1st Crew Briefing - Jan '15

Better late than never .........  The first crew briefing was held on the 10th January up in London, just around the corner from St Katharine's Docks.  My sailing 'buddy', Victoria, and I set off on a cold, damp and windy day to join many other crew members for the first 'mass meeting', including an inspirational talk from Sir Robin Knox-Johnson.
 
It was a chance to have a look around one of the boats as well as try on some of the kit, including foul weather gear and various jackets, find out the start date and hear about a new race sponsor.








We started by visiting 'Garmin' from the 2013-14 race.  Getting back on board brought back memories from my visit two years ago but also made me realise how basic and cramped the set up is down below.  The bunks are narrow and according to someone who sailed in the 13-14 race, "Not enough room to lie on my side when lying down".  There is certainly not much 'cupboard space' so it might be quite a challenge to find somewhere for the 20-30 kgs of kit I will be allowed to take on board.




The nav station is situated towards the back of the boat to ensure easy communication with whoever is on the helm at the time, but I can't imagine it will be a comfortable ride when the boat is being tossed about in the Southern Ocean, and as someone who gets seasick easily I don't think I will be spending much time there for the first couple of days.  Shower facilities are very basic, but as they will be a rare treat maybe it won't matter too much.

 

As I walked around the boat I had a sense of excitement, but also a little voice questioning what I am about to embark on.

 

The Crew Briefing brought it all home.  The excitement in the room was tangible with lots of crew members renewing friendships that had been made during previous training weeks.  Camaraderie was evident as everyone jostled to try on kit, talk to Clipper staff, arrange insurance etc, and for me, reality was hitting.  The enormity of what I had signed up for was starting to dawn on me as I listened to Sir Robin and other Clipper staff as they made their presentations.  Not having completed any training I didn't know anyone else and my reticence to engage with others felt comfortable;  I needed to sit back, listen and observe.  I will have four training sessions and 11 months to get to know everyone else; for me there is no hurry.

 

It was announced that the race will start from somewhere in southern UK on Sunday 30th August and the boats will head straight for Rio, with the exact start location being announced later in the year when negotiations have been completed.  This is also the case for many of the other ports in the second half of the race after leaving The Whitsundays off the eastern coast of Australia in January 2016; we have to wait to hear.

 

After a quick trip to the Boat Show, Victoria and I headed home.  The start of the trip was getting closer and I couldn't wait for the next step.  Over the next few months I need to get fit, apply for visas, start buying kit, arrange for inoculations, sell the house and buy another, finish work, as well as live life to the full.  Will there be enough time to fit it all in?

 

The next big date is Crew Allocation on the 25th April.  This is when we find out which boat we will be on, who the skipper is and who the other crew are.  Some say that this is the point the race starts as teams get their race strategies prepared, start allocating jobs to specific people and for the crew to start to bond.  I believe that it's going to be the 'soft' skills of team building, communication and managing relationships that will determine how successful a crew is.  We can all learn to sail to a reasonable standard in quite a short time but it's the variance in personalities that will be more of a challenge.

 

Training for me is going to start just after Easter with Level 1 beginning on the 10th April and Level 2, along with Sea Survival, on the 26th April.  Lets hope for good sailing weather and conditions that will start to prepare me for what lies ahead.









Thank you, Victoria, for 'holding my hand' on this day - it's great to know that you are there to support me as I embark on this epic journey.

 

Why on earth am I doing this?

'Why am I doing this' you might well ask, and it's something I will often ask myself as I get into the swing of preparing to be away from the UK for about 11 months.

I first saw one of the 70 ft Clipper yachts in St Katharine's Docks in January 2013 before it set off in the 13-14 race.  A basic racing boat with few home comforts.  My sister has a friend who raced in the 11-12 race and the reports back enticed me to go along and see one of the boats and talk to Clipper staff about the possibility of joining the race in 2015.

Roll forward a couple of months and I attended a talk by someone who had completed a circumnavigation in '11-12.  The reality of what it would involve hit and I decided that it wasn't for me.  Maybe I might do a 'leg' but then I could spend that money on lots of smaller holidays and adventures.  The idea was 'put to bed'.

During the summer of 2014 I became disillusioned with work and felt that I needed something more in my life - but what?  A summer evening was spent sitting by the river in Guildford having a drink with a friend and the conversation turned to what I could do to relieve the tediousness that work and life was becoming.  Don't get me wrong, I love the work I do with children and their families but I knew something was missing from my life - but what was it?  

I had started volunteering with Frensham Pond Sailability during the summer of 2013 and I thoroughly enjoyed helping people to get out onto the water who might otherwise not be able to do so.  I was also Class Captain for the GP14 fleet, raced regularly, and had trained to be a Dinghy Instructor.  Sailing was becoming a much bigger part of my life.  I was getting a much better work:life balance and recognized that when I was out on the water or just down at FPSC that I felt better about life and myself. Maybe I could do something around sailing.

It wasn't until late November, after a tour round Windsor Castle with my university friend, Linda, that the idea of sailing in the Clipper 15-16 race was re-born.  We were sitting having tea in a small crooked tea house in the centre of Windsor when the talk went round to the 'mad idea' of sailing round the world.  One leg wasn't going to be enough of a challenge, it had to be the whole way.

The timing seemed right.  Tom and Rebecca would be 23 and 20 respectively, my mum is still in good health, I am still reasonably fit and healthy, and I will be 60 in July so what better way to celebrate.  Also having been 'institutionalized' as a child at boarding school and then uni, I felt the need to be back among other people - though maybe being cooped up with 22 others 24/7, on a boat with no escape, is a bit extreme!

I went home that afternoon and spent the evening looking up everything I could around Clipper Ventures before submitting my application form online.  By Monday I was on my way to Cardiff for an interview and to attend an information evening.  By the end of the week I had been accepted as a Round the Worlder (RTW) and I started to let work and friends know what I was up to.

Feelings were mixed - excitement at the prospect of doing the trip, feelings of 'what am I letting myself into', anxiety around leaving the family for a year, fear around potential sailing conditions in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific.  So much jumbled in my head.  But what has always been constant is the excitement of taking on this enormous challenge. Achieving something that not many other people can say they have done.  I have flown around the world at 35,000 ft and I now want to sail around at MSL.  I want to experience the enormity and power of the planet, and I feel that can only be done if I engage with what the world has to throw at me.  I have been down one of the deepest coal mines in the UK and seen enormous steel girders buckled like paper straws as they try and hold up the tunnels against the stresses and pressures of the earth.  It is now time to see what the oceans have to offer.

I know I will be scared, exhilarated, exhausted, bored, hot, cold, hungry, seasick, and anything else you can think of.  Getting on with 22 other people is going to be a challenge in itself but hopefully my counselling skills will come in good use as I try and encourage us all to build good, healthy relationships with each other.  I can see a book coming - 'Relationships at Sea' or something along those lines.  At any one time, with 22 people on a boat, 231 separate relationships will need to be managed - quite a challenge when our living conditions will be a boat sailing along at a 45 degree angle and everyone wet and cold.

40,000 miles around the world in the race of a lifetime

I am no Jules Verne but this is an account of my adventure as I travel 40,000 miles around the world as a participant in the Clipper 15-16 Round the World Race.  This entry is going to be very factual so that everyone can get up to date with what I am about to do and can follow my progress as I circumnavigate the world.  Feel free to ignore it and move onto the experiential part of the blog – no one’s watching.

In the words of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, ’The Clipper Race has changed immeasurably but its core values remain.  It is still a truly unique yacht race, open to anyone no matter how experienced or inexperienced, no matter how old, no matter what background.  The beauty of the ocean is that it doesn’t care if you are a seasoned ocean racer or a nurse on your first crossing; it still serves up the same challenges at the same intensity.  People take on the Clipper Race because they have a desire that sets them apart.  They want to live life to the full.

The easy choices in life often offer no pleasure; it is the hard and difficult challenges that bring the satisfaction of real achievement. I remember my first circumnavigation, the challenges I faced in 1968 to raise the money I needed to get my campaign up and running.  The sacrifices I had to make, that my family had to make.  My dream was always to make the globe’s oceans more accessible and to give people the opportunity to do what I had done, with far less of a sacrifice but with the same weather – gales, the Doldrums, trade winds, freezing cold and blistering heat.  You will be tested, pushed, challenged and ultimately inspired.

My challenge to you is simple – dare to dream – because something as huge as this starts with just that.  If you follow that dream, who knows where you will end up.  I promise you one thing, you will enjoy the journey.’

What is the Clipper 15-16 race all about you might well ask?  This is a bi-annual race that was first launched back in 1996, this one being the tenth.  The boats are a matched fleet of 70 ft ocean going vessels that have been specially designed to circumnavigate the world with an amateur crew.  The course takes the boats more than 40,000 nautical miles right around the world, from west to east, and crew can either sign up for the complete circumnavigation or for one or more of the eight individual legs (see map below).  This is a serious race and points are scored in a similar way to F1; 12 points for first, 11 for second, etc, with extra points for reaching a gate first, but also points deducted for, for example, rule infringements and equipment damage. 

The skipper is a professional sailor and is responsible for guiding his/her amateur crew through the vagaries of the weather and sea states, and safely back to England.  Ages vary from 18 to 70+ years with a mix of men and women from all walks of life.  Amazingly, approximately 40% of those who sign up have never sailed before.  Now that needs courage!!  If you want to find out more please follow the following links:

www.clipperroundtheworld.com – features a race tracker, with latest positions, news, videos and diaries from the boats.

facebook: /clipperroundtheworld - keep posted with the latest news, positions and competitions

twitter:  @clipperrace – keep posted with the latest news, positions and competitions

YouTube:  /clipperrtw – watch the latest video footage from the boats and see what life is like onboard

The Race Course

As of yet not all the ports have been confirmed and neither the dates of departure for each race.  These will be distributed once I know so if anyone fancies a trip somewhere exotic they will have as much time as possible to book flights etc.  Though be warned, sometimes delays mean that arrival times in ports are much later than expected.

Leg 1 – UK to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro 

30^th August – Sept/Oct 2015

Race 1 - Departing from Southern UK on the 30^th August 2015.  The exact location has yet to be announced but I will let everyone know where it will be as it would be great to see as many people as possible as I start the race.

5,200 miles

26 – 30 days

Conditions will be very varied starting with some very strong tides and currents in the Channel.  We then move into the Trade winds and Doldrums where we will experience wind holes and squalls.  Big decision, do we go around the Canaries, east or west, or straight through the middle?  Then it’s across the Equator and into Rio de Janeiro.

Leg 2 – Rio de Janeiro to South Africa, Cape Town

7^th October – late October 2015

Race 2 – Leaving on the 7^th October for Cape Town, South Africa.

3,400 miles

15 – 18 days

This will be a mad dash across the Southern Atlantic using the Trade Winds where the boats will be surfing at 30 knots and beyond.  It is a hard race and care will need to be taken to preserve equipment.  This is where the Albatross will be first seen (not to be shot!), whales are a common sight and the Southern Cross will be above our heads.

Leg 3 – Cape Town to SW Australia, Albany

31^st October – late November 2015

Race 3 – This is the ‘Southern Ocean Sleigh Ride’ as the boats cross an ocean with 80-foot high waves at close to 30 knots with nothing for thousands of miles except the boat, the crew and me.

4,750 miles

22 – 26 days

After passing the Cape of Good Hope the route will take us south across the Indian Ocean, and into the Roaring Forties and the Southern Ocean which provides some of the most extreme sailing in the world.  Strong winds, huge waves, driving rain, thick cloud cover and some very cold temperatures as winds blow up from the ice of Antarctica.  Safety and equipment preservation will be the key to doing well in this race.  We then sail south of Cape Leewin off the southwest tip of Australia and into Albany, Western Australia, where a wonderful Aussie welcome awaits our arrival.

Leg 4 – Albany to Whitsundays, Australia – this leg is comprised of three separate races

1^st December 2015 – January 2016

Race 4 – Albany to Sydney leaving Albany on 1^st December 2015.

2100 miles

10 – 13 days

Back into the Southern Ocean where conditions will be hard with huge swells, depressions and westerlies, and although a southern hemisphere spring the temperatures will be cold.  The route takes us across the Great Australian Bight where there are lots of challenging wind holes, to the south of Tasmania, across the Bass Strait and north into Sydney.

We will have approximately two weeks in Sydney during which time the boats will be lifted from the water for antifouling.  We will be doing it ourselves but have been promised all the equipment and gear – Thanks!  I have an aunt and cousins who live up in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and I am hoping for a chance to visit them.  Christmas is in Sydney but leaving for Tasmania on Boxing Day.

Race 5 – Sydney-Hobart departing 26^th December 2015

628 miles

3 – 4 days

This iconic race will be one of the

highlights of the trip as we leave Sydney 

Harbour on Boxing Day and head south for

Hobart where we spend New Year.  

Before crossing the Bass Strait, again, it 

is going to be important that we get a 

good start with clean air as we come out of

Sydney Heads.

Race 6 – Hobart – Whitsundays, leaving Hobart on 2^nd January 2016 and arriving in The Whitsundays on around 12-13^th January.

1600 miles

8 – 11 days

We cross the Bass Strait for the third time as we head north to the Whitsundays on the east coast of Queensland.  Conditions will still be tough as we get to ride the ocean swells so popular with the surfers on the east coast.  But, a Great Barrier Reef paradise will be waiting for us at the other end so hopefully it will all be worth it.

Leg 5 – Whitsundays to Quingdao, China – this long leg is comprised of 2 races which take us from south to north as we cross the equator, experience the tropics of the Indonesian islands, the South China Sea and finally the welcome in the Olympic city of Quingdao.

January – February 2016

Race 7 – Whitsundays – SE Asia.  The port in SE Asia has yet to be confirmed but I will let you know once I find out.

4,500 miles

28 – 32 days

This race will start with a tough beat north as we head towards the islands of Indonesia passing Papua New Guinea and Borneo.  The tropical temperatures will be high as we contend with the Doldrums and then the north east monsoons of the South China Sea.

Race 8 – SE Asia – Quingdao, China. 

1800 miles

12 – 16 days

This will be a race with strong upwind conditions and temperatures getting colder, with snow and ice, as we head towards Quingdao.  The welcome in Quingdao is reportedly one of the best so something to look forward to after a long hard slog north.

Leg 6 – Quingdao to West Coast USA (any one of three locations)

February – April 2016

Race 9 - A long race across the northern Pacific that is going to test everything and everyone. 

5700 miles

26 – 30 days

“After more than a month at sea, crossing the International Date Line and winds gusting above 50 knots, the American coastline may be the sweetest sight you have ever seen.”

Leg 7 – West Coast USA to Panama to East Coast USA (any one of five locations)

April – May 2016

Race 10 – West Coast – Panama

3300 miles

21 – 25 days

Back south to warmer climes with important tactical decisions – offshore or stay inshore.  The winds get fluky the closer to land you sail, but further offshore the currents can’t help but a more consistent wind can.  Decisions!

Panama Canal Transit – one of the engineering wonders of

the world

45 miles

12 hours

Race 11 – Panama – East Coast (any one of five locations)

2100 miles (approx)

13 – 15 days

Sailing north through the Caribbean, unfortunately 

missing the GP14 Worlds in Barbados in March, and out

into the Atlantic.  Heat, trade winds, squalls,

thunderstorms, all out to challenge as we head towards

 the East Coast USA.

Leg 8 – East Coast USA to Derry/Londonderry to Europe to Southern UK

June – July 2016

Race 12 – East USA – Derry/Londonderry

2300 miles

13 – 17 days

The last ocean crossing with one waypoint to keep us well south of any risk of ice, and across the Flemish Cap of ‘The Perfect Storm’ fame.

Race 13 – Derry/Londonderry – Europe (port not confirmed)

800 miles

4 – 5 days

Round the north of Scotland this race will be heavily influenced by the depressions that cross the Atlantic much further north in the summer – it will be testing, either because of strong winds or because the winds are light and variable.  We will be frustratingly close to home but with still one race to sail.

Race 14 – Europe – Southern UK

250 miles

2 days

The last ‘blast’ as we take the final race back to the UK.  The overall winner will be confirmed and after final farewells to crew members that have become firm friends it will be back to reality as we all try and pick up the pieces that were left behind 11 months ago.  And it will be a challenge!