The next and final batch of arrivals into Newcastle saw warm welcomes all around for the crew as they completed Race 5: Sta-Lok Endurance Test- a race that has been exactly that. There was a mixture of relief and elation on the teams faces, as they have battled upwind and windless conditions, and a tricky East Australian Current that added an extra bit of resistance on the final stretch into port.
After a hard overnight slog, at around 1400 Local Time on 3 January the wind shifted to a southerly direction, bringing an end to the seemingly endless upwind beat and providing some much-appreciated downwind conditions. This change in wind direction gave the fleet a welcomed extra boost to the Finish Line and ended the frustrating final few days of the race.
First to arrive in Newcastle on Day 3 of arrivals was sixth-placed Perseverance. The team crossed the Finish Line at 05:12:43 UTC. Perseverance had a strong start to Race 5, maintaining a good position in the frontrunning pack from the outset. The team narrowly missed out on a Scoring Gate win, but after some close racing with Qingdao the team crossed in second, picking up two extra bonus points for this race, a welcome addition to the six points gained for placing sixth.
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