The Pros and Cons of Leg 3

​Leg 3 is a biggy !
 
The Southern Ocean must surely be on every offshore sailor's bucket list. The 'Roaring Forties' below 40 degrees South are renowned for massive low pressure systems and monster waves. Crossing from The Cape of Good Hope to Cape Leeuwin (or thereabouts) means that you have undertaken a big challenge. It gets cold, wild and wonderful.

​In previous years the race has started in Cape Town and finished in Western Australia (usually Albany or Geraldton).
 
​Pros;

• Major bucket list item - Southern Ocean and Roaring Forties - tick!
• By now the round the world crew are getting it together. The Southern Ocean is probably the first big baptism of fire for a sustained period of time. It really sorts the men and women from the girls and boys. It's a big challenge.
• Cape Town and South Africa is definitely worth a visit. If you are a legger finishing in Australia then its worth considering a few weeks travel and then perhaps meet your boat on the East Coast?
• The race starts in warm climes but the fleet will dive South to get the benefit of the Westerlies rolling around the bottom of the planet. It is likely that you will dip deep below 40 degrees South and into the Roaring Forties, staying just North of 'gates' put in place to keep the fleet safely North of the ice fields of The Antarctic.
• You get to see plenty of wales, dolphins and Albatross. It really is a wild and unspoilt wilderness down there.
• The weather is varied but soon gets colder and colder as you go South. The sea state is normally driven by large, energetic depressions that roll across the Southern Ocean from West to East. It is likely that you will see sustained wind speed over 60 - 70 kts on a few occasions. We saw gusts over 100kts on the 11-12 and 13-14 races.
• Because the depressions drive waves, unchecked, around the bottom of the planet the waves can be huge.  Waves over 60ft are pretty standard South of forty degrees although you can also be becalmed between systems. When in the midst of it, the sleigh ride is great fun. Surfing at 30kts+ down monster waves in a severe gale or storm is pretty exciting stuff!

Cons;

• I think the big downside of this Leg is that it is usually just one race. That means that if you have a problem or the boat retires or has an issue, that's it. Your race is over - or at least damaged. But that's just the luck of the draw.
• It gets mighty cold down there.  It may be running into the summer but don't think you'll be wearing shorts and T Shirts very long. It is very much multi-layered base and mid layers, possibly dry suits and balaclavas! Brrrr.
• If you are flying from the Northern hemisphere for one leg then this is going to cost you. Flights may be relatively cheap nowadays, but its still pricey to fly half way across the World.
• As a legger, you are starting to see a fairly big difference between your competence and that of several of your fellow 'round-the-world' crew. Most boats bond well and a good skipper will make sure that the benefits of an experienced core crew are recognised but all the crew's talents are exploited. Everyone has their own way of doing things but 'leggers' and 'worlders' are usually considered 'equal' with no silly one-up-man-ship.  I allocated my RTW crew as mentors to the leggers for the first few days. After all, some of the crew may not have been on their race boat for several months since training. Everyone is always learning anyway.
• If you enjoy Leg 3, one of the biggest 'cons' is that you'll need to summon the willpower to get off the boat at the end! I've seen plenty of tears from one-leg-only crew after they've experienced a challenging leg that was everything they had hoped it would be and then they have to stop.