The sun has finally come out and shone its warmth on an emotional welcome for the crew of Uniquely Singapore. A decent sized swell delivered the yacht, flying her middle weight spinnaker, under the massive span of the Golden Gate Bridge in to the calm of the bay and several local yachts came over to add their welcome. With the hood missing from her companionway hatch and a buckled wheel, the signs from her knock down in a major Pacific Ocean storm were clear to see. But what was also clear to see was the indomitable spirit of her crew.

    As the media RIB carrying Clipper’s photographic and TV team approached, a sea of smiling faces gave a huge cheer and it was immediately obvious that they have come out the other side of a major challenge with their famed Keppel ‘can do’ attitude firmly intact.

    As they prepared to enter the marina, a crowd of well wishers gathered on the sea wall. In amongst the crowds were the parents of Jonathan Hays who have made the trip out to California to surprise him. Jonathan is a round the world crew member and the delight at seeing his Mum and Dad was clear.

    Another person craning to get her first glimpse was Sherry Dobie, wife of Uniquely Singapore’s skipper Jim. The lines had barely snaked to the pontoon before they were in each others arms and it was obvious that this was a long awaited moment. The last time Sherry saw Jim was four months ago when they celebrated Christmas together in Australia. This time, she was embracing her man with the knowledge that he had gone through a major storm that had knocked the boat down and swept him and several of his crew overboard. It was thanks to their safety lines that all were here to be enjoying such a sweet moment.

    He said,”This race has delivered the worst sailing conditions I have ever been through in my life and it was relentless. It wasn’t just a low coming through; it was low after low, storm after storm. It was pretty frightening to be knocked down but we got over it and although the boat was pretty damaged we knew we had to get it sorted and carry on.

    “The crew were superb in the way they handled the situation. Not one of them winged, complained or moaned even though a lot of them were bruised and battered. They all got on with what they had to do and it was an incredible team effort and an amazing thing to be part of.”

    German round the world crew member Detlef Rueskamp was one of the crew who also had to depend on his safety line when he too was taken overboard by the power of the rogue wave. He went from his wife to each of his three daughters in turn and the depth and strength of their embraces made it clear that this too was a very special reunion. To have husband and father safely in their arms again meant that tears fell freely – not just for the family but for those who were witnessing such a precious moment. Detlef’s finger sported a huge bandage but when asked about the injury, he brushed it away as nothing.

    Simon Hope was also sporting a cut above his right eye, which had been fixed with steri strips to hold the wound together. As ever, the London taxi driver dismissed his cut with a hearty laugh and like the rest of his crew mates, enjoyed the first of what is likely to be many beers.

    “I am feeling pretty overwhelmed” he said. “It’s been a long and arduous journey and to finally get here is quite a thing. It was immense, absolutely immense the whole way. To be out there and see the forces of nature was almost biblical in its intensity. It’s a massive achievement to arrive here today in to this breathtaking scenery and harbour and its going to take a few days to reflect on our journey and properly understand what we have been through”.

    Pat Wickenden who sailed in on the winning Cape Breton Island was there to meet her husband.Steve. Back in Qingdao, Steve had said that if his wife beat him in to San Francisco, then she could make her own way home. They laughed to be reminded of that and he accepted the upside of having his wife here first is that he now has a nice hotel room already sorted which they will head to tonight. For all the crew, a shower, a bed of cotton sheets and some fresh food will be high on their agenda.

    Many spoke about the night when even running under bare poles, they were still reaching extraordinary boat speeds. Nicole Ho attempted to explain the noise and the scale of the storm and while her account was suitably chilling, she was adamant that she had not been able to paint a true and proper picture. Australian Megan Thomas said that although the experience had been a frightening one, it had given her rich insight in to the power of the ocean and what the yacht was capable of. She is now willing the arrival of her partner John, who is racing on Spirit of Australia.

    Having completed his leg of the race, Bart Kregersman, a research engineer at Keppel Seghers in Belgium and one of four employees sponsored by Keppel to take part, is looking forward to sharing tales of his adventure with his friends and family back home.

    Reflecting on their knock down, Bart says, “I remember going up with my watch at night and we were sitting there thinking that it was calming down and then out a nowhere a massive wave hit us. I was smacked on to the floor of the cockpit and must have been underwater for about ten seconds. When I looked around the hatch was gone, the boom was swinging everywhere and the steering wheel was bent.

    It’s a pity we didn’t get a podium as it would have been great to get another pennant for Keppel but we’re arrived safely and I’ve had a great time. It was cold, it was windy, it was rainy but we survived it and here we are in the sun. Happy days!”