Crew Blog

Sense of Accomplishment

10 December 2007

One of the most common questions asked by family and friends is, “Are you having fun?” I tend to say “yes” but the truth is, the answer is usually “no”.

We are over half way to Fremantle but we are 200 miles behind the fleet: not fun. We just tore our spinnaker: not fun.  Al has started repairs, aside from getting high on the acetone cleaner, it is tedious work. Jen, Bob and Nick having wet sleeping bags from a wave down the forward hatch: not fun. Having galley duty with a 30 degree angle of heel: miserable if not dangerous. Trying to steer a steady course while the skipper is out on the end of the boom in the middle of the night: nerve wracking. Trying to sleep in a forward bunk while we bash into headwinds and seas: impossible. Getting called on deck when you are “off watch”: great fun and we are always glad to help (not really). Getting Nate out of his bunk anytime: not fun. Going on watch after not sleeping: exhausting. Sail changes in the middle of the night in building seas and increasing wind: demanding. Whoops, pulling a head sail back on board: wet and wild.

I didn’t sign up for a “fun” trip. This is a challenging adventure and at sea it is all about meeting the challenges, about persevering, about succeeding. On Leg 2 success was measured in part by winning the race (see photo). On this leg success is measured in part by our seamanship in expeditiously getting injured crew back to Durban and rejoining the race three days late. We take pride in our effort.

I know when our boat gets tied up to the dock in Fremantle the sense of accomplishment is the magic that will overwhelm any of the grind from the passage. It has been the same in La Rochelle, Salvador and Durban. It will be magic when we arrive in Fremantle. It literally happens within minutes of arriving. For me that moment has always been tinged with emotion; I feel the magic.

We’ll laugh and joke in Freo as we have in past ports. The sleeping bags will dry, we’ll catch up on sleep, the less favoured boat meals will become funny. We’ll remember the smiles when the scheds (6 hour position reports) showed us gaining on the fleet. We’ll, remember Bob’s innovative laundry technique, Felicity’s positive attitude, Hen’s 30 degree cake, and crew in shorts and sandals on a sunny afternoon in the Southern Ocean. It will be fun. Not as much fun as arriving in Durban as the winning boat, but fun.

I’ll call home and talk to family and friends and they will ask if I’m having fun. “Yes”, I’ll honestly say, “It’s been great fun”. And it comes from having met the challenges of an ocean crossing; from having a sense of accomplishment.

Gary Purdom