Leg 4 will challenge you in every way. The constantly changing conditions, from brutal to mild, mean that there is no relaxing - you will be pushed mentally and physically in what is one of the most inhospitable parts of the planet. Further south than on any other leg, this race around the south of Australia demands your absolute best. From Western Australia, the bows of your racing yacht point south, out of the Indian Ocean and back to the challenge of the Roaring Forties.

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Cape Leeuwin marks the south western tip of Australia and is one of the three Great Capes that only a privileged few get to race past. Once again, the race route takes you below the 40th Parallel for another sleigh ride east. On your port beam, far across the horizon, is the Great Australian Bight and the unforgiving shores of the Nullarbor Plain. At sea, you will route toward the southern tip of Tasmania and into the Tasman Sea for the first time.

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Just because you are out of the Southern Ocean though, it doesn’t mean that the conditions are any easier - the Tasman Straits await…

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As you route north for a challenging race to port on the eastern Australian seaboard, the huge ocean swells, so popular with the Aussie surfers on the east coast, continue to challenge kit, sails and crew stamina. This leg will test you mentally, physically and emotionally.

 

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