Crew Blog

Massive sense of achievement

06 February 2008

In a couple of days, we shall have reached the northern tip of the Philippines and by then, I may be the first in my family to have sailed along the southern tip of the country (yes, we passed through the Spratlys!!!) to the northern tip, where dreaded typhoons that hound my Filipinos all throughout the year pass regularly. It gives one a distinct form of gratification, not quite like getting a perfect score in an exam, but a sense of achievement that could only come from someone who grew up on an island, by the beach, have ridden various boats and experienced countless typhoons. I cannot begin to overemphasize this but in our fishing community, nobody goes out to sea beyond Force 5 and yet, here we are out at sea on stronger winds moving ever so swiftly to Qingdao.

I certainly owe this sense achievement to our ever-patient skipper and my awesome crewmates. The insufficient sleep and the battering waves (which have given new meaning to the expression “tossing and turning” in one’s sleep) could really tamper with one’s mood. I personally found it quite difficult to remain focused. And yes, I have had one too many boo boos. I am pleased to highlight to my colleagues at the ASEAN Secretariat that amongst other things, I have been thinking about the work that I will have to do when I get back to the office. I am sure my other crewmates have their own personal concerns (man, so many things come to mind at sea). Fortunately, we have continued to ride on the collective high spirits that our rank in the race has generated. It does feel good to be amongst the leading yachts.

We still have several days to go before Qingdao and on the 7th of February, Chinese New Year, I will be on mother watch with Lewis. Quite a big responsibility I think (I just hope I can dignify it by churning out good meals and a scrumptious dessert) especially that a number of crewmates celebrate the Chinese New Year (and quite a number probably celebrating it for the first time with us). Our yacht is already full of decorations! And I think we may even see fireworks albeit from a distance (Taiwan). I certainly look forward to that and hope that we could welcome the “Year of the Rat” with as much festivity and warmth as what we would do at home. Of course, we have always been a fun-filled boat (singing and dancing, on the side), so really this is just another excuse to (party and) enjoy the journey more.

Raul L. Cordenillo
(ASEAN Secretariat)