La Petite Australienne

Former Amer Too bowgirl Liz Wardley tells madforsailing about her latest form of hell

So what will she do now? "I want to take some time out, take a couple of weeks out doing nothing. Then looking for a job I suppose..."

However the masterplan is to get going with another Mini campaign going, with a view to racing in the Mini in 2005 unless there is a major stroke of good fortune which allows her to do it next year. So the plan is to return down under. "Chris Sayer had the unfortunate thing that his boat sank," she explains of the fortunes of the only other Mini sailor in New Zealand. "So maybe I can talk to him and maybe we can try a two boat campaign. I'm not sure what his plans are. I think if I was to do it seriously I would like to do a two boat campaign with somebody, there's a lot of developments to be done on the boats, just in the sails and stuff and it would be cool to have a playmate."

Singlehanded offshore racing in the Antipodes is at a similar state to where the UK might have been in the 1970s, had the sport not gone supernova in France. There is a smattering of races, but nothing really high profile. But Wardley says this is all changing. "The interest is definitely there. Phil Bower, the guy I sold my boat to is in Sydney and he's finished it now and is actually sailing. He'll be over in Europe soon and there's another six guys in Sydney who want one."

Meanwhile back in Cork, two legs of the Demi-Cle remain with the race leaving later today for Baltimore, before heading back to Lorient on Sunday.

Liz Wardley up Amer Sports Too's rig, after it had broken on leg 7...