Rachel has booked her flights home from Australia via Singapore in January next year.
She is being met by friends at Airlie Beach, near The Whitsunday Isles, where she leaves the boat as Sanya sails on to China. They intend to have a few days holiday and then drive to Brisbane for the flights home.
There will be mixed emotions at this stage. She will be sad to be leaving Sanya and her skipper and Crew, but pleased to be coming home.
Rachel Leader has successfully completed her final level 4 training. A great achievement!
The fleet raced crossing The English Channel. Race results are still to be announced, but Sanya led for much of the way, both ways. It was very exciting and at times tense.
It turns out that Sanya was named Quindao in the 2017/18 race and came 3rd overall, so has a podium finish history.
The other good news is that Rachel has full confidence in her Skipper and Additional Qualified Person (AQP). They are quite capable of issuing a colourful reprimand, but Rachel can take it and move on. There is still much to learn. One factor is that some “evolutions” occur when you are off duty or below on other jobs. As a result you miss the experience others have had.
Apparently, being off watch at night under full sail at 40 degrees and being tossed across your bunk during a tack, is quite an experience. You can here all that’s going on up on deck and the water rushing by, inches from your ear!Let’s hope that over time she gets used to it.
The skipper has suggested that Rachel’s skills may best be utilised in the “snake pit”. This is in the centre of the boat where all the halyards are stored and controlled. It involves being very aware of what’s going on, releasing the right line at the right time and keeping everything tidy.
Clipper Race fleet are racing on their way back from being anchored near Le Havre overnight. They left at about midday today, Sunday, and are currently mid channel, in the middle of the Traffic Separation Lanes. Guess what? Sanya is in the lead, but only just. I am sure that Rachel is giving everything she’s got and will be on a real high! Go Rachel, go!
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