UNICEF has arrived in Seattle in second place after an epic race while other teams have sustained significant damage and are limping to Seattle. My USA trip visiting the National Parks is progressing well with visits to Yosemite, Kings Valley and Sequoia National Park and Death Valley today.
You may have heard in the national and international press that Sarah Young was laid to rest in the ‘deep blue’ she chose to sail across, explore and make her home this year. The skippers and crew have been paying tribute to her and her adventurous spirit. The good ship UNICEF and myself have both crossed the International Date Line experiencing the day twice, the idea of Groundhog Day may seem like a fictional concept but in reality, it’s perfectly possible. This week has been a busy week visiting Seattle and San Francisco. Two very different cities with a big history and interesting places to visit. 
The good news that UNICEF is leading the fleet of twelve yachts across the Pacific Ocean towards Seattle is overshadowed by the news that a crew member of Ichor Coal was swept overboard and died most likely from drowning or exposure according to the race organisers.
Highlights this week were the departure of the Clipper yachts from Qingdao, including a strong looking UNICEF team, to cross the Pacific Ocean and hiking the Great Wall during a week long visit to Beijing. Sailing for the boats have been frustratingly slow this week with little wind which kept changing direction. But now they are sailing in stronger winds after rounding the Japanese peninsula heading straight for Seattle.
After a short visit to Den Helder, I met the UNICEF team again in Qingdao, China. They were busy entertaining local school children on the boat and getting ready for the next leg across the Pacific with the same skipper that took over in Albany for leg 4 to Airlie Beach. The coastal area of Qingdao was redeveloped for the 2008 Olympic Games when the town hosted the Olympic sailing races. A walking tour around Qingdao to see places less affected by the 2008 Olympic Games was therefore high on my list of things to do.