Crew Blog

Same, same, but different

13 April 2008

Joining a new boat for my last race with Clipper has been a bit of an eye opener in more ways than one. Although the yachts are the same, almost everything is different. Fittings and equipment below decks, that I had assumed were standard on all the boats, are not present on New York. I have decided this must be down to the impact of the cohort of mature ladies circumnavigating on westernaustrlia2011.com, making the boat very much their own for the duration of their ten-month journey around the world.

On decks things look much the same, but the management style and methods of working are vastly different. Ropes, guys and sheets (or bits of string as our skipper might call them at times) are sometimes run or used slightly differently to my WA indoctrination, and helming seems dominated by statistics. Then there is terminology and accents. I have come across a few new terms – like feathering - and had to ask what? Will it ever make sense? Then there are the accents; US Maine from our youngest crew Nate, US Seattle from Gary, an assortment of English including my ‘Northern’ accent and the skipper is a quietly spoken Scot. Lip-reading and intense concentration are required on deck when its windy, when hats are worn or you are just getting a bit deaf. Bit of a nightmare when all three apply!

What is the same, though, is sharing an amazing experience with a bunch of very different folk who, despite their varied life and sailing experiences, are making the last part of my journey memorable and enjoyable.

Sea life is still not too abundant, although I did find a squid on deck the other morning and from the mess on my boots it could have landed on my feet as it came on deck. Or I walked on it in the dark - ugh. I have seen a few flying fish, and there were some dolphins alongside a couple of nights ago – so we must be far enough away from Japan for them to be less wary of boats. I have told my watch all about the Laysan Albatross we found on Midway Island, and how the tiniest piece of plastic lost overboard can cause the death of an Albatross chick whose gut is already overloaded with plastic junk.

Yesterday I was mother and, luckily, had a menu I could cope with – cakes, bread and stew – so my crew mates think I can cook (!) I can hear friends and family laughing from here, knowing I would rather pull weeds in the garden or paint a door than get busy in the kitchen. The bleach also came out, and things got a good going over while the decks were relatively flat.

Yesterday we also put up a Spinnaker – not my favourite sail after my experience in the snake pit during a serious broach on WA. This morning we were struggling with very light winds, had over 800 miles to go to our finish, and absolutely no idea of the race status, not having received a ‘Sched’ for at least 18 hours. This afternoon things are totally different. Headsails are up and we are beating into the wind, so there is a nice lean to life once again. Oh, and the schedule arrived properly and we find we have dropped to third place. Our close rivals of late, Hull & Humber and Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, are behind us for now, but the top two places have been taken by yachts which took a more northerly route and, at the moment, seem to have found more favourable winds. This is where – despite the planning, skill and concentration of the crew – places and races can be lost and won simply by luck. So here’s hoping this is just a blip; that we did make the right decisions and we have good luck. And as our skipper just said – its not over yet.

1. Kerry, Brisbane 14 April 2008

Glad to heard you are enjoying your new boat and crew, Eileen. Very interesting to hear of the differences. Wonder what the ‘cohort of mature lady circumnavigators’ think about all that?? Since “wa” is not in this race, I am cheeering for “NY” this time. Go for Gold!! Lots of good wishes to all the crew there (and a special Hi to Mark - did not catch you in Qingdao). Kerry

2. Linda, Banbury Oxon 14 April 2008

Eileen you sound as if you are enjoying every minute, so pleased your last part of the leg is going well. Come on NY you are in second place and its open season. Good luck
Love LindaXX

3. andi, stirling 14 April 2008

hiya mum! so glad you are having fun!!! and you can cook...but no chicken and peppers?! i am now intrigued...what would a cohort of mature ladies have as equipment and fittings below deck?! the mind boggles..Keep up the good work NY crew and GO GO GO!!! love andi xxxxxxx

4. Jo, London 14 April 2008

Only 439 nm to go at 1800 on Monday - great stuff but catch that gruesome two-some asap! Rowing madly again! LOL Jo x

5. Val Marshall, Hedon,East Yorks.England 15 April 2008

Hi Eileen, great to see you are enjoying your last race - and what a race it is! Thought
I recognised your writing style, and the mention of pulling up weeds made me sure it was you. Enjoy the remainder of the race, and good luck for the outcome! As I’m sure you know, my loyalties are a little torn at the moment! Be safe. Love,Val

6. John Reynolds, london, england 15 April 2008

Nearly there Justyn. California must nearly be in sight now. John

7. Paul Loasby, Melbourneish 16 April 2008

Eileen - Keep up the good work. The Aussies never understood what you were saying anyway - they always had to ask me for a translation. Paul

8. andi, stirling 16 April 2008

WWOOHH!!! Its 1.30 pm and I think you may have finished...either second or third?? Can’t wait for the next update Well done all on NY and mum, so glad you finished your last leg racing!!! Did I say I’m so very proud of you?! Will tell Bel (phoning her tonight) xxx

And thank you NY crew for letting eileen jump ship; best of luck in the remainder of the race. My mum may not be racing but I’ll still be watching (although i’ll be egging the WA crew on!)

9. Heidi Meyer, Marin County, CA 16 April 2008

Gary—Congratulations on a great leg! We will try to get to Santa Cruz to say hello on 18th, but not sure it will work out. Super sailing!!

Heidi

10. Linda, Banbury Oxon 16 April 2008

Team NY well done a great finish, congradualation on your 3rd place. See you in Santa Cruz Eileen take care love Linda X

11. keith, morpeth 16 April 2008

Hi New Yorkers,
Congratulations on another good race - make the most of a few days rest from the ‘SOS’ before the action starts again. Jo should be up for rowing the boat if you run out of wind she has been rowing her desk since September.
Keith

12. Doug Brown, Dumfries, Scotland 16 April 2008

Congratulations and well done NY crew, another solid podium performance on your climb up the overall leader board. Enjoy the short rest (if Duggie allows any) before the next leg. Good luck, Doug.

13. Jo, London 17 April 2008

Congratulations - what a great team! LOL Jo xxxx

14. andi, stirling 17 April 2008

Ooh mum, just seen the finish photos - you look so like cousinTina! xxx can’t wait to hear from youxxx

best of luck NY crew in the remainder of the race! Enjoy santa cruz xxx

15. Don Krafft, Sunnyvale, California 18 April 2008

Hi Duggie,

How’s it going? This is Don Krafft from Me to You. I live in Northern California and I’ll be down in Santa Cruz tomorrow (Friday) evening. Will you be around? I’d like to stop by and say hello. I’ll also be back when Ricky gets in.

I hope all is well.

Don

16. Steve Cook, London 19 April 2008

Joanna & The New York Crew, I have been watching your great team performance with much excitment keep up the good work.
Best wishes to you all.

Steve xx

17. Georgi Curtis, Leamington Spa, England 23 April 2008

Hi, I’d like to say hi to Joanna Lloyd-Davies who has just joined NY. Good luck and have fun! I can’t wait to hear about your experience and adventure - sounds awesome!
Lots of love Georgi, Sean, Basil and Olive xxxx

18. Stewart & Lorraine Nicholson, Perth W Australia 26 April 2008

Well done Duggie & Crew.You are amassing some points now.We await the Panama Canal with great interest.Will follow you all the way home.Luck & good sailing be with you all.Stewart

19. Polly, Maidenhead 28 April 2008

Message for Joanna Lloyd-Davies - New York:

Hi Joanna, congratulations on surviving your first week without mascara and hair straighteners. We know the race will be a breeze in comparison!!! We really admire you we couldn’t do it (or the sailing for that matter). Thinking of you, keeping all your clients and candidates happy - don’t worry everything is under control.
Lots of love Polly and Helen xxxx

Page 1 of 1 pages