On 4th of November, we gathered in Royal Geelong Yacht Club outside Melbourne to commence the 5th and last leg of the Australia Circumnavigation.

Sharon is back on board Silver Fern to skipper this final leg. Ken is also on board, this leg concluding his full circumnavigation. All together we are ten people on Silver Fern: Sharon, Ken, Daniel, Beth, April, Bruce, Mike, Kevin, Patrick and myself. I landed early in the morning, coming from Western Sweden, jetlagged yet stoked to get on board! It's great to sail Silver Fern again, I've missed her since I left after Leg 2 when we arrived to Darwin.

The day was spent doing provisioning, fueling and all the necessary jobs on board. Fueling was a lengthy excercise since we could not come along the fuel dock. The approach is just too narrow and shallow. That meant carrying jerrycans to the fuel dock, filling them, loading them into carts, getting back to the boats and fueling can by can. Patrick did a great job, and both tanks are now filled to the brim - on the expence of his pants getting drenched in fuel!

The provisioning is done in two runs, getting the fresh produce just before we go. As always, the staff at the store looks at us wide-eyed and wonders what kind of big eaters we are. We also filled up the water tank, and gave the boat a good rinse. Everyone pitched in, helping to stow the food, return the trolleys, prepare the sails, and do small jobs that were necessary before we start sailing.

In the evening, we had a lovely dinner at Sir Charles Darling Hotel, together with Salt Lines. It was great to see some old and new faces there. It’s always great to meet and talk before setting sail. Everyone is excited and eager to go. Matt and Sharon welcomed the crew, followed by me and Jess as mates. The dinner was lovely, and then we all headed to our beds or bunks, anticipating a good rest before the early morning.

Sunday started off with safety briefings, and off we went. The sun's shining, the sea is light blue, adventure awaits!

Lena, Chief Mate Silver Fern