Global Challenge
Week 19 - The Race So Far

One of the attractions of the Global Challenge race was that winter 2004-5 just wasn't going to happen. By the time the nights had drawn in across Britain and temperatures had fallen to single figures, I'd be in the southern hemisphere and looking forward to my second summer of the 2004. As ever with meteorology, things are never that straight forward.

Conditions in Buenos Aires had been suitably seasonal. The days were long and sunny, with enough beer on tap to maintain fluid levels whilst we worked on the boat after the 6000 mile trip from Portsmouth. Daytime temperatures in the high 20°C bracket were tempered by pleasant sea breezes.

Three weeks of such conditions were no preparation for the journey south to round Cape Horn. Sea temperatures fell to 4-5°C and 30 minute rotations on deck were essential to avoid the worst effects of windchill, even with layers of the most suitable clothing money can buy. How did Shackleton and his men do it?

Our route to Wellington took us to around 63 degrees south. No icebergs were sighted but we received reports that they had been seen to the north of our intended route. This added spice to a nightwatch I assure you!

Wellington would have been a welcome sight after 38 days at sea, however it looked. It was all the more so after a very rough passage through the eastern end of the Cook Strait, where strong northerly winds can run counter to currents and big swells, rolling in from the huge area of the South Pacific, are suddenly confined to the area between the islands.

It came as little comfort to hear that New Zealand was experiencing its worst summer for some 40 years. News reports during the first few days in the capital were full of floods and transport disruption. During a fortnight long tour of South Island, however, things improved spectacularly, with only one day's worth of rain. Whilst farmers may have been grateful for the unseasonably wet weather to cut the need for irrigation, I was grateful for the chance to dry out and see some awesome scenery at its best.

The return to windy Wellington offered the chance to visit the offices of the New Zealand Met Service. Our colleagues there were to provide the brief for the next leg of our race to Sydney. As ever, it was a very comprehensive piece of work and certainly took some of the pressure off me to get my team into the top half of the fleet. A leg of only eight days was always going to be a highly tactical affair with weather playing 'a crucial role', or so everyone kept telling me.