I've always had this soft spot for charitable events. My natural cynicism melts when I hear of people cycling around Australia just to raise funds for the Fight Against Cancer. I mean, I just draw my credit card but those poor bastards have to cycle the Nullarbor for The Cause.

The SPLASH is similar. Lots of charitable people who usually wouldn't dream of leaving the safety of dry land felt their heartstrings being tugged offshore, in aid of the seaside communities of West-Australia. I caught up with the fleet in Exmouth, and sailed with Cap'n Westcott on his WildWest via Dampier and Broome to Darwin. About 2500 k's.

We raced in the cruising division, and I think that's why I'm a bit ambivalent about the whole expedition. We were cruising in the sense that we used the engine when the wind died down- which was almost every night. Why bother about subtle sailing when you can make up for lost time with the help of the engine? It sat a bit uneasily with me. The race took us just outside the thousands of islands and spectacular gorges of the Kimberley. But because of the racing, we didn't stop to explore. Altogether, if I race I want adrenalin and if I cruise I want to down many bottles of wine overlooking a speccy vista. To be fair to the Splash, my hair was still crusty from a week of cruising on Tracker in Shark Bay. That included a sprayblown 14 knots (eat dirt, monohulls!) off Dirk Hartog and gallons of wine at sunset with dolphins playing around the boat. Hard to beat!

Once underway, life is dictated by the watch-system. Six hours on, four off. The first day after leaving a port all seven of us would be milling about on deck, but within 24 hours the lack of sleep kept half the crew in their bunk. I did a bit of navigation when the captain was asleep, but the days of dead-reckoning and daily position fixes on the sun and stars have gone. In the few tricky situations ( sailing at night between two reefs etc) navigation kept me glued to the chartplotter and GPS below deck. Bit like a computer game, really. No winds above 25 knots, although usually on the nose. On a 42-foot keelyacht , that's a doddle.

Quite another thing are the ports. The whole Splash would get drunk on arrival, and the night before departure there'd be an auction to raise funds for the community. I don't see myself retiring in Carnarvon so I had a good look at Dampier. Unfortunately, it's a bit small and dead although the surrounding islands make for a great place to go sailing. Broome did catch my eye. A bit touristy and tropical with a fair bit of nightlife and a beautiful beach- I'm trying to get a job there for a while. And Darwin is the only town in the North Territory really. The state's so desolate, there's no speed limits. Saltwater crocs and nasty jellyfish prevent swimming, except in the beautiful pools below the many waterfalls in the nearby parks.

Anyway. It all has to be done again, with a bit more playtime. Anyone keen?