If you look at the geography and the prevailing trade winds, it's pretty obvious that to sail around the World today (if you start in Northern Europe) then you have to sail South across the Atlantic and then either go East or West.  Going East is far more sensible.

With this reality in place, it becomes likely that Brazil and South Africa are going to be two of the first ports of call. Going East, Western Australia makes sense and then you have to get to China for the Qingdao stopover (which is not to be missed for spectacle).  Whilst in Oz though, it seems appealing to compete in the Sydney Hobart Race so continuing East, either around New Zealand or Tasmania, Sydney has been a regular stop for the last few races. Before that New Zealand and then Australia's Gold Coast were stopover ports.

Leg 4 is, therefore, usually Western Australia to East Coast Australia, perhaps including the Rolex Sydney Hobart after Christmas and then a short hop back up the East Coast. The leg needs to advance the race to China. Going East around Australia makes some sense as there's a large continent on our doorstep.

Because it's Christmas Sydney Hobart is a possibility. Then you need to go North to get around Australia and back towards China. This means lots of races The advantages to Leg 4 are, in my opinion, as follows;

PROS

• More than one race per leg (usually). The leg has previously been split into as many as 4 different races. As a 'legger' one of the big advantages is that if one race goes wrong due to breakage (people or yacht) then you still have more bites at a podium.
• In the past, there have been some great stopovers on Leg 4. Plenty of fun stopovers (and a long stopover in Sydney sometimes) makes for a fun time. However, I noticed the fleet has just had copper anti-fouling treatment, so the Sydney stopover may not be as long in future (they used to lift the boats to apply antifoul at this halfway stage).
• Southern Ocean! You get to dip into the Southern Ocean again. A real box-ticker for most sailors.
• Sydney Hobart. OK, so you've already done more Southern Ocean miles that a Sydney Hobart racer before you get to the start line, but the race has real kudos and that first reach down to The Heads in Sydney Harbour is a real blast and worth experiencing.
• Weather - It's the Southern hemisphere's summer when you're there, so generally the weather is good. OK, the Southern Ocean always has the potential to be a cold and ornery beast - but the sail North is usually good and the Coral Sea in January is a nice place to be (except for the Cyclones).

CONS

• Australia is a long way from the UK. If you're resident in Europe, Oz is an expensive return fare if you are doing one leg.
• You are away from home for Christmas... Of course, some people might see this as a benefit!
• No Ocean Crossing - You get the Southern Ocean. But you don't get to cross an Ocean. If that's important to you, this may be a deal breaker but read on..
• It's Cyclone season. These monsters are very predictable and the race works around any forecast problems, but this can change the timetable. That said, this is normally relevant to Leg 5, not leg 4.

All in all, I'd say Leg 4 is a good leg. It has several races, it's set in a great part of the World and there are iconic events and locations all around you and a mix of conditions. What's not to like?

Also known as one of the 'glory legs' because you get to start the race with all its associated excitement, leg 1 is a long leg (about 5,000 miles). Sometimes split into two races, the leg takes you across the North Atlantic, the Doldrums and equator and delivers you to the southern hemisphere on the South American continent. It is generally warm (sometimes very hot) and the weather is generally less demanding than most of the other legs - although you will see what you think is big weather along the way.. That's until you've finished leg 3!

Pros

You cross an ocean and sail from Europe to South America - that's pretty cool.

As the first leg, you get to leave as a team. You also get to enjoy all the razzmatazz at race start including prep week which I really enjoyed as it gets you into the whole spirit of the thing!  That said, you can do prep week without being Leg 1 crew.

You have all received the same training and have the same experience on a Clipper race boat . You will be entering this adventure together and you are all equally good - and bad!

The round the world crew and the leggers are all pretty much equal and you are all learning as you go.  It's a learning leg for all the teams and you get to know the boat, the crew and probably yourself pretty well as a result!

The weather is varied. There's a chance you'll get a blow as you go through Biscay and you can't generally expect to cross an ocean without seeing some bad weather, but lots of the race is in trade winds and so there should be lots of sun tan cream, shorts, T shirts and spinnaker flying. It's also quite tactical as the Canaries and the crossing into the Southern Hemisphere need to be considered carefully.

You cross the equator, so Neptune will pay a visit (usually in the form of the skipper or a crew member dressed in odd clothing with a bucket on his head). Pollywogs become shellbacks and it all gets very sticky.

Arriving in Rio after a long sea passage is pretty special with Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer towering over you (assuming Rio is the destination). It doesn't get much better than that. The beer is cold and the rum is cheap - at least I think it was - I don't properly recall.

If you are combining a leg with travel then landing in South America is pretty good. I know several people that do 2 or 3 legs and travel continents in between. That's a great way to spend a year!

Leg 1 is fairly rare in that as a UK-based 'legger' you only have to fly one way. If you don't like flying, that's a bonus.

CONS

This leg is probably one of two relatively 'easy' legs. That's not to say it's easy. By no means is that the case. Racing across any ocean is never easy. But when you consider some of the other legs, Leg 1 is generally acknowledged to be less 'sporty', less uncomfortable - and warmer! If you consider this to be a pro rather than a con, then Legs 1 or 7 are generally for you - that said, the odd tropical storm can make for interesting sailing.

A large part of the whole race is downwind (which is good), but Leg 1 especially has large sections of downwind sailing in what are generally referred to as 'champagne sailing' conditions. You should get pretty good with the light and medium weight kites but before you do you're likely to damage one or two spinnakers. If you are a sail repairer you'll be busy!

My experience of the race was that in the first couple of races, racing is generally not as close as the last few. The fleet tends to close up as everyone (in particular the round the world crew) become more experienced and they gel into a team. So leg 1 might not be quite as close on the water as leg 8 for example.

The biggest downside of Leg 1 for me is that you don't get the days and weeks of surfing down monster waves that you will almost certainly experience on legs 3 and 6 in particular. If you want a really wild ride and a full-on 'testosterone challenge' then legs 3 and 6 are for you. The two toughest legs in my book, you get to experience the Southern Ocean and North Pacific at their raw best, and worst.

That's my view but if you have a different take on things, please feel free to comment below. If this blog is helpful please consider liking and sharing on Facebook.