The jockey pole, the lamb roast and the WA Clipper

by Belinda Buckley on 30 Nov 2005 Incredibly, we did it again - just 48 hours after I filed the last diary, we sailed into Durban in first place. And in spite of the ungodly hour (4.30am local time) we got a fantastic welcome, with fireworks (can you tell how much I like them?), Zulu singers and dancers, champagne breakfast - the whole nine yards. All of which was supremely appreciated by a very wet and shattered WA crew.

The final drive around the east coast of South Africa was tough: we past East London in fine, light weather, only to hit yet another storm that took us all the way to Cape Natal. It was all very dramatic with lightening, big waves and howling winds, so we didn't look our best as we collapsed on to the dock, but we were thrilled to have come first again.

And, boy, did we have a good time in Durban... I think South Africans have a bit of an affinity with Aussies (and I can say that, as I am neither and am being objective). It must be a Southern Hemisphere thing. The hospitality was charming and warm, with the braais (barbecues) frequent and fun.

Continuing this trend, our send off from Durban was just amazing. Thousands of people stood on along the Point and North Beach to wave us off, while hundreds of vessels - from catamarans and launches to jetskis and canoes - followed us out of Port of Durban to escort us out into the Indian Ocean. We were truly touched and loved that the famed Lady in White sang us to sea, too.

We need all the encouragement we can get - this is the big one in many crew minds - the Southern Ocean (or the Southern Indian Ocean, depending on which view you take). It should be the most challenging and testing of legs and races. It is the leg that many choose to do if they can only do one, as its reputation precedes its might. We are all wary and many are anxious, but we all can't wait to get to Australia.

Most on this boat are looking forward to getting home and seeing family and friends. The non-Aussies, meanwhile, are looking forward to crossing this big and bumpy bit of sea and arriving on dry land once more.

So far, we have been blessed with a very gentle warm up: light winds and calm seas. But we know from the last leg, that kind weather is very often quickly followed by unkind, so we are still being wary... the forecast is for it to freshen big time, so we are gearing up for that.

In other news, delicious Dan had his birthday yesterday (28/11). We can't say how many returns it was, as that is an official secret; but we conducted the usual celebrations with gusto and he was well pleased to have celebrated the day in style in the sun on a sparkling ocean. Indeed, after our foodie stunt on leaving Durban, the evening's dinner was bit like the Prodigal Son's return feast.

We didn't manage to slaughter a fatted calf, but we did parade a whole lamb's carcass, hung on our jockey pole, along the pontoon and strapped it to the radar post. True Aussies like their meat (apart from poor Kimbra, who is likely to turn vegetarian after this trip) and so we decided to stock up for a couple of days. And Graham did the most amazing job of butchering it on deck. So it was roast lamb for supper the first and second evenings and it's chops tonight (Bryde's Surprise, actually, cooked by Colin and Sam and named after the fantastic whale we saw today, 29/11) and rogan josh curry tomorrow and then I think we'll have finished it off - not bad going for a whole animal between 19 people.

Yes, it's a busy boat on WA Clipper this leg, as we have a special guest on board - Roberto from the UK's Big Brother 6. Yeah, we know he didn't win, but his presence has caused much interest from the rest of the fleet, with endless chatter on the VHF about this summer's reality TV show. More discussion in fact than by the WA crew - they didn't see the show, so are just looking at a new crew member. From game show to a RTW yacht race - it's all a bit different and we'll let you know how it works as we head across the Southern Ocean for the Great Southern Land.