Crew Blog

Fret not - we have a cunning plan

04 May 2008

Hello Friends, Family and Followers of Liverpool 08 and welcome to today’s epistle of every day life on board.

We know that you are all sitting there saying What in the name of Neptune are they doing? (Or words to that effect) – patience my dears, patience and all will become apparent - or would do, but apparently the wind (apparent or otherwise) is not behaving as predicted.

Let me start at the beginning. Our cunning plan began before we left Santa Cruz (where, incidentally we had a wonderful stopover, the Commodore, members and staff at the Yacht Club gave us marvellous hospitality and welcome – and if you ever find yourself there, the bar tender mixes a mean Bloody Mary). But I digress, after the Skipper had spoken to many of the members, the advice was clear – go offshore for the wind, as inshore the winds are light and unpredictable. So our dastardly strategy was devised, and as you look at the race viewer over the next few days you will see it all coming together. We are on course and on the best point of sail and are edging in towards the first gate without the need to alter course, whereas the inshore boats will have to gybe to avoid collision with the coast and we will sneak in, in front of them – simple, see? What was unpredictable, however, was that the inshore winds equalled our own giving the rest of the darned fleet the same distances thus putting them ahead of us, but they will still have to gybe to make the gate, so there is all still to play for and you know us – we won’t give up until the fat lady sings, and as we haven’t got one of those on board we won’t be giving up!

By comparison of the conditions which the Round The Worlders have been through so far, along with the multi leggers, this race has been a breeze, as, so far it has been all down wind, the boat is not heeled, and so sailing, sleeping and eating, as well as the daily chores, can be undertaken in relative comfort. Having said that, our three spinnakers are being used to the full, and being rotated as regularly as the wind speed changes, so everyone is getting lots of experience of sail changes, and packing spinnakers, sometimes in double quick time if the wind drops\ picks up as soon as we’ve done a hoist. All of this is done accompanied with the usual basic repartee you might expect us to have fallen into, but unless it happens at three in the morning, it’s generally done in good humour with a race from the head and the clews to meet in the middle.

At the moment we are steaming along (it’s amazing how excited you can get doing 12 miles an hour at sea) in the Tropics, so we are enjoying sunny days and balmy nights, but it will get very steamy and humid soon, the closer we get to Panama. Great excitement on deck at the moment as we have just sighted another Clipper (we think Jamaica) off our port bow – so you see, the plan is working!

Life on board is divided into watches Baywatch and Crimewatch and we rotate three hourly at night from midnight and four hourly from 9am. The chores on the boat are Mother (cooking) Navigation (doing the log and updating the positions of the other boats)
Cleaning below decks, Engineering (checking and cleaning the bilges, engine & genny checks) and deck (sailing and cleaning the deck) and we rotate those on a daily basis. The Mother Watch can be the most important in terms of moral boosting – and today’s Mothers Doris and Eleni are doing a great job, I can smell the bread from here. Doris is back on board after completing leg 4. She is doing this leg as a form of rehab as she is in withdrawal from coke (Coca Cola that is) and is substituting it with peanut butter – yes, I don’t get it either, but it seems to work for her!

All of the Newbies on board have been made to feel very welcome, and the RTWs are taking lots of time to refresh us on our training and boosting our confidence as we fit into the daily routine and finding our places as part of the crew. Each of the watches has its characters, and the stories, jokes and wit are volleyed back and forth. On this leg, half of the crew are over 50, and the young whippersnappers say we are on a Saga holiday (cheek) but I have to say you don´t get punkah wallahs (see photo) like this on any Saga holiday I´ve ever seen advertised – the staff on board are very well trained.  I was contemplating heading this blog Saga Holidays, but that’s already been done by Sir Robin Knox Johnston Renowned Single Handed Round the World Yachtsman – as he is referred to by Joff Bailey Clipper Ventures Race Director (don’t those guys have long names?)

I am on Baywatch, which is led by Mikey the monkey (so called due to his ability to scale up the mast and along the pole, his impersonation of same, and because he is cheeky) ably assisted by the amazing David P (Mr Fixit whether it needs it or not) Paul (the beard) Scannell, Tiny Tiina sail mender extraordinaire, Feargus with the charm of the Irish, and who knows more about how to make a good cup of coffee than anyone I know (but without the wherewithal to put this to the test), and then there are what are affectionately (I think) referred to as The Golden Girls – Doris, Joan and me. There is much laughter between us all, as well as hard teamwork, but a very happy watch.

Wildlife (apart from that on board) has been restricted to a couple of pods of dolphins, a single turtle with three babies on its back, a flying squid, flying fish and bright red crabs swimming under the surface. Birdlife (apart from that on board) has been a couple of skuas but really not much else – but all of it amazing to see. I know everyone talks about the sky and the stars, but it really is an amazing sight to see, and one of which you cannot tire.

There is a competition on board at the moment between us and Qingdao as to who can grow the best gaucho moustache between Santa Cruz and Panama – man or woman (no sex discrimination here). It has been pointed out to Paul he could win hands down if he shaved off his beard, but he isn’t receptive to this suggestion. If the Boat’s honour is in jeopardy, we’ll just have to shave it off whilst he’s asleep one night. Otherwise, it’s up to Ben (Galloway Skipper 07/08 Liverpool 08 Clipper Soon to be Renowned Round The World Yachtsman) and Gus. Davey P is undecided, and Mikey has decided to grow a Manfred Mann (Mills you’ll love it!?) as for the women – well you’ll just have to wait and see!

Well, that’s all for now folks, all of us on board are healthy and happy, and look forward to seeing you all again soon, so that we can regale you with tall tales of the sea ……..

Sue Haslam