Level 1 Training

WOW!!

 

CV7
Our boat for the week

I have just returned from a crazy week on a 68 ft ocean racing yacht with all the luxury down below of a 'ghetto'.  There were 11 of us, plus skipper and his mate, from all around the world; USA, Holland, Norway, Eire, France and the UK.  An eclectic mix of wonderful people who all brought something different to life on board.

 



My space - the bottom bunk
so I didn't have far to climb

Sleeping arrangements were 'cosy' with only the privacy of the blue lee cloth which was carefully hooked on before going to sleep.  Contrary to the information I had been given before, there was room to lie on my side in the bunk but if I sat up I hit my head on the mattress above me.  The noise from 11 people, some of whom snored quite loudly, was cacophonous, but having spent many years in various boarding schools the noise was quite familiar.  One of the crew, a singer, likened his experience to being at a choral concert where there were bass, baritone, soprano and alto singers all singing different tunes at the same time.  I'm glad I was asleep.

'Mother Watch' came into being for the first time.  Two people, one from each watch, are allocated domestic duty for one day.  This involves cooking, cleaning and keeping the boat tidy.  The food was excellent with enormous portions to keep everyone's energy levels up and I have to congratulate the two skippers for their menus though one of the crew wanted to put garlic in the scrambled egg at breakfast until it was hidden away.  Guess the nationality of this crew member - yep, you're right, French!!  All meals were eaten out of large bowls, on laps, as tables are superfluous to requirements on racing yachts.

 

Learning knots

The first three days were based at Gosport with days out into the Solent where the winds were relatively light.  Lots of drills and learning to be done, including the dreaded bowline which some of us found totally confusing as 12 other people tried to give their own instructions on the best way to tackle it.

 

 

Hanging of the bow

 



View of the Spinnaker Tower
on a very foggy morning 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday morning we woke to no wind and thick fog.  We continued with MOB (man overboard) drills with the casualty lying on the pontoon, a couple of mast climbs and some winch maintenance before heading back out into the Solent.  All fixing and the maintaining of equipment is down to the crew for the entire race so getting a handle of where cogs and bolts go is an important element of the whole trip. 

 

We eventually left Gosport Marina and headed out into the Solent for three days.  But where was the wind?  The day was spent motor sailing as we headed west to Portland - but we got no further than anchoring off Osborne House on the Isle of Wight  By this time it was a beautiful and warm spring day, but useless for sailing.  The fog came back in the evening and as we took it in turns to keep anchor watch during the night the noise from the foghorns of the enormous ships, cruise liners and car ferries sounded eerie as the boats slid silently past us, while we lay only a few hundred yards to the south in shallower water. 

 

After the fog and mist cleared it was a lovely April day.  For one of the Americans on board this was his first visit to Europe and we had to convince him that this balmy weather was not always the case and that when he returns in July for Levels 3 and 4 it may well be cold and stormy.

 

 

Lying at anchor with Osborne House on the IOW in the distance

Another day of drills and this time I took the opportunity to go into the water to recover an MOB.  Difficult, as I had forgotten to take the air out of the immersion suit so my feet kept rising to the surface.  It wasn't easy, and that was with no wind and no waves, so a totally unrealistic situation.  'Bob' the MOB dummy was tethered to the boat so I didn't have to struggle for too long but I was certainly shaking when I got back on board.

Sunset as we sailed back to our
mooring on Tuesday evening

 

 



 

 

Wednesday morning saw another windless day so we took the opportunity to revisit various evolutions including racing headsail changes, reefing practice and, for me, a trip up the mast.  It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be but as the sea was flat calm there wasn't any lateral movement up at the top.  I certainly had to trust the guys on the winches down below as my life was literally in their hands.  One slip of the winch .....  I was tied on with 2 halyards so a perfectly safe exercise!!

 

 

 



The view from 25 metres above the deck





Wednesday night was spent in Cowes where we enjoyed a pub meal at The Anchor.  Lots of singing and drinking and I think a good time was had by all.  The showers were certainly appreciated though only 3 days without showering is nothing compared to the weeks that we'll remain dirty for during the race.

A chance to helm

Thursday saw us heading back into Gosport where we had to deep clean the boat before getting to leave at around 4.00 pm.  Everything moveable and immoveable has to be washed or wiped, and anything that could be put on deck to clean was put on deck.  An onerous task but with 11 of us taking part it wasn't too bad.  I landed up having to clean the galley which was an arduous task as it was hot and humid down below, but worse when the floor boards were removed to be washed down and I had to balance on the fresh water tanks.

What a wonderful week I had and I have come away even more excited about my upcoming trip.  We were lucky with the weather in that it was warm, but it would have been nice to have experienced some stronger winds and to get an idea of how the boat can move through the water.  As the sailor of a 14 ft. dinghy I could really appreciate the power of the clipper yacht.  Everything was bigger and longer, and the amount of power that is exerted on equipment is phenomenal - and we only experienced light winds.  On the positive side the light winds gave us the time to go through different drills (evolutions) without the added difficulty of trying to stay upright and tied on.  Hopefully we all have a good grounding on what is needed and can move forward to our Level 2 courses confident of a firm foundation.
  

The next thing for me is going to be 'Crew Allocation' on the 25th April - next Saturday.  This is where I find out which boat I'll be on, who the skipper is, and who the other crew members are.  This is when the race starts as we all start to prepare for departure on the 30th August.

 

My Level 2 training then starts the following day on the 26th with an 8.00 am reporting time to the 'Sea Survival' course for the first day and then five days offshore trying to get to grips with the watch system and living on a boat with everyone else while unable to get of.

 

And YES I really am going to sail around the world!!

 

 

Preparation

Going away for eleven months is quite a big thing and I am starting to 'lose the plot' under all the multi-tasking that is having to happen to prepare for it all.  There are so many different things to think about so I thought I 'd share what is going on for me at the moment.

As I see it this preparation can be divided into different categories including moving house, training, getting fit, buying kit and finishing work.  So what's it all about and how's it going.




Our potential new home
No 6, the one in the middle

I'll start with moving house - I am down-sizing, no mean feat in itself, so that I can release some capital to pay for this adventure.  But also this house is too big for us, and especially for Tom and Rebecca to look after while I am away.  We have a buyer for this one and have a town house about 1/2 mile from here that we are looking to buy.  It's all in the solicitor's hands at the moment and hopefully we will be able to move by the end of May/beginning of June.  I want to be settled and unpacked in good time before leaving the UK at the end of August.  Though I understand from talking to the solicitor today that it might not be until the end of June that we can actually move - not good news!!

The cabin is filled with
shelves of toys
 

The fun now is to sort all our belongings and try and decide what we need.  I think that after I've lived on a boat for eleven months then a room will appear enormous and possessions superfluous to requirements - or that's what I am hoping.  It's books and toys  - and they seem to be increasing in number as I write.  Because I'm not sure what I'll be doing when I get back I don't want to throw them away, but at the same time I don't want to be storing stuff unnecessarily.  What a dilemma!  Ebay, car boot sales and charity shops for the next few months should provide the solution.



Training is the next big thing that needs to be done and this consists of four compulsory weeks on one of the Clipper boats, either 68ft or 70ft depending on what's available.



For those who don't know -
this is what a bowline looks like

Level 1 is all about crewing skills and as part of the selection process I'll need to successfully complete this week before I'm guaranteed a place on the Clipper Race.  It is reportedly a 'boot camp' and that the race itself is tame in comparison.  Everyone needs to have an understanding of what it takes to sail one of these boats and considering that up to 40% of the crew have never sailed before it is an important step.  Knots - one of which, the bowline, needs to be tied with eyes closed, behind your back, under water and upside down - not literally, but they all need to become second nature.   This week is based out of Cowes and we have the luxury of mooring up each night, or so I believe.

I'm starting L1 next week, on the 10th April, and I think that this will give me a reality check.  How am I feeling about it?  Excited to be starting the training and meeting other people who are on the race, but also wondering how I am going to cope with sea sickness and living cooped up with strangers 24/7.  Once completed I'll let you know how it went - watch this space.

Learning to live at 45 degrees

Level 2 looks at offshore racing and life on board.  It teaches us to live at a 45 degree angle for prolonged periods while racing and how to work in a watch system, race with broken sleep and to sail through the night.  I think we are offshore for most of the time so will need to think about 'mother watch' - cooking and cleaning - as well as maintenance, safety, you name it, etc.  I will be doing this week at the end of April, starting on the 26th, the day after Crew Allocation.






Level 3 involves asymmetric spinnaker training and racing techniques.  Very technical, demanding and physical but a chance to hone our sailing skills.  Everything is about sail trim, making the boat go faster and understanding the weather systems that we will be racing in.  I will be taking part in L3 from the 15th to 20th May - hopefully when the weather is a bit warmer.







Level 4 will be on the boat I will be going round the world on, with my skipper and crew, so it will be a chance to discuss team tactics and to start building those relationships that will make such a difference while racing.  It's a chance to race against the rest of the Clipper fleet while practicing starts and building that psychological edge over our rivals.


I can't wait to start training later this week, to start meeting other crew and to get to sail these awesome boats.

Getting fit is going to start in earnest now that I have finished in the schools.  I'll have time to do some sort of exercise most days and once I have been out on a boat I will have a better understanding of what I need to focus on.  I understand it's mostly upper body strength and core work that needs working on so 'gym here I come'.

Buying kit is one of those activities that could easily get out of control.  The list is endless but with a luggage allowance of 20 - 30kgs for the year I am going to have to be quite selective.  We get given our outer gear plus a number of jackets so it is the base and mid layers that need to be acquired.  There is great debate about whether or not a dry suit is advisable with pros and cons for each.  It takes ages to get them on and off, but once on it will keep me dry.  I am not planning on falling overboard but having to work on the foredeck in rough weather will mean getting quite wet and cold without one. 



The other big outlay are boots, and again there is great debate as to which are the best ones to buy.  I have gone for these nice red ones which have had good reviews and are extremely comfortable, and hopefully hard wearing.

Then there are all the extras like head torch, gloves, socks, dry bags, sleeping bag, music, camera etc. etc.

Finishing work has nearly happened with schools ending just before Easter and my private work continuing until just before I leave.  I am ending with clients here at home by the end of April in the hope that we will move soon after but will continue with work away from home for a while.

So - it is all coming together and the excitement is building.  The support I am getting from friends and family is outstanding and everyone seems 100% behind what I am doing - so thank you.  As I said earlier my first level of training starts tomorrow on the 10th and I am looking forward to getting out onto the water.  There is a high pressure system over us at the moment so the skies are clear and the winds light - not ideal and it doesn't look any better for next week.  Still, I'll be able to top up my tan.

The End of an Era

On Wednesday 1st April I packed up my box of toys for the last time as I finished working with children in four Hampshire Primary Schools, three in Farnborough and one in Basingstoke. 
It was a poignant moment as I said goodbye to the school office for the last time - sad but exciting as I can now look forward to training and preparation for my journey around the world.



I have been given some wonderful gifts, bouquets of flowers and cards signed by parents, children and teachers and have taken away some precious moments of times spent with some very special children and adults. 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to my enjoyment of the work I have been doing and who have touched my life in their own individual way.





I have been working in schools since 2004, one of them for ten years, so it has been a big wrench to finally say goodbye to everyone.  I am hoping that we can still keep in touch via my blog and I look forward to returning next year when I am planning on talking to the children about my trip in a school assembly.  The idea is to give a talk before I go and then follow it up a year later when I will have photos and video clips to share.  Hopefully the children will have the opportunity to follow me and to plot the boat's position as I travel across the oceans and around the world.

I am still working here at home but with more 'free' time during the week I can now start concentrating on selling the house, getting fit and sorting out all the paperwork that needs to be dealt with before I go away.  The last thing I need to be thinking about is filling in my tax form as I head across the Southern Ocean to Australia.