After three hundred and twenty two hours of racing across the Atlantic from Halifax to Derry Londonderry Gold Coast Australia crossed the finish line between Dunagree Point Light and Fairway Mark Foyle at 02:37 UTC on 29th June 2012 to win race 13 of the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race.

It has been a fantastic effort by all the crew who worked incredibly hard for this victory. Today was one of our busiest days as the winds were variable between 5 and 25 kts, as a result we made no less than 15 sail changes today alone. The wind was very kind to us however as we received far more than the predicted wind strength.

Only 20nm from the finish line Gold Coast Australia hooked a lobster pot on our keel, and this took us about 40 minutes to try to get it off. I was almost prepared to dive in and cut the line as the wind was beginning to drop off and we did not want to be stuck there all night as Singapore was making some fantastic miles on us.

Congratulations must go out to the rest of the fleet who had a far tougher race than us when they got stuck on the western side of Tropical Storm Chris and no doubt had to work very hard throughout the race. Our tactical decision to pass to the eastern side of Chris was a fantastic move and most certainly won us the race.

Our welcome into Derry Londonderry has been fantastic with no less than eight boats who cam out to greet us so early in the morning. It was a brilliant reception and as we crossed the line the Coast Guard sounded the horn and gave us a magnificent display of welcome.

Richard Hewson
Gold Coast Australia

Gold Coast Australia has made fantastic ground today, having over 20kts of wind from the South rather than the 10kts of predicted wind.

As we sail up the picturesque northern Irish coastline the wind has dropped off to fifteen knots and we sail with our medium weight spinnaker still making 7kts against the tide.

Gold Coast Australia is set to finish off Inishowen Head between 1 and 3 this morning local time and will be able to be viewed from the shore. We will then motor down the foyle and expect to berth in Londonderry at 0800 local time.

LAT 54 30.6N
LONG 010 28.5W
DTF 144nm
ETA 0500 29 Jun 12
SOG 9kts
COG 060

WEATHER Wind 200@2kts, Sea Calm, confused 1/2M, Cloud 8/8 fog, Baro 997

Gold Coast Australia hit light winds this morning in the final stages of the race as we become sandwiched between two low pressure systems and the Irish coast.

After a fantastic reach up the coast yesterday the wind backed to the east in the evening forcing us to drop our spinnaker in exchange for our biggest white sail the Y1.

We have done a number of sail changes this morning to try to keep the boat moving, including hoisting our newly repaired light weight spinnaker. The shape looked perfect and one would not even know it has been repaired. Well done Deb, Babs, Gina and Vesna for their expert repair. We are now left becalmed 50nm North East of Eagle Island in the approaches of Donegal Bay where the surfers are no doubt taking advantage of the glassy swells produced by this low pressure system.

Now the wind has filled in again from the SSW and with 12-13kts we are flying along towards Tory Island. The wind has just come in time as the tide is about to turn and we will need the extra boost to fight the 2kts against us. Once around Tory Island the tide will swing again and carry us towars the finish.

It is quite tactical and quite tricky sailing up a coast line that I am unfamiliar with and I don’t want to go too close for fear of being caught amongst the strong tidal systems and also fear of getting into the lee of the Irish hills. This wind (or lack of) was expected and will undoubtedly hit the yachts behind us to the east as well, so hopefully we can maintain our lead as we coast the final 150nm towards the finish.

I am expecting Gold Coast Australia to finish some time early tomorrow morning and we are all very excited about our arrival in
Derry-Londonderry and look foward to morning breakfast Guinness.

LAT 52 02.34 N
LONG 14 12.52 W
DTF 346
ETA 1200 29 JUN 12
SOG 9.2
COG 038

Gold Coast Australia has passed the southern most tip of Ireland and is now running up the Irish west coast towards
Derry-Londonderry in foggy conditions, light following swell and consistent wind.

It seems that the team on Gold Coast Australia have not seen further than one mile from the boat for nearly a week now. The
fog is relentless, however under it we sail in some fantastic wind allowing us to fly full mainsail and medium weight
spinnaker and make good speed towards the finish.

The conditions are also perfect for helming practice under spinnakers at a variety of wind angles. Without a horizon things
become more difficult and it forces the helmsmen to rely on their senses more. Last night we had midnight helming practice
in pitch black night which was a good orientation for those who have never helmed at night time before.

Our current planned route takes us up the Irish west coast, but we will most likely be too far off to be seen from shore. The latest weather forecast has Ex TS Chris moving closer to the coast which if we are not careful and do not make enough miles before Achill Island and Eagle Island we will be squeezed out. If we can get around these prominent points before the Low moves in we have a bit more room to play with inside Donegal Bay before sailing around Tory Island when we will be able to alter course to the east and coast towards the finish in what will no doubt be very light conditions. I have surfed and kite surfed up this coastline a few years ago but never sailed and therefore i am weary of sailing into the lee of the mountains as I do not know how far the lee extends offshore. I am eagerly awaiting a weather report on the VHF but we still have heard no transmissions so I can only go off my own coastal predictions. Hopefully my predictions, calculations and limited local knowledge will suffice and “Chris” will not squeeze us out and we will not be becalmed only a day away from the finish.

LAT 49 46.54 N
LONG 18 50.57 W
DTF 565
ETA 1600L 29 Jun 12
SOG 8kts
COG 045

WEATHER WIND 200@15 SEA SLIGHT SWELL SW 1.5M, CLOUD FOG+RAIN, BARO 1012

Gold Coast Australia slipped into stealth mode yesterday just prior of the point of no return had we decided to take a route through the Irish sea, around the East Coast of Ireland and into Derry-Londonderry rather than the more obvious west coast.

After receiving the latest GRIB weather files yesterday it appeared that the low pressure system formally known as Chris was travelling slightly to the north west of Ireland rather than settling over the top of the middle of the country. This will allow us a small wind corridor to get through before the wind drops out provided we can maintain predicted speeds.

It has been a fantastic few days of running downwind with medium and heavy weight spinnakers, and only now has the wind begun to abate slightly as the Low pressure system formally known as Chris weakens. From now on our job to keep Gold Coast Australia moving will increase in difficulty as lighter winds make it a challenge to keep the spinnaker full.

LAT 45 16.3N
LONG 32 09.7W
DTF 1100
ETA 30 JUN 12
SOG 9.5
COG 095

WEATHER WIND 170@18kts, Sea Mod, Swell SE 1m, Sky OBSC Fog, Baro 1008

After much head scratching and deliberation and plotting various scenarios’ Gold Coast Australia is heading east to find more prevailing winds to take us to Derry, Londonderry.

Yesterday saw us alter our course to the South in light airs for a few hours in order to get a better wind angle on starboard tack. It took three hours of heading south before the wind began to swing around to the south. Once it did this we were able to tack onto starboard and head 90 -100 degrees Course Over Ground (COG). This course will ensure we stay in the southerly winds until we can pass the low pressure trough to our port side and get into the more prevailing south west winds in the wind channel between the ridge to the north west and the high pressure system to the south east. This tactic has cost us a few places and a lot of miles on the leader board but will no doubt be worth it when we get into the south westerly winds.

Much of yesterday morning gave us light winds, but as the day went on the wind began to build and we now have over 18 knots from the south pushing us along nicely. Unfortunately the light winds from the morning did more than just slow us down. In an effort to increase our speed we were flying our light weight spinnaker when the foot tape must have got snagged by a hank resulting in a tear in the spinnaker.

We now have our spinnaker repair team on the case conducting a thorough repair. The team consists of Deborah Miller, Babara Yendell, Gina Gourlay and Vesna Rendulic and they were expertly trained by former crew member and parasailor Christopher Hopkins.

One of the highlights of yesterday was a large unidentified whale who surfaced only 4 metres from the boat in the light airs yesterday. The whale came to the surface no doubt to inspect what we were doing and hung around long enough for everybody to have a good look and him/her and then returned to the depths again. A true honour to nearly meet in person such a beautiful large creature as it was nearly close enough to shake its fin.

Gold Coast Australia will keep sailing east at good speeds for another day until we start seeing the fruits of our rewards pay off and the wind veers to the south west and we can alter course to the north towards Derry, Londonderry.

LAT 45 55.8N
LONG 35 59.4W
DTF 1240
ETA 30 JUN 12
SOG 7.5
COG 075

WEATHER WIND 134@21 SEA MOD, SWELL CONFUSED 1M, SKY 8/8, BARO 1009

Gold Coast Australia remains close hauled sailing to the east in an attempt to get into more southerly winds and work our way north up a wind belt to the east of the fleet.

This is definatly not your standard west to east Atlantic crossing, the winds have been very different from their usual pattern, and hence the course we are currently taking is not one I would have expected a week ago.

Gold Coast Australia would like to advise that at 08:04:32 UTC on 21 June 2012 in position 44 55.4N 039 59.9W we passed through the scoring gate.

When I first received the sailing instructions I thought that there would be not much chance of us making this gate due to its south easterly position in relation to the great circle route. As it happens the weather has dictated that we sail a lot further south than the planned route and consequently has made this gate possible.

I am elated that we have passed through this scoring gate in first place, when the majority of the fleet are so far west. The team has worked really hard over the past week to get here.

Richard Hewson
Gold Coast Australia

LAT 44 42.0N
LONG 040 27.2W
DTF 1435nm
ETA 1200 30 June 2011
SOG 10kts
COG 050

WEATHER WIND 135@19kts, Sea Mod, Swell Confused 2m, Sky 5/8 ClSt, Baro 1013

Gold Coast Australia continues to sail comfortably towards the scoring gate with the wind just forward of the beam in relatively moderate seas and the barometer continues to drop as we monitor tropical storm “Chris” as she curves her way to the north behind us.

Yesterdays weather information warned that the low pressure system that we have been monitoring for the past few days has been up graded as a Tropical Storm named Chris and was tracking to the east. While Chris is forecasted to curve its way to the north, I did not want to risk being caught on the wrong side of her if she did not curve to the north as predicted. As a precaution we altered to a more easterly course yesterday, and now is based on following the wind around as the TS approaches to ensure that we do not find ourselves close hauled and consequently loose boat speed. This strategy is working well and keeps us in the safe quadrant of the tropical storm, and while Welcome to Yorkshire has made good ground on us to the north we will hopefully make this back as the wind continues to back.

Yesterday morning was spent preparing for the possible storm like conditions, removing sheets and guys from the deck, checking for chafe, checking the lower areas of the rig and tightening up all halyards to prevent chafe on the spreaders. Happy hour we discussed the predicted weather and the importance to remain vigilant, check for chafe regularly, keep bilges dry and move around the boat safely. We discussed the importance of keeping the yacht ship shape to make life onboard more comfortable and also safer.

For the best part of yesterday Gold Coast Australia found ourselves going against an eddie of current that is spinning off the Gulf Stream. At times we had 2kts of current against us which slowed our progress considerably allowing Singapore and Welcome to Yorkshire to gain some miles on us. Thankfully now we are finally out of the eddie and while winds are not as strong as predicted, we still find ourselves nicely powered up with a reefed mainsail and Y2 making a good 10kts towards the finish.

Our course also takes into consideration the position of the scoring gate, and we plan to pass through the northern end later on this morning and should hopefully gain another three points to our tally. The scoring gate has taken us slightly further east than I would have liked to have gone, but at the same time leaves us in a safe position for Chris to pass to the east of us.

As the summer solstice nears the hours of daylight increase. Yesterday we did our second last time zone change for the trip and we are now use the same local time as the Azores (GMT -1). This is quite a significant achievement in “time”, and highlights that we are nearing the end of our circumnavigation as we have now sailed through every time zone throughout the world.

LAT 43 26.4N
LONG 044 47.6W
DTF 1637
ETA 1800z 29 Jun 12
SOG 9.2
COG 065

WEATHER Wind 137@17kts, Sea Mod, Swell E 1m, Cloud 2/8, Baro 1020

It has been four seasons in one day for Gold Coast Australia, ranging from hot and sunny with no wind to cold and wet sail changes and reefs in the rain as squalls pass over.

The day began as we concentrated on making ground to the east in moderate variable wind conditions under a cloud of dense fog. As the sun rose we saw the amazing shape of a sun trying to burn through the fog, and to top it off, even a bit of blue sky. By mid morning the sun was out in force, and the sky was clear giving us a fantastic story of the weather surrounding us.

The wind began to veer in oscillations at midday, and we spent the next few hours taking our way towards the scoring gate with every change in wind direction. Finally the wind dropped out all together leaving us becalmed and rolling in the ocean.

Some maintenance was required on the mainsail to re-enforce some battens and adjust the leach line, so we took the opportunity of the lull to carry out this maintenance while we sailed slowly along with only the windseeker up, assisted by about two knots of current. With everybody allocated a separate task it wasnt long before all the maintenance was done and the mainsail re-hoisted, our kangaroo displaying proudly.

An hour later the wind began to fill in from the South East, and we hoisted our light weight spinnaker and charged north towards the clouds. Just before we hit the sqully looking clouds, down came the spinnaker and up went the Y1, which was shortly replaced by the Y2 and a reef.

Throughout the night Gold Coast Australia has been pounding towards the scoring gate on the rhumb line to Derry London-derry with a Y2 headsail and a reefed mainsail. It is amazing to think that earlier today we were sat becalmed in mirror seas and now we display a show of breaking waves and power as we charge to windward.

It has definalty been a busy day on Gold Coast Australia but the miles made on the rest of the fleet have undoubtedly been worth it.