steady speed of 4 knots. The rest of yesterday was very enjoyable. The open afternoon was fairly quiet- most of the visitors were from nearby boats and the Airlie Beach Rotary Club who were our hosts for our stay. After feeling a bit light headed whilst down below the skipper allowed me to have a little lie down in my bunk for a while- I ended up falling asleep! When I was woken it was by Sophie informing me that us three crew members were allowed to go for an afternoon swim in the nearby lagoon- this soon made me feel a bit better! So off we went for the 15 minute walk with our towels and swimming costumes in hand. However, halfway through the walk to the lagoon we passed a small cove on the beach and decided we would rather sunbathe and swim here for a couple of hours. The afternoon was very pleasant and it was nice to have a little rest after a busy morning. One of the highlights of the entire trip so far was when we were all lying on this beach- half asleep- and all of a sudden Sophie started screaming that a single person plane in the sky that was doing tricks above us had had its engine cut out and was falling to the ground where we lay! We all jumped up, lives flashing in front of us and sprinted to the boardwalk, leaving all our belongings behind! We bumped in to two passers- by who had obviously spotted why we were so panicked so all five of us stood there staring up at the plane. It took a couple of minutes for us to realise and convince ourselves that the pilot did infact know what he was doing as we heard the engine kicked in. After this little mishap we cautiously made our way back to our spot feeling a little bit stupid!

As soon as we were back to the boat it was time for a good scrub and a spruce up to get ready for our hot dates for the night- with the men of the rotary club! It actually felt quite nice to wear my normal home clothes and do something civilised on land rather than on the boat for the first time in a while. We were kindly driven to the dinner/ meeting by one of the Rotarians and once we arrived and saw the long tables with lots of cutlery set out we knew we were in for a culinary treat. So the evening started off with delicious food, Rotary Club rituals and a kind introduction to Andrew’s presentation. After showing the club a slideshow of our pictures so far we three girls were invited to the front to give a talk on ourselves and what the project meant to us. Unfortunately Sophie went first and although she gave a cracking speech she stole everything Emma and I could possibly say because she spoke for so long! However, we managed to wangle our way out of it and I think it’s fair to say that all the old men were suitably charmed! The evening came to an end and after a lift back home and our arrival on the boat we were well and truly ready for bed- especially as we had a 0630 departure the next day!

Airlie Beach – Abel Point Marina revisited.
Posn 20°14S 148°48.7E
Weather Hot and sunny

Tonight we docked at Abel point Marina in Airlie beach, we are here as guests of the local Rotary Club who have kindly picked up the mooring fees for the Gipsy Moth, we were met by Ian (Stack) Hudson from the Rotary Club who greeted us and took lines and after a brief chat left for town with two crew members on a victualling raid.

It’s difficult for me to sum up the last few days flying out to Hamilton Island to set sail with a boatful of strangers and leaving my lovely wife Christine behind for a third time on this epic saga, why do I do it I ask myself? The real answer is I don’t really know, I guess it must be the buzz of being in a different place with a bunch of people who’s lives I may have a positive effect on. I guess that really outlines the objectives of this whole project , the skippers have to be really special people who really care, mother, father, social worker, doctor, careers advisor and friend. I guess it’s really hard to be all things to all people, but that’s why we are here, to make a difference and if I can make a difference to just one persons life then it’s all worthwhile.

So here I am again sitting under the stars writing yet another Voyage log, tonight there is no midnight serenade the smoke and the party bands on Hamilton Island race week are now long behind, you could hear a shackle drop in the marina and the damp night air stiffens the joints of rugby injuries gone by, time for bed I think. The boat is safe and sound in Abel Point Marina In Airlie beach and after a fantastic green Thai curry everyone is getting ready for a quiet night on the other side of planet Earth.

When we get sailing north the keys may flow better watch out for the daily fish report, tomorrow we are off foraging for food and vital equipment for our trip north, so see you all soon.

Steve Rouse Skipper.

Emma Aldridge
Hamilton island
26 August 2006

This morning was Jules’ Mother day and his exotic creation of toast went down nicely and gave me the perfect opportunity to use some of my peanut butter! Our original plan was to be involved with the start of the race on board “Whitehaven,” on of the starting boats. However, due to a change in race plan this was not possible so Jules, Andrew, Natalie, Sophie and I went to watch some of the starts from the beach. I was met with chaos as hundreds of boats battled for a place closest to the starting line, it was certainly very exciting! There was also a bit of drama when we heard the sound of a ripping sail, presumably from the mast of another vessel.

From then on, we had a free day, so us girls maximised our time! Natalie, being the only crew member with a driving license hired one of the buggies for a few hours, (there are no cars on the island, only small golf buggies.) So we drove around to see more of the island. I was amused to find a place called “One Tree Hill,” the name of one of the cheesy American shows I hate to admit I enjoy! From the top, Sophie performed a dramatic fall off some rocks, with the boat’s camera in the other! The camera received more damage than Sophie but she still needed some help from me, her surrogate mother!! Not soon after, Sophie wished to take a picture of the beautiful scenery. But instead of waiting for the buggy to stop, she just said, “I’m off” and walked of the buggy, only to end up in a pile on the road behind us! The only explanation I can think of for this ruthless behaviour is that Sophie doesn’t want to do the cleaning!!

We had some good adventures with the free vouchers given to us from Craig Davidson, the resort manager. First, the fly wire; a sort of ZipWire/parasail over the lakes and trees, I only wished I could have stopped to take a photo! Unfortunately, we were not able to use the go-karts but we got in a few rounds at the shooting range.

Sophie Hedman – Crew Member
We went to the target shooting place which was great because i used to be in the shooting team for my sea cadets at Beckenham cadets so it was great to have that experience back as I stop for a bit to have time to study an do coursework for upcoming gcses.

Emma Aldridge – Crew Member

Sophie and Natalie were definitely the better shooters, I certainly won’t be messing with them!

Our final activity was certainly my favourite. I know that my Mum will be very jealous to know that I met a koala bear! We all had our chance to hold it and have our picture taken with it. Sophie also managed to get a kiss on its head! The rest of the zoo park had many native Australian creatures, such as crocodiles and cockatoos.

After our dinner of Chicken Schnitzel and salad we had the auction to look forward to. Us girls were even allowed to dress up! However, the auction was only a small part of a massive exclusive dinner for the top sailors. It looked fantastic! We managed to make $5300 by the sale of one of Sir Francis Chichester’s winches and a pendant.

I am sad that this is our last night in Hamilton Island. I have really fallen in love with this place and I very much hope that I can come here again. The weather has been fantastic, the people are wonderful and the scenery is unlike anything I have ever seen. However, tomorrow our journey really starts as we embark on the trip to Cairns! I can not wait!!!

25th August 2006

Sophie Hedman- Crew member

GCSE¡¦s RESULTS!!!!! Who could have asked for better having your mum call you half way across the world telling you your gcse¡¦s at 10pm at night now no one forgets ever when they first opening up their gcse for the first time but this experience I will never forget receiving my gcses on thy one and only Gipsy moth iv all the way in hamiliton island theirs not a lot of people who could tell you that an I feel very privilege indeed but still nervous did kick in and I felt like I needed to sum good mummy comfort, But my crew mates are great who I have really bounded with which is great because it feels really good to see how also this gipsy moth project as well as inspiring an helping young adults sailing it also brings lots of different types of people together so far I¡¦ve had so many laughs with my fellow crew members I have Em¡¦s who¡¦s like my little mum an Nat who¡¦s a little joker an many more to come but the best news is¡K.. I did well I got Bs an Cs an one A and my mum and family where very proud an for them to be proud made me happy an proud of my success an really made me think I have a lot to be proud an I have learnt if you really want something an you really work at it and you don¡¦t let anything get in your way an when you feel like you cant do things just carry on working at it if your really determined you will go far and I¡¦ve seen that now not just because of my Gcse¡¦s but because of gipsy moth to I never got the chance to go on gipsy moth iv before hand an to other girls got the places but I knew it was the end because I was so determined and passionate about getting on the gipsy moth iv I even stuck a little poster on my wall of her which yes hmmmm you could call sad an I got offered to take her only for a 2day to dock her at plymouth where I saw david green the gipsy moth project manger who was sailing with us an I remember helming till 4 o clock in the morning an the other to girls where being sick which I actually put my hand in one girls because that¡¦s how hard the boat was rocking but I just kept going on an me and david green was talking about where I would like to go and I said australia not thinking anything of it an that was he 1st time too that I saw simon who was are ex skipper who left today ƒ¼ . A couple of weeks later my mum got a email an it said I had got a place on the gipsy moth iv too austraila an it was like I always know but I never an I was over the moon an it really made me feel like I really achieved something truly for myself and when people asked me what do you think you have achieved in life so far gipsy moth will always be number one so you may not get things first time round an people may knock you down an you may have set back but just keep going out it as for Sir franics chichester everything was against him but he went for it an he achieved an as I said my harris motto all can achieve an I truly believe I have now.

But lets get to whats been happening the past couple of days because the logs have been going a bit weird but anyway steve are new skippers great! An hopefully we are going to do some fishing when we set sail an he helped us build a niffdy little tent on the boat because we all feel asleep on white haven beach at the party in the sun which was not to good so we are all being extra careful but it was really fun to see how the ozzys partied out on the beach all I can say is this little ozzy yachting people are heavy drinker as we all could see when we had a rum party to raise money on gipsy moth iv which we took turns being bar maid and serving drinks to drunk and drunker people as gipsy moth slowly got trashed with rum everywhere where yes indeed did we clean up in the morning so she¡¦s looking even more beautiful so don¡¦t worry!! So the plan was to get people having mount gay rum an lets say so they got more generous to give us so good money for a good calls but apart from that we got talking to some nice people an they told us about their sailing experiences which is always nice to hear an how they feel about gipsy moth because so many people are so inspired by her an them people are the best people to met ooh yeah an today hamiltion island had a carnival with fireworks parties which was really good we stop are little mother duty of washing up to see them.

I also fixed a engineering to day as andrew the mate gave me a engineering lesson which was actually really interesting got my hands dirty which is always a good sign of working hard with my spanner an gloves with my working hat on hope you like the picture well im off to bed now ready for another day of waking up at 5:45 which is a change for me but its always good to get a full day here from me next time nite;

Friday 25th August 2006
Position: Hamilton Island Marina, Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia
Simon Hay, Outgoing Skipper of GMIV

So it is finally here, my last day on Gipsy Moth IV! I arrived in Sydney over 7 weeks ago to take over the role of skipper from Richard Baggett. Since then I have had a truly amazing experience; not only have I been lucky enough to be involved in a whole host of media & PR events, open days and celebrations that have been ongoing throughout GMIV’s Australia tour, but I have also had the pleasure of witnessing 9 young people go through their Gipsy Moth IV experience.

I should like to thank, Elaine, Nicole, David, Chris, Jonny, Sean, Dan, Jeremy, Emma, Natalie, Sophie and Julian not only for being such great crew, but also for providing me with moments that I will no doubt treasure for a long time. Each of the young people on the voyage legs that I have skippered have worked extremely hard to maintain this fabulous yacht and to meet my ever increasing expectations of them. I have watched each of them grow as individuals and become more confident in themselves and in their abilities. I would be proud to introduce them as my crew to anyone! I would also like to thank my two 1st Mates, Gordon Berry and Andrew Eccleston, they have both been fantastic and the whole experience for all concerned would have been much less enjoyable without them.

Today was a great day, we had a corporate day commitment to take the crew from a yacht called GUSTO out sailing for the day. As it was my last sail on the boat I was determined to show GMIV at her very best as we headed over to Whitehaven beach along with virtually every other boat in the vicinity. On the way back we put up the cruising chute, full main, mizzen staysail and mizzen and cranked GMIV up to 7Kn in only 8-10Kn of apparent wind on a wind angle of about 110 120 degrees. It was fantastic to see the look on the faces of many of the modern boats that were motoring home as they desperately tried to work out how come we had so many sails up and then looked slightly embarrassed and we cruised on past them. The guys onboard were a great bunch and I think that they were genuinely impressed with the yacht and the whole experience.

As I write this, Steve Rouse, my good friend and oncoming skipper of GMIV for the next two legs is taking over the mantle and introducing the new crew to his soft and gentle manner and dulcet tones – for those who know Steve you will know what I mean and for those who don’t use your imagination, he is an ex Army Warrant Officer!!

So best wishes to all those who sail on Gipsy Moth IV in the future and for those of you enjoying the experiences of the young people onboard please do not forget that this whole project and what it is trying to achieve is very much reliant on donations large and small from people like yourselves.



Steve Rouse, incoming Skipper

Well from the man that never sleeps that’s not a bad intro, so Hi to all you followers of this epic story. Those of you that follow the story will know that I am a regular onboard having skippered the boat on legs 3 and 9 my most recent the Panama Transit. Simon has handed me a well groomed crew who know the boat and have had a blast at the Hamilton Island race week and are now preparing the boat for the start of her trip north and our rendezvous with our friends in the Blue water Rally. I look forward to getting the boat moving and revisiting some of my favourite anchorages on the inside of the Great Barrier Reef and sharing this unique experience with my new crew members.

Natalie Crawford
Crew member
Hamilton Island
23rd August 2006

Today when we woke up it was a little different from usual. We were no longer waking up in our comfort zone of Hamilton Island marina, but completely in the middle of the sea at Sawmill Bay. It was such a beautiful location and when I went up on board in the daylight I could appreciate the view in a different light from the twilight of the night before. I was also rather pleased that we had been allowed a lie in- although the whole time I was lying in bed I kept on wondering what the catch was- especially with Simon and his foghorn on board! Turns out it was merely because our new skipper Steve was arriving earlier than expected so our previously planned early morning snorkel had to be cancelled- much to my disappointment.

So off we set into the sunshine (its such a hard life). There wasn’t as much sail changing as yesterday as I think our skipper thought we were getting the hang of it. Simon was kind enough to help me make a huge fried breakfast for everyone on board- its unbelievable that you can make beans, bacon, egg and fried bread on a small two ring cooker! As mother of the day again I think it was important that everyone was well fed and watered so after breakfast went down a treat and we were on our way a mid morning snack was essential. You wouldn’t have believed you were on GMIV in the middle of the ocean when we were all sitting around eating cheese and crackers! One memorable moment was when Simon was on the helm ordering me to make him more crackers- I may as well have eaten the things myself!

So after our pleasant sail back we arrived back in Hamilton with just enough time to clean the decks, tidy the boat and of course- Brasso the brass- before our new skipper arrived. I was a little apprehensive whilst waiting for Steve to get here from the airport. Having only met him once briefly before I wasn’t sure what he was going to be like- was he going to be a horrible, strict army man that Simon kept making him out to be? However, within five minutes of his arrival; and a quick chat in which Steve mentioned we were going to ‘work hard, play hard’ I had already decided that this was going to be a good leg of the journey after all!

We were then given a couple of free hours in the afternoon- which I hugely appreciated after an overnight sail so Emma, Sophie and I headed up to the resort pool via the ice-cream parlour where we made our way straight to the bar and ordered three cocktails- all non- alcoholic of course! The rest of the afternoon was spent sunbathing by the pool to prepare ourselves for the night ahead- the rum party!

Emma Aldridge – Crew Member
So at half-past four we all set out in out Gipsy Moth kit to invite the locals to the rum party. We managed to hand out all sixty invites in about half an hour! Then it was back to boat to get ready. The night started off calmly with only a few people. However, before we knew what was going on we were absolutely overloaded with requests of rum and coke! In the end, we just filled a basin and tried to let supply match demand! The evening also gave me a chance to meet some of the other sailors and locals, including a German, a French-Canadian and a Brit!

By about 8 the guests had worked their way through 11 bottles of rum and as the party ended I was faced by the horrific sight of a very dirty deck! During the night we managed to raise $74 for the Project, this was a lot less than wee were hoping for. On retrospect, the donation boxes were possibly a bit too hidden so people weren’t aware that it was a charity-driiven event. Anyway, overall I believe the night was a success. The crew have made a few connections and we are hoping to attend the Whitehaven beach party tomorrow on the “Alabaster.”

Tuesday 22nd August 2006
Position: Sawmill Bay, Whitsunday Island, Queensland Australia
Natalie Crawford, Crew Member, GMIV

Today we got off to a good start- a rude awakening with a fog horn in our ears from our lovely skipper- how kind of him! Of course, the fun didn’t end there. Before we even looked at anything resembling breakfast we were shammoising the deck in the cold light of the morning with very empty stomachs! After about an hour we were finally summoned by Jules who had prepared a lovely breakfast of bacon and eggs- again Simon was lovely and hurried us along- no time for a leisurely bite to eat when there’s work to be done! More preparation was undertaken until about 10am when we were finally able to take the Gipsy Moth sailing! However, a very interesting safety brief was performed for us (sorry for almost falling asleep Skipper it was just because you had worked me so hard!).

So finally off we went into the sunshine- or so I thought! Before we had even left the port Emma, Sophie and I were hoisting, tying, pulling and yanking things we never even knew existed. To aid our education in sailing the skipper was kind enough to let us get out every sail on the boat over the course of the day! I think my biggest mistake of the day was having a quick sunbathe near the stern of the boat- lifting my top up to increase tanning potential- much to the skipper’s horror. So I think as a subtle punishment for the next hour or so I was coincidentally volunteered for the hardest jobs that came up! It was not all bad though- I still managed to slip in a bit of sight seeing and was amazed by some of the beautiful scenes around the Whitsunday Islands and a delicious lunch by Jules went down a treat!

Another highlight of the day was us girls taking over the video camera for a little while. After some big brother style questions, dolphin impressions and a frantic scramble to capture a nearby whale I think Andrew was relieved when we decided to put the camera away! Having just checked out the footage after dinner I can pretty much say none of our master filming will make it to the net!

So after some jokes and laughs we were off sailing again; changing the sails- up and down, in and out!!! It was a very exhilarating experience- especially when we had about four sails up and the wind picked up we were soon cruising along without the motor- every so often I would have to pinch myself to make sure this amazing experience wasn’t a dream.

And now we are anchored on the boat, have just enjoyed another five star meal from Jules and I think we are all ready for bed- and its only 7.45pm! As we turned the deck lights off and the sun had gone down the amazing sky above us has begun to unfold. Simon showed me how you could see the Milky Way in the night sky, we spotted a perfect horseshoe configuration of stars and I think I caught a glimpse of a shooting star! It was like nothing I have ever seen before what with being from a busy city!

So thoughts for the day: I was glad we finally took the boat for a sail- not only was it fun but I think we are now a bit more prepared for our trip to Cairns and the arrival of our new skipper Steve. At times I have felt a little homesick especially when you have a lot of time to think when out at sea- I just miss home comforts and the familiarity of having my Mummy and Daddy around! However I also think this is going to be an excellent chance for me to be independent, grow up a bit and hopefully that will show to my family and friends when I get home. And although at first I was annoyed and worried that I will have no phone or internet signal for the next two days I have decided this is a change for the better and a break from being pestered by people I don’t really need to talk to. Finally, I’ve really enjoyed today- there have been hard and stressful parts but the good points are the ones that I will remember!

Skipper’s Thoughts

Well folks as you can see the new crew are already starting to shape up. The usual moaning about getting up early and having to do the daily chores, but overall our crew of young ladies are performing admirably – not to sure about the use of hair straighteners, but then that is more Steve’s problem than mine (sorry mucker). Jules the new crew leader is great and I think that he will be a real asset to Steve and Andy during the forthcoming voyage. As for me, my time here in Australia is fast counting down, I have had a truly fantastic time skippering GMIV and have net loads of great people in the various stopover locations. Obviously it will be good to get back to Cowes in the UK and catch up with everyone on the events of the summer, but I would not have passed p the last 7 weeks for anything you care to mention.

Hamilton Island

Andrew Eccleston 1st Mate

At the Open Day yesterday we met many Australian yachtsmen who knew all about the story of Gipsy Moth IV and it was a great pleasure to see their reaction to the story we have to tell now about her second circumnavigation.

One of our visitors, Norbert Wyzenbeck - who owns a property on the island, invited us to go for a sail on his yacht called "Swanky". When Jules heard that it was a Swan 57, he followed up on Norbert’s generous offer and this led to us spending an unforgettable day, which Emma and Sophie have described below. It’s not often that you find yourself rendered speechless by climbing up a hill to look at the view – but it happened yesterday.

Our new crew seem to be through their jetlag and are starting to get to grips with keeping the boat looking good. They worked hard to get her ready for the Open Day and were pleased to receive compliments about their efforts.

The standard of cooking has also been excellent. (Emma’s salami, Philadelphia cheese, tomato and cucumber sandwiches which we ate for lunch on Norbert’s boat at Hills Inlet were particularly memorable.) However, we have been encouraging the new recruits to execute their cooking/cleaning/living generally as if we were at sea rather than alongside, and this phase of adaptation to life on the Moth still has some way to go. It will be interesting to see how we get on with our 36-hour shakedown cruise starting tomorrow and it’s all going to happening at 45 degrees heel in the dark!

Over to Emma and Sophie …

Emma Aldridge – Crew Member

I don’t even know how to begin to describe today’s activities. We are all extremely grateful to Norbert and his friends for inviting us onto his superb yacht. The views were incomparable to anything I have ever seen before. We sailed from the marina to Whitehaven Island to Hills Inlet and stopped at some beautiful secluded islands

We spotted humpback whales, turtles and sting rays in their natural habitat. However, it was the kindness of Nobert that really made our day special. He was extremely generous to allow all five of us on his yacht. The boat itself, (named Swanky) was stunning , I was impressed to see automatic winches! It really demonstrates how far boat-making has progressed in the 40 years since Gipsy Moth was built.

In my trip so far I’ve really challenged some of my views and opinions. All of the Australians I have come into contact with have been such genuine and kind people. I think it’s fantastic that people can still be helpful and generous without any stigma attached. In that sense, you can really see how crazy the class system in Britan is. I think more of us Brits should share our wealth with others; not for the hope of showing off , but because it makes us happy. We can be a very ignorant nation and we are always a bit tentative in giving a helping hand to others. When I get home, I hope that I can be more proactive in the way I help others.

Anyway, as skipper Simon is now back, we are hoping to get some proper Gipsy Moth sailing done! I hope the weather in England is awful cos it’s absolutley fantastic here!.

p.s. Andrew is buying the whole crew ear-plugs tomorrow!


Sophie Hedman - Crew member

Hmmm…knackered sitting in my bed right now ready to go to sleep after experiencing something which seemed unreal, sitting on a millionaires boat going out on the most amazing beach ever white sand, clear water it literally looked like on an felt like I had just walked in to one of them beach postcards!! I almost felt selfish that me sophie hedman Was standing on this amazing beach an I could not share it with my family because I know they would have loved every second of it even if I have pictures they will never come close to the real thing. Still cant actually get it in to my head that I saw a whale it was like just there right in front of my me everything really kicked in that this is really a one in a life time opportunity an I really want to take it all in because I don’t know how many 16 year olds can say they have experienced what I just have but also apart from the wonderful views I’ve seen today I’ve also gained a lot of respect for Sir Francis Chichester because on this rich boat the swan 57 all the sails where controlled by a button an yes..! that’s cool an easy but Sir Francis Chichester had he determination to do everything all by himself single handed because that what he loved to do he wanted the challenge an that’s what sailing’s about not just pushing buttons…

Crew Leader Jules Gillies
20 Aug 06
Hamilton Island

As usual our day began, as advertised, at 0545. After a quick breakfast, we all embarked on the daily cleaning of Gipsy Moth IV. Extra spit and polish was required as we were having an Open Day with an expectation of 300+ visitors to the yacht. Unfortunately, the girls were spending rather too long getting ready to go on deck to get on with the cleaning. When pressed as to what they were doing, they cheerfully announced that they were looking for somewhere to plug in the hair straighteners!!!!!!! Readers will not be surprised to know that cleaning was carried out without straight hair.

Our first visitors arrived at 0915 and we had a steady flow right through to 1800. Many of the visitors were in Hamilton Island for the Hahn Race Week so I took every opportunity to ask if the girls could come and see their yachts. I obviously was not the slightest bit interested in looking around any of the many and various exotic yachts. This paid dividends and we are going out tomorrow morning on a Swan 60 (for the uninitiated, Swan are the Rolls Royce of yachts). I am also hopeful that we will be invited onto a Volvo 60 (a thoroughbred racer) later in the week.

Supper tonight will be pizza followed by bed at around 2100 to recharge our batteries for another hard day in paradise.

Natalie Crawford- Crew member
Saturday 19th August
Hamilton Island

As I sit writing this on top of the boat in the glorious sunshine, feet up and catching some rays, Sophie, Emma and Jules are hard at work cleaning the masts! However, i'm not feeling too guilty as I’m the mother for the day and I think I have been looking after my children very well indeed! As the first mother on this leg and therefore creator of the first meal I felt I had to set a standard high enough to keep me well fed and well cared for over the next two weeks when the other crew members take over! Suffice to stay the lucky crew were served a beautiful dish of bacon and egg sarnies for breakfast and a lovely salami salad for lunch that Jamie Oliver would have been proud of!

Anwyay, enough about food and more about my experience so far! We arrived on the island yesterday and were lucky enough to bump into the previous crew at the airport. This was lovely as we already knew Jonny from our training weekend and it was lovely to catch up as well as meet the other crew members. The first thing I noticed was how abosultely shattered they all looked so this had me worried- was it really going to be that hard work? They also warned us about Simon’s obsession with Brasso- little did we know how relevant this warning was going to become! Once stepping outside the arrivals lounge the true beauty of the island was obvious and one look around the marina at the huge yachts glistening in the sea and I was in love. It looks as though my jokes with my friends at home about finding hot millionaires with huge yachts could actually come true!

So on to the boat! There was no time for jet lag with simon on board who had luckily treated us to a huge list of jobs to keep us busy for the whole day yesterday- thank god because I don’t know what else there would have been to do on this island other than wash the decks, take up the floor boards, vacuum everything, CLEAN BRASS, and scrub the decks til 6pm at night! Oh well. It wasn’t all bad though with our first night on Hamilton island ending with a treat of fish and chips and an early night.

Just as I was dosing off to sleep my mobile phone began screeching at me so I answered it to the sound of my mother- 10am back in England- telling me she had my AS level results. Half asleep and too tired to be nervous I was assured that all was ok anyway as I had achieved straight A grades in my four subjects- a great weight of my shoulders for the rest of the trip! My coffin bed was surprisingly comfy so you can imagine the disaapointment I felt when at 5.45 this morning, having returned from the loo thinking it was the middle of the night and ready for a couple of more hours sleep- I was woken by the cheery voice of Jules informing us it was time to wake up! So after the aforementioned breakfast and the lovely experience of washing up in the ladies toilets at the marina, we set to our days work.

There was more brass shining to be done which was a joy to behold but us girlies livened it up a bit and passed the time by having a natter- as only girls can. Later on Andrew and Jules had to pop on shore to buy things for the dinghy so Emma, Sophie and I took this as an opportunity to sunbathe- after all you can’t come all the way to Australia and not leave with an awesome tan! We thought we had got away with this little skive- even being bright enough to keep watch on the two men returning with their goods- how wrong we were. We were disrupted by shouts of ‘I’ve caught you’ from Simon our lovely skipper on shore with a look of glee on his face that he had caught us relaxing for once! We haven’t seen him again yet but I have a feeling we will be getting punished later!

So after a lovely morning on deck in the sun it was time for me to do what mummies do best and go shopping for lunch! I will let Emma take over the day from here!

Emma Aldridge – crew member

Well I would like to add one thing to what Natalie has already said….ANDREW’S SNORING! I can honestly say I have never heard anything like it before in my life! So after an utterly sleepless night and a 24 hour plane journey it was back to work. However, when I was getting a bit fed up with it all I just had to remember that I usually spend my Saturdays in a supermarket stacking shelves!!! Whilst Mother was preparing the lunch, I had to winch Sophie up the mast. I was very jealous as apparently the views are amazing. After lunch there was just a bit more cleaning to do!(surprise surprise!) But Julian took us out in a dinghy with an outboard but unfortunately we were not going very fast. This was made more difficult by my lack of being able to steer in a straight line.

Overall, the first couple of days have been amazing. I feel like I’m in Paradise, with exotic birds and trees surrounding me. I can’t wait till we can start sailing and really see the coast…maybe even a bit of fishing!

Sophie Hedman-crew member

Its day two on the gipsy moth iv boat! (said in the big brother voice) we woke up at 5.45 today which was knack ring because we had been travelling just the other day but it was all part of are marvellous experience an nothing can be that bad if your waking up to beacon and egg sandwich which Natalie aka mother made for breakfast in hot Hamilton island which is just amazing in its self an we have not even started sailing yet but I’m loving it here an the whole experience its just so different from home their pigeon to then are PARROTS!!

Went up the mass today which was around 50ft the view was undescribable as I know my mum would have thought I was mad to go up there so high… everythings really going good though because having a second advantage on the gipsy moth means everything an I’m really taking it all in its really good to see Simon again the skipper which I got to know on my first time on gipsy moth when we took her to Plymouth its just goes to show aswell as the one in a life time experience an the honour of sailing gipsy moth the good friends you make because of the small conditions an all the team work which comes with it an I feel privileged to have the crew members because as we all know sir francis Chichester sailed single handed an I know thats a incredible thing to do.

Right that enough of me have to rush off and give the ozzys invites for the Gipsy Moth IV Open Day tomorrow but your be hearing from me soon!. About how the sailings doing and my GCSES!!!! Ahhhh!

Thursday 17th August 2006
Position: Hamilton Island Marina, Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia
Jeremy Graham, Crew Leader, GMIV

As good old Frank Sinatra sang ‘and now the end is near.’ Hamilton Island has provided a perfect end to an amazing voyage. Deep cleaning the boat has become second nature to the crew who leap out of their bunks and get out the chamois leathers the dry the deck whilst they are still asleep! The bustle of the marina with deliveries to the waterfront stores combines with the orchestra of bird song. Brass work, sanding, prepping the deck for touches of fresh paint – all hands working diligently. Interesting breakfast from the Bakery – with an option of Turkey, brie, cranberry sauce and clover being overlooked in favour of bread with cooked through ham and cheese.

Jonny gets himself stuck into the engine for a full service and oil change.

A passing tourist takes a photo – I try to look suitably proud of the brass work – hoping that the sunlight will catch it just right for his album, cue Brasso advert.
The island buggies buzzing along the main street.
Those Highfield levers are gleaming in the sunshine, the fore hatch is sanded ready for varnishing, planes are flying overhead coming in to land, the sun is shining. GM4 looks the business with a few guys walking along side her to admire her graceful lines.

Grab a quick beef wrap for lunch.

Off to explore the island with the boys.
Bump into Ed, ex UKSA watersport instructor, now working with Sunsail here in Hamilton.
Jump onto the green bus up to the resort.
Decide to play mini golf – Jonny going to lead the way with his handicap of 4. Shame that I beat him by 28 stokes! Especially as I agree with Oscar Wilde that golf is simply ‘a good walk ruined.’

Football on the astro turf is getting serious with a family from UK taking on the GM crew. Desperate score line leads me to take control of the goal mouth – we call it even when at 7 all the opposition crumble under the pressure (mind you they had been playing for 2 hours before we pitched up to spoil their quick kick about).
Back 800 metres to the boat via the free island bus, doesn’t anyone walk around here?

Bags packed.

Deep clean of the cabins, Jonny brushing down the mattresses, Sean and Dan getting into the dark recesses of their smelly pit. Simon poised with the white glove to test for dirt.

Disinfecting the bunks and bulkheads.

Rationalize the left overs; hmmmm, tinned Irish stew.
The whole of GM4 is beginning to look (and smell) just gorgeous ready for the next crew who arrive in less than 24 hours.

Dan & Sean cannot believe that their cabin is not clean enough.

Jonny just wants food – now.

Final clean of the galley. Chucking away those scabby things that have been half used.

Cutlery neat. Pans tidy.

Memorable final evening meal together. Bill paid – ask Simon for the details. Crew happily fed – everyone around the table seems unusually quiet, we know that our time as the team on this leg of GM’s second circumnavigation is drawing to a close.

We are the part of her continuing history – with proud hearts we tuck into our bunks for the last time.

Thanks GM4 - we will live with your memory in our hearts and lives.

Thank you Sir Frances - your achievement amazes and inspires us.

Thanks Simon for leading us with your own special style.



P.S. Friday 18th August: 0452 Strange to be woken by my phone ringing, its Colin sitting in Portsmouth. I think home is beckoning now.

Wednesday 16th August 2006
Position: Hamilton Island Marina, Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia
Simon Hay, Skipper, GMIV, UKSA

After the day off exploring Whitsunday Island and enjoying the delights of Sawmill bay, today was straight back to the now normal routine for the crew – up at 0545, quick breakfast and then chamoising and polishing. It wasn’t so bad though as the turtles were still cavorting about the boat keeping the guys amused.

At 1000 we picked up the anchor and headed out of Sawmill Bay to catch the last of the ebb tide round Hamilton Island. We had decided to have a last sail and take in one of the wonders of Whitsunday Island, namely Whitahaven Beach – a 5km long beach of silicon on the eastern side of the island. The passage round to Whitehaven was a lovely sail in 15Kn of breeze from the South East and I was impressed with how the crew organised themselves for hoisting sails and generally running the boat.

We dropped anchor at 1300hrs in 5m of water and no less than 300m from the beach. The lads immediately set about inflating the dinghy and rigging the engine as they believed that they would be able to find some young ladies on the beach willing to talk to them with or without hair gel! Andrew and I stayed onboard to continue with various jobs, for me it was another coat of varnish on GMIV’s deck and for Andrew the challenge was to fix the heads door.

By 1500 we were ready to head for our final destination of this leg of the voyage – Hamilton Island. I could sense a little sadness amongst the crew as they realised that this was the last time they would be out sailing on GMIV. However, this didn’t last long as Sean and Jonny decided to do some sort of double act up on the bow, with Sean making moves like some sort of teenage mutant ninja turtle and Jonny occasionally dousing him with buckets of water – there actual task to scrub the anchor clean!

By 1630 we were outside the marina entrance getting ready to come alongside. The marina has berths for around 220 boats of various sizes, and they had kindly allocated us a birth right on the main street pontoon. The crew performed admirably and hardly a word was spoken as we came in port side to. In no time at all the lads had all of the sponsors and dress flags hoisted and the decks washed down. As we are heaving a few problems again with the cooker – the same issue with the exhaust as we had before- we chose to grab a bite to eat ashore.

Tomorrow will be the big clean, but I have promised the crew that as long as the work is done effectively they can have the afternoon off to explore the island.

Tuesday 15th August 2006
Sawmill Bay, Whitsunday Island

Daniel elvin

Today we are at Sawmill Bay its really nice here. I think today has been a good day; the reason for that is that we had a day off, so me and all the other crew (apart from Skipper) went to the nearest beach and had a laugh. We went up the mountain it took us about 45mins to get to the top when we got to the top we sat down had a chat for about 20mins then made are way back down the hill to the beach laid down and got a sun tan!

Jonny Dawson

I’m glad that we are staying here in this bay as the scenery is beautiful and the sunset over one of the nearby mountains this evening was spectacular. The highlight of my day today was watching the turtles surround the boat this morning as if to plan an attack on this historic boat. As we didn’t all have our heads down brasso’ing, we were able to see the Whitsunday Islands in their full beauty at last. We went for what turned out to be a trek up a mountain, initially what was a peaceful five minute walk along the beach. We then watched the sun set over the horizon before settling down to a well prepared meal from crew leader Jeremy- I would expect nothing less based on previous performance. Today, and furthermore the whole trip, has gone very quickly and I’m beginning to realise that the end is near. I’ve enjoyed my time this far and am not looking forward to the long flight back.

Sean Mayers

Well we have 2 days after this day and I’m looking forward to going back to London but I will be disappointed leaving Australia because I have had so much fun. Today we didn’t have to polish which was quite shocking cause we always polish every morning everyday. We just rested most of the morning until we had lunch - the lunch was nice like always. After lunch I dosed off for a bit until they where ready to go to the beach. We went to the beach me Dan and Johnny did a little exploring round the forest it was quite scary cause I thought I was goner get bitten by a snake or spider so I wasn’t happy at all and Dan and Johnny where going higher and higher into the mountains so it got me more scared when we got to the top of the mountain we saw some people who said that we wasn’t even close to the top yet and it would take like an hour to get to the top so we just turned back and went back to the beach. After all that we stayed at the beach for a good hour then we went back to the boat Johnny was teaching me a trick on cards then I teached him how to rap and that was it.


Jeremy Graham
I was on mother duty today. Being at anchor here gave me chance to be even more thorough than usual - those tea towels are much more fragrant after their boil wash! Breakfast was a real humdinger – fried bread, fried eggs and baked beans. Sanitise the heads. Then lunch was the famous and well planned beach BBQ – everything ready to go, salads made, onions well caramelised, all bagged, ready…..when the old puncture in the dingy problem prevented the short trip ashore. Never mind, at least we enjoyed the beach BBQ on board! Roasted pepper relish was a winner and the hashed steaks went down well. Then off to the shore – scorching day, azure sea, clear sky: Snakes, butterflies, birds and lizards a go go. We even met Mark who took the boys off kayaking in Maloolaba – he was out leading a group camping for a few days …. ‘G’day Gipsy Moth 4’ – great to see you again Mark.

We are trying to use up the stored foods: tea was bizarre with the last of the spuds with tinned savory mince - fruit cake, cheese and crackers for afters. Surfaces cleared. Second go at the heads. I could do with a shower and shave – sand in my hair, yuk! A quick freshen up before sinking into my bunk.

Good night.

Monday 14th August 2006
Position: Sawmill Bay, Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia
Simon Hay, Skipper, GMIV, UKSA

OK, so to your average punter our day may not seem that busy, but after you have spent a few days cruising the wonders of the Whitsunday Islands, the pace of life tends to slow down considerably – occasionally verging on catatonic.

We slipped our overnight mooring in Border Island at 0730 after the obligatory chamoising and polishing and headed for Airlee Beach. The need to return to Airlee Beach was driven by the growing stench coming from the lazarette – this is the chosen location for the garbage bags, which after 4 days were becoming a problem – and the need to re-victual in anticipation of our beach BBQ. The passage to Airlee Beach took us through Hook Passage, a narrow gap between Whitsunday Island and Hook Island; fortunately for us we transited the passage dead on low water so the overfalls marked on the chart were thankfully absent. The sail across Whitsunday Passage to Airlee Beach was fairly leisurely with only 15Kn of breeze, but we still managed a decent 6-7Kn of boat speed with a full main, No.1 Working Jib and Staysail. By 1100 we were happily sitting on a mooring buoy just outside Abel Point Marina.

The crew all went ashore to complete their various tasks: garbage disposal, victualing, chandlery, fuel for the dinghy etc. I had a surprise visit from an old friend of mine, Lindsay Moss, which was great as I haven’t seen her for nearly 2 years.

We stayed on the mooring until 1500 waiting for the tide – well that was my excuse, as it gave me an opportunity to finish off another coat of varnish in the cockpit and get some more polishing done by the lads. Andrew rigged a rather natty cockpit light with the treasures he had acquired in the chandlery – I have a passionate dislike for eating food that I can not see, so a light in the cockpit when on anchor in the evening is a big bonus!

Our next destination was an all weather anchorage called Sawmill Bay which on the eastern side of Whitsunday Island. We arrived at the anchorage to find that we were not the only ones to have chosen this idyllic spot for the evening – there were over 30 boats of various sizes on anchor. We picked a relatively empty spot almost directly in line with the beach and we dropped the anchor in about 5m of water. The original plan had been to have a BBQ on the beach for dinner, but much to Sean’s relief the decision was made that as it was already dark we would eat onboard and save the BBQ for another day.

We retired for the evening looking forward to exploring our new spot in paradise.

Saturday 12th August 2006
Position: Luncheon Bay, Hook Island, Australia (20 03’.9 S 148 56’.9 E)
Jeremy Graham, Crew Leader, GMIV

Having motored round from Butterfly Bay onto a mooring in Luncheon Bay, we set about our familiar daily routines, breakfast, cleaning (if only I had invested in Brasso shares) – we were a little lax with polishing the stainless this morning, which surprise surprise the skipper immediately noticed and retribution was quickly saught.

Masterful planning enabled us to miss the squall and the day brightened into a moderate kind of day in the Tropics, a rain fall here, a bit of cloud there, a swim to the beach (the swim with snorkel was good, but I hadn’t grasped what Simon had meant by swimming towards the big rock, I thought this was to compensate for the tide and, hence, we would swim to the shore) climbing the rocks, finding lizards and snakes. Back to the boat for lunch, bodies all over the place sleeping off the excess of resting for so long. And then my world changed……

….Not having picked it up before, I grabbed ‘100 Magic Miles of the Great Barrier Reef – the Whitsunday Islands’ by David Colfelt – Skipper and 1st Mate had been flicking through it – a kind of techy nav guide, or so I thought. My first degree is in biology, with a particularly cunning paper on the reaction of limpets to human effluent – I’m not used to clear warm tropical waters, I’ve only been told about waters that teem with life. I sleepily read the entry in Colfelt for Luncheon Bay ‘The Bay has some excellent dive and snorkelling sites’ – could this be what the Skipper was alluding to earlier?

Ready for another swim – I’ve never snorkelled before – I eagerly got ready, this time a clear target in sight, not swim to shore , but snorkelling in the best region possible - Sean and Jonny setting a new world record for ‘how long does it take to change into swimwear’.

The coral at low tide was more diverse than faces at the United Nations – brain coral, iridescent blue tipped antlers, spheres, fans, shelves the size of dining tablea, staghorns reaching for the surface, plates and mushrooms – with polyps dancing as the current brought fresh plankton. Giant clams, with purple lips, starred with fluorescent greens and yellows. Damsel fish independent of each other, Blue puller glistening with every corporate change of direction, Yellow-tailed fusiliers darting across our goggles, Six banded angel fish lovingly caressing each others fins, a feeding frenzy of Parrotfish with onlookers eager for scraps. Fingers pointing to new treats beneath us with every breath. Floating for a while eager to capture every new vision, like wide-eyed explorers in virgin territory.

The tragedy was to leave the site – a universe entered, explored and enjoyed for a moment in time. If you see me daydreaming with a wry smile breaking across my face it may be the memory of limpet surveys off Scarborough’s North Bay on icy cold February days in 1984, but it is more likely to be me remembering with joy the magic of Luncheon Bay August 2006.


Skipper’s thoughts for the day…
Today the crew finally got to discover the wonders of a quality coral reef, it was great to sit and listen to their descriptions of the fish they had seen as they tried to identify them on the fish charts. I decided to stay in Luncheon Bay for this evening as well to give the guys a chance to rest up and also to go snorkelling again in the morning.

For me today was an opportunity to tackle some of the varnishing in the cockpit which has been annoying me for the past few weeks – the edges of the companionway and the bases of the turning blocks for the headsail were my first target. This will be an ongoing process now for the next 10 days as I attempt to get the required 10 coats on before leaving GMIV on the 25th. Compared to many classic yachts GMIV has relatively little varnish work to keep up, but with the forthcoming Hamilton Island Regatta it is important that she looks her best – well it is to me at least.

Andrew, 1st Mate, has been great today as always, tackling some of the more irritating jobs such as making the galley lockers run smoothly – sounds like a quick job, but turned out to be several hours work – the issue was that someone had painted over the nylon brushes, preventing them from running smoothly. We have also finally sorted out the placement of all the safety equipment on the aft deck, the horseshoe buoys and lifesling and inflatable jon-buoy have all been moved forward to make them more accessible from the cockpit and less prone to wave damage. The dodgers have also been replaced once again, this time we think that we have the final solution to prevent them from getting ripped off by waves rushing down the gunwales.

Sunday 13th August 2006
Position: Border Island, Whitsundays, Queensland Australia
Jeremy Graham, Crew Leader, GMIV

You know that bit in the film ‘Finding Nemo’ when Nemo’s dad starts to pass his fear of the drop off onto to his son Nemo? Nemo responds by swimming off, defying his father without a care in the world with inevitable consequences of his son getting lost.

Well, I’ve never seen a drop off until today. In a sense I didn’t really know what I was looking for until my eyes were drawn to the abundance of fish around coral clumps. The difference between the coloured coral and the deep water beyond was stark – just like in the movie. It was interesting to observe the vast number of paying groups being ferried in to snorkel the coral – the deep beyond being ignored.

The coral near to the shore and safety of the beach makes me wonder. Chichester’s approach was to never stay in the safety zone. He was willing to reach out to the deep beyond where his character and resolve was tested.

For us swimming from the boat was far from a swim though a watery wilderness. The water was filled with the glow worms of the sea – violet, orange and blue plankton: This is the essential starting point of the variety and quantity of life around us here on the coral reefs.

Skipper told us of the facts: 10cm of coral takes 10 years to grow, towels and T-shirts dropped cover the coral and without light the coral dies. Irresponsible tourism will destroy the unique ecosystem around us here. Since the release of the film ‘Finding Nemo’ the population of clown fish has plummeted, due to parents sourcing a new pet for their precious children.

I suppose deep down inside me there was the hope that I might have spotted a real clown fish around the drop off – but I feel like an outsider – grateful to have been on the drop off for a brief moment, yet terrified of the long term impact of human curiosity.

Great sail today after filming the drop off. Blue sky, stiff breeze to Border Island – awesome bay. Beautiful beach. Gipsy Moth sits gracefully on her mooring enclosed by tree covered rocky outcrops – another fine day in paradise.

Jeremy Graham


A note from the 1st Mate ….

A serious problem emerged today; there is almost nothing left for me to fix! Did one cupboard latch this morning (after which another promptly went) and later had the pleasure of watching the new dodger arrangement working well as we took some seas on the afterdeck during our boisterous sail from Luncheon Bay. I pointed out to the Skipper that, having proved that we can thrash along in this fine boat, it would be nice to have what he calls a “bimble sail” with some light zephyrs and small wavelets. Maybe tomorrow?

In the afternoon Jeremy and I went to the nearest beach and did a bit of hiking in the sand dunes and treeline. The day closed with a tasty tuna/onion/pasta creation from Jonny.

Friday 11th August 2006
Position: Butterfly Bay, Hook Island, Queensland Australia (20 04’.3 S 148 55’.7 E)
Andrew Eccleston, 1st Mate, GMIV, UKSA

It seems that in Paradise you don’t have to get out of bed until 0630! We started the day with the usual routine of cleaning and polishing, whilst the 1st Mate continued with the endless list of bosun’s tasks that remain to be done.

We managed to get the dodgers repaired in Airlie Beach after blowing them out again on the trip from Mooloolaba. This time they are rigged with bungees on the lower eyelets in the hope that next time the Moth takes a sea down the afterdeck there will be a bit more give in the system and they will just bulge – and stay intact. In conjunction with this we are re-fixing the lifebelts and Dan buoy so that they don’t foul the afterdeck Highfield levers and lines from the self-steering gear.

Our early morning work session was interrupted by the arrival of breakfast served by Jeremy – who is now fully functional after his prolonged seasickness. It was worth waiting for. Bacon sarnies with choice of brown sauce/ketchup and a cup of hot coffee delivered simultaneously. This was subsequently followed by a sumptuous lunch which consisted of a fresh orange and grapefruit starter, followed by tuna, tomato and onion salad, cucumber, potato salad and sweetcorn. All this was consumed in the breathtaking surroundings of Butterfly Bay – spectacular steep-sided tree-clad hillsides plunging into a coral-edged blue sea, under a blue sky.

The dinghy was rigged in the morning and the Skipper took the young crew off to explore the Bay. After lunch, the snorkelling gear came out and the beautiful and highly-coloured underwater world of the Whitsundays was revealed. Jonny shot some video, but it doesn’t really do justice to the wonders that lie beneath the surface.

Whilst the crew were cavorting with coral and tropical fish, we entertained some people from a charter boat on an adjacent mooring who knew about the Gipsy Moth IV story and wanted to see the yacht. More brochures sold, and another $20 in the kitty!

So another day in Paradise draws to a close with a tomatoey, sausagey, cheesey, pasta thing cooked by Jeremy. Wonderful! What will tomorrow bring?

Thursday 10th August 2006
Position: Butterfly Bay, Hook Island, Queensland Australia (20 04’.3 S 148 55’.7 E)
Simon Hay, Skipper, GMIV, UKSA

Up at 0530 and raring to go! The Dan, Jonny and Jeremy set about chamoising the deck and stainless before the daily polish, while Sean (on mother watch today) developed a strategy for how to cook fried breakfasts for 6 people with only 1 hot stove ring and a frying pan the size of a teacup – in the end the breakfast was great, fried bread, bacon and beans swilled down with strong coffee.

By 0800 the morning routine was done so we could get down to some real work. We had agreed with Kerry from Alabaster (an Adams 13 berthed opposite us) to ‘lend’ out some of the crew to help them make final preparations for race week. First to be seconded were Dan and Jeremy – they quickly set about demonstrating their polishing skills. Meanwhile it was Jonny’s turn to go up the rig, this time to clean the main and mizzen tracks and lubricate them with silicon.

At 0900 we officially opened to the public, although they weren’t exactly queuing up this time. Fortunately this enabled us to carry on with the various jobs that needed finishing before we headed off for a few days cruising. Diesel tanks were toped off, engine checks completed, snorkelling gear checked and washed down etc. etc.

At 1145 I turned on the engine batteries and faithfully turned the ignition key….. nothing happened. Now normally this would not be a major problem and would just need fault finding and fixing, but with the marina rapidly filling up with racing boats and several boats waiting for us to leave, having engine failure was not ideal. Fortunately it turned out to be nothing too serious, one of the relays on the started motor had become corroded and needed replacing and the ignition switch unit itself was malfunctioning so needed to be replaced. Over the past couple of days we had befriended Kenny, the owner of Marine Tech Electrics PTY Ltd. In the marina and he was able to provided the necessary parts. The delay also gave Sean the opportunity to make lunch while still alongside which I know he appreciated!

We slipped from the marina at 1330 and headed towards our first taste of paradise – Butterfly Bay on the northern side of Hook Island. As the guys have been offered the opportunity to join some of the cruising class races I decided that some further sail training was in order. So on the way to our destination we did some more tacking drills, hoisted and dropped the mizzen staysail, even had them hiking out !

By 1630 we were motoring into Butterfly Bay only to find that we were not the only ones to have picked this idyllic location for the evening. All of the public mooring buoys were taken so it was time to use the anchor. This was the first time the crew had ever anchored so we took it all very slowly to make sure that they understood the process as we are likely to be anchoring several times in the next few days. Thankfully the anchor bit and held first time!

While the rest of the crew put the boat to bed, Sean busied himself in the galley once again, this time producing an excellent chicken stir-fry with slightly undercooked rice. It wasn’t long after dinner that the eyes started to droop and the lads headed for their bunks with thoughts of the day to come exploring their new surroundings.

A good time was had by all

Wednesday 9th August 2006
Position: Abel Point Marina, Airlee Beach, Queensland Australia
Simon Hay, Skipper, GMIV, UKSA

The crew spent most of the day today polishing and fixing things. The brass on deck is coming along very nicely (check the video for yourself) and the stainless looks virtually flawless. There were a multitude of other small tasks to complete, most of which involved completing minor repairs to down below.

We had a visit from the Whitsunday Times newspaper around mid-day – they are publishing an article in this weeks edition with details about the project, crew and the the yachts schedule during her stay in the Whitsunday Islands.

By the afternoon, our attention turned to what would be for us the main event of the day – the Gipsy Moth IV Mount Gay Sponsored Dock Party ! I sent the crew out into the marina to inform all of the others crews that we would be hosting a dock party from 1700-1900 hrs. They weren’t to sure how many people had expressed an interest in coming to the party – many of the crews are busy making their final preparations for race week – so we planed on about 20 people. Sean headed into town to get bags of ice, coke and ginger ale as mixers, while Dan finished off tidying away all the cleaning materials and putting up the Mount Gay Banner.

By 1730 we had over 40 people onboard! The crew busied themselves with mingling and answering the myriad of questions about the boat and their experience. Andrew and Jeremy focused on serving drinks. I was so impressed with Sean, Dan and Jonny; they did a great job of managing the crowd of people and promoting the project like true professionals, so much so that I have since received numerous compliments about them and several offers from other boats to take them out racing during the regatta. In particular I would like to thank the crew of Alabaster, and Adams 13 that is jointly owned by Kerry Nicholson and Ian Westlake. Kerry has taken the crew to heart and is working hard to find them places on some of the cruising division race boats.

I am not sure if dock parties are as common in Australia as they are say in Antigua, but there is no doubt that everyone had a great time – not only that but we received over AU$300 of donations and sold over AU$1,000 of GMIV merchandise! In one way it is a shame that Abel Point Marina can not accommodate us for longer, but in another way it gives me the opportunity to show the guys some of the incredible spots throughout the Whitsunday Islands before heading for Hamilton Island around the 16th. We will keep you posted with the details over the coming days.

Tuesday 8th August 2006
Position: Abel Point Marina, Airlee Beach, Queensland Australia
Simon Hay, Skipper, GMIV, UKSA, and the Crew

This is possibly the longest voyage log written so far, but stick with it and you will see what this project is about!

As you can see from our position we have arrived ! Since departing Mooloolaba at 1040 last Friday we have covered 668 miles in 96 hours, an average of 7Kn – the best days run was between 0600 on Monday to 0600 Tuesday when we covered 202 miles, and average speed of 8.4Kn. Obviously it was never our intention to set any records, nor to push GMIV to anywhere near her limits; if the truth be known we were at best conservative with our sail plan and at worst over cautious – well wouldn’t you be if you were in command of a prime piece of national heritage, a young/inexperienced crew with the world and its dog watching? There were occasions when the ride got a little ‘lively’, but at no point did the yacht feel over pressed, nor would you expect her to given her pedigree. The maximum wind speed during the trip was 43Kn and the maximum wave height is estimated at 4.8m with an average of 3.5m.

The final 24 hours of our voyage were really fantastic, with all of the crew pulling together to get the most of the yacht and each other – apart from poor Jeremy, the Crew Leader, who unfortunately due to a heavy bout of sea sickness was not able to take an active part in his watches. The fact that we were effectively down to 2 people on the opposite watch has meant that I have had to double up on several watches and be ready to help out whenever required – fortunately, however, this is where the much maligned self steering gear has been an invaluable asset. We engaged the self steering at 1222 on Saturday the 5th and used it continuously until 0700 on Tuesday the 8th ! The performance of the system was superb, easy to disengage and re-engage to change course or gybe, and handled the sea state and strong winds superbly. Admittedly, initial deployment and recovery does require careful planning and some muscle, but it is well worth the effort.

As with the previous leg from Sydney to Mooloolaba, we did take some collateral damage down below as GMIV treated the crew like pinballs. The galley area was the main victim, with cupboard doors coming off and a fiddle around the sink coming away. The other main damage was the collapse of Andrew’s bunk as one of the aluminium brackets gave way.

The original plan for arrival into the Whitsunday Islands was to come around the north of Hook Island, but as we had made such good time the opportunity was presented to come inshore and cruise between the islands. During the previous night I had taken GMIV inshore to about 15 miles east of Hay Point, we then gybed and headed NE leaving Scawfell Island to port and headed to a point 8 miles north of Parker Reef. This gave us the perfect wind angle to put GMIV on a reach and head towards the Lindeman Group of Islands. By 0630 we entered Kennedy Passage and began working our way north towards Airlee Beach. It was at this point that the crew began to realise that their efforts over the past 4 days had been worth it. Despite the fact that they were all tired and slightly bruised there were big smiles as we cruised past some of the idyllic spots that we will be visiting in the coming days. Even Jeremy managed to be inspired by what he saw and made his way onto the foredeck for the first time in three days.

Our destination in Airlee Beach was the very impressive Abel Point Marina; the place is buzzing at the moment as the Hog’s Breath Regatta is about to start, so there are some great looking racing yachts alongside with crews fixing and tweeking. Despite the fact that the marina is very busy, they were more than happy to accommodate GMIV, although we have to be out just before that start of the racing as they simply do not have the space. Once alongside, the crew immediately got to work cleaning down the yacht and bringing all of the brightwork back to its best. There were cheers in the marina and some bemusement as we hoisted our full set of dress and sponsors flags – one guy even commented that we don’t really need sails! It is nice to see just how boat proud the guys have become – future crews had better watch out or they will be getting some nasty e-mails from these guys about keeping the brass, stainless and chrome up to spec. As is usual after a trip, the cabin sole boards were all taken up and washed, bilges cleaned, bulkheads wiped down and galley cleaned. Andrew set about repairing the damage down below, while I sorted out the marina, media and events for the next couple of days. We are hosting a GMIV Dock Party for 2 hours this evening, facilitated by our generous sponsor Mount Gay Rum, followed by an open morning for the public on Thursday.

The plan after that is to show the guys some of the amazing anchorages in the Whitsunday Islands before we head for Hamilton Island on the 16th. The following are a few words from each of the young crew onboard about their experiences over the past 4 days.

Jonny Dawson

Although polishing and scrubbing have never been on my list of pastimes or hobbies, I am pleased to say that I am becoming very boat proud and I can now see why Simon put us through such hardship. Yesterday afternoon was spent doing a complete blitz of the whole boat, removing and cleaning everything from floorboards to sails before scrubbing the decks and hoisting the flags. A sigh of relief went up as the final set of flags made their way to the top of the mast and we new that we had finished, looking forward to a relaxing night out in town. How wrong was I – This morning we were up at 7 and began polishing at 7.30. At the beginning of the trip I wouldn’t have stopped moaning about the constant cleaning but I’m now beginning to enjoy the relaxing sessions in the sunshine.

Back on Friday when we were awoken and told we were finally leaving, the crew were showing obvious excitement and anxiety, however four hours in, and half of the people on board were beginning to feel the motion sickness which had been talked about for so long before. I was fortunate to remain well although I had had my fair share of vomit during the previous days to the voyage, most probably due to an uncooked beef sandwich I had eaten. The motion of the boat took time to get used to but the best piece of advice I was given was to keep busy and it certainly worked.

As the days counted down, everyone was feeling more and more tired and physical fatigue began to kick in. At this point, I realised how much of an achievement it really was to sail round the whole world single handed at the age of 65 and my respect for Sir Francis Chichister grew incredibly at this point of the voyage. On the final evening before our arrival into land, I was allocated the night shift between 0200 and 0600, little did I know that Simon was to need me from 0600 onwards to take down all the sails and tidy up the deck ready for our arrival. I really began to feel the lack of sleep at this point but I kept going and Dan and I successfully de-rigged the sails in up to 35 knots of wind.

My stay on GMIV so far, has shown me a different side to the world, and a different side to people. The voyage was centred around teamwork and sharing. For a teenager, life seems to revolve around doing what you want when you want, but this couldn’t be the case aboard or both the sailing and the general lifestyle would have been a total mess. I have also learnt that people over the age of 25 can still have a laugh and are in fact real human beings! Socializing with people from different walks of life and different ages has taught me a lot about the world and made me a much more open-minded person. I’ve learnt this much so far and I’m looking forward to learning some more about both sailing and life. It’s now become clear to me how circumnavigating the globe single handed isn’t simply a physical test but a mental one also.

Daniel Elvin

When I was asked to go on the gipsy moth I was like yes please but at the time I thought it would be easy but now I’m on the boat I have realised that its harder than I expected when we set off. Sailing - I mean i was so ready for it but I knew at that time it will be hard. My opinion of the journey I think that sailing is a wicked thing to do and when I get back home its going to be a lot different because at home I just go out and have a laugh or stay in and play on my computer I have always wanted to try new thing but I have never really had the time to try new thing so when this came up I was like its something I haven’t done before so I said yes and if anyone has the chance to go on this voyage, trust me you will have a good time. At fist its hard, but after you know were everything is its not so bad. When u go to all the different countries and places on the Gipsy Moth it gives you a chance to see the other side – know what I mean? People treat you like a famous person anyway when we where in the middle of the ocean I was helming we were going about seven to eight knots with about twenty to twenty five knots of wind I was loving it then suddenly bang comes a forty knots of wind, the boats was heeling and the water came rushing down the deck - awesome.


All the people on the boat are wicked we get along like a team and on the gipsy moth you need a team to get though it. Are skipper (Simon hay) he is a very good skipper I my opinion, he knows what he is talking about. I have heard some say he’s to demanding, but he has to be. The first mate – he’s cool and all the crew are wicked to.




Sean Mayers

Well what can I say its been a honour to sail on a famous boat which has a wonderful story even though I haven’t read it. This has been a 1 in a million chance for me it’s a new experience for me and a new challenge that I would never do if I was back in south east London, cause people round my area would have never wanted to do this type of challenge cause they think that they are to gangster to do it. Well so far I’m having a great time on the boat everyday has been a laugh every one is great and good to talk to. There has been times when I thought I couldn’t be able to do it and I still have problems with the names of the stuff on the boat but I think I have improved a little but I still find it hard cause I have a bad back and it hurts when I do some certain stuff on the boat but o well Simon the skipper he is very funny always making people laugh but don’t make that fool you cause when it comes to cleaning it’s a different story. Dan the man he is a very cool and funny bloke who loves of his hardcore music some one that I can get along with easy. Johnny he is a good person always talks about what goes around my area and how it is and what are people like but he listens to corny music. When we went sailing on Friday I was sea sick on the first day and the next day and the next day and the next day I couldn’t take it at all I was tired I couldn’t go down below at all cause if I did I would have vomit down below then I would have had to clean it up which I don’t think would be nice but the last 2 or last day I was feeling better cause the waves was calming down but apart from that I have been having a incredible time and I hope it carries on until we leave to go back to London



Jeremy Graham
Sunset and spray, sunrise and another day.

Having carried out a few drills in the calm of the bay in the afternoon, the following day for departure out to Airlee Beach began with a sense of relief at leaving the marina in a seaworthy, well presented, lovingly prepared vessel that we are proud to stand on the deck of. Waving to the last well wishers seeing us off from the Point, the watery horizon stretched out before us with an uncertain next part of GM4 history to be written – by us!

Calm water beckoned us out of sight of land. A flying feeding frenzy with seabirds diving for fish gave an obvious fishing opportunity for us as well, with the lure enticing two tuna away from their feeding to our plates, can it get better?

The cockpit home for a watch.
She’s a demanding vessel requiring thoughtfulness and clear planning and yet the speeds achieved and her responsiveness are quite remarkable.
Hands on the tiller, surfing the waves, stern lifting – wow!

Storm jib up – we struggled with one on the tiller and two on the foredeck, well at least until the Skipper appeared and ‘inspired’ us to get the job done. How did Sir Francis do what he did on his own? GM4 - She is a lady of grace under pressure, able to take the forces of nature in her effortless stride.

The sail from Mooloolaba provided strong winds, clear skies at night and very few other boats for company. White horses our only company. Every turn of the head revealing a new perspective on the mind of a mariner who provides inspiration with an intake of breath and challenge with exhalation.

Into Arlee Beach Marina – shower needed, laundry done, sense of achievement awesome.

Sunday 7th August 2006
Position at 1000 UTC 22 26’.9 S 151 45’.3E
Andrew Eccleston, 1st Mate, GMIV, UKSA

The chance to write the Voyage Log for the day finally falls to the 1st Mate – and it has certainly been a day to remember.

If you have followed the adventures of the Leg 16 crew so far you will have seen that the week in Mooloolaba was spent alternating between making the old girl look even more beautiful and engaging in hair-raising activities such as swimming with sharks, socialising with snakes and crocodiles, as well as the “bungy bullet” and go-karts. The 1st Mate’s role has similarly alternated between taxi-driver in the UKSA 4x4 and bosun’s work fixing dodgers, guardrails, satcomms etc.

When we finally put to sea things got interesting fairly quickly and we are emerging from 48 hours of ‘adjustment’ for the crew. I have never been seasick, but I keep an open mind on the prospect, as the body changes with age – but I am pleased to report that things are still OK in that department. I do however have numerous bruises and bumps from my first ride on the vomit comet and am caked in salt from the frequent dunkings on deck when reefing etc during the night. At least in these latitudes the water is warm (20+ degC), otherwise I would be reporting hypothermia.

The wind and sea eased up somewhat during our 0200-0600 watch and with Jupiter rising in the east ahead of the sun we continued to plough our way northward at speeds of up to 7 knots under No.2 jib and mainsail with 2 reefs. It was good that Jeremy started to climb out of the hole and was getting back to being his cheerful self again – assisted by pieces of currant cake and sips of water.

As the sun rose in a blue sky over a blue ocean, the weather continued to ease and Simon hoisted the mizzen on his watch. Sean was having his first day as “mother” – looking after all the cooking a cleaning. It’s a big challenge for him and he’s gradually learning how to deal with it. For someone who is not used to cooking anyway, producing food for six people on a two-burner stove in these conditions is an extreme challenge. We entered tropical latitudes again at breakfast time.

After some sleep, the first job I tackled was to fix my bunk. I am in the upper bunk on the port side of the main saloon. It is very comfortable except that it has now given way twice and when this happens you get a blow in the kidneys when falling onto the top edge of the vertical divider in the locker below. The solution appeared to be to replace the two screws which keep pulling out at the aft (head) end with bolts that pass right through the support. As this meant drilling a couple of holes in part of our national maritime heritage, it was done with great care. This was one of many memorable moments today.

Certainly the best moment of the day came soon after the bunk repair, when at noon the Skipper and I went to the afterdeck and rigged the self-steering gear. It was a rather tricky and dangerous task – I now know exactly where NOT to place your thumbs when trying to get the servo blade vertical. But with Dan on the tiller and Simon and I providing the muscle at the stern, it worked first time - and with one small adjustment it has been driving us on our chosen course, downwind in a following sea, for three hours now. Sir Francis had a lot of problems with this piece of kit, and we now know that even with two big blokes and a good helmsman all in action together it’s still a challenge.

For Simon and me, with our shared deep appreciation of what all this means, it was a magic moment. I have mental list of “Chichester moments” to tick off – and this was one of them. Sitting in the saloon working up a sun sight on the first day at sea was another one, and finding a flying fish on deck the night before. Sitting here now in the saloon, with my copy of “Gipsy Moth circles the world” that I was given as a schoolboy, with the original photos; looking out of the companionway at the mizzen mast with the three winches framed against the Pacific sky and Sir Francis sitting on the bench opposite me leaning against the chart table bulkhead as he sews the mizzen stays’l. Quite remarkable.

(Later) The bunk repair has successfully passed its first 3 hours of testing. Again on watch with Jeremy and Jonny in the moonlight with stars all around. We are now well inside the Great Barrier Reef’, although it’s over 20 miles away. The self-steering gear is still doing an excellent job as we glide along in a sloppy following sea with the wind continuing to ease.

It was 40 years ago this week that Chichester departed Plymouth to write a page in our maritime history. In the time it will take Gipsy Moth IV to complete her second circumnavigation, he had done a whole lap.


Skipper’s thoughts for the day
Weather is on the up and we are making excellent progress; we will be cutting inside the Great Barrier Reef in a few hours, there is no great risk involved in this as the Capricorn Channel is very wide. However, with the events of past months I can not help but feel a little anxious. Today was the first time I managed to get some decent sleep which was well appreciated – the skipper’s port quarter berth is very comfortable, but is also prone to noise and constant interruption – I know moan winge moan.

The crew are all starting to get into the watch system now and the daily routine of life at sea on GMIV. However, I have made it clear to all that tomorrow is shower day as they are starting to smell, so the solar showers will be filled and placed on deck at day break!

As I sit here in the dark typing this, GMIV is nipping along nicely at 7Kn in a steady 20Kn of southerly breeze – the self steering gear is still engaged and working brilliantly – Dan actually seems disappointed that he is not able to take the helm! We gybed about an hour ago to get a better wind angle for the approach to the Capricorn Channel - the crew certainly appreciate the smoother ride when GMIV is reaching rather than running downwind.

Apologies for the lack of recent video footage, we did send quite a bit before leaving Mooloolaba and I am reliably informed that this will be up on the web site on Monday – hope you all enjoy!

Saturday 5th August 2006
Position at 1245 UTC 24 16’.1 S 153 32’.6E
Simon Hay, Skipper GMIV, UKSA

Well last night was fairly interesting, the weather was not that bad at all, occasional 25Kn gusts but mainly 15-20Kn. However, with GMIV on a broad reach with a following 2-3m swell the ride was a little lively. The crew all began to understand my insistence on keeping their gear stowed properly as down below started to look like behind the scenes at London Fashion Week.

Unfortunately, Jeremy, the crew leader did not fair well during the night; a spell up on the foredeck with Jonny changing a headsail rapidly led to uncontrolled vomiting which left him in quite a state (not to mention the colour of the sail). He retreated down below at the end of the watch only to spend several hours prostrate on the floor of the heads. I had a brief chat with him to make sure that he was not seriously ill and then left him to it. The morning brought some relief for him with only a couple of spells feeding the fish, and I am glad to say that he now appears to be on the road to recovery.

The rest of the crew are doing fine, even Sean has recovered from his sea sickness, but is still a little shocked by the whole experience. Jonny has been on ‘mother watch’ today and has done a sterling job, producing sausages and beans on toast for breakfast, omelettes of various types for lunch and a fantastic beef chilli for dinner – he even cleaned the heads twice without any prompting. Dan continues to work like a real trooper, ready to undertake any work that is asked of him – I will make a sailor out of him yet !

Progress today has been good, we were abeam of Sandy Cape at the northern end of Fraser Island by 1700 hrs. The wind is picking up steadily – in line with the forecast – and we are nipping along at an average of 7Kn with 2 reefs in the main and the No.2 Headsail on a beam reach. The swell is building steadily as the southerly gale behind us gets that little bit closer hour by hour.

2200 hrs (local time) – no real change in the weather, wind still holding at 25Kn with occasional 30Kn gusts, the swell is being uncannily kind to us for now and the ride is fairly comfortable providing a welcome respite for the crew. Boat speed is good at around 7-8Kn.

Down below took a bit of a beating earlier; Jonny pulled