Race 7 - Day 7
Crew Diary - ​Rubber Duckie Race
01 March

Cecilia Henry-Roitberg and Michelle Neveklovska

First off, we’d like to explain to our mothers (and yours, probably) what the current race course is. We’ve gone northwards, around some Japanese islands and now we are on our way back to Subic Bay. The race may have been designed just to allow Subic Bay to restock on wine, allowing Michelle another crack at decimating the wine inventory. However, after beating upwind,* for five days Michelle and I have decided we have come up with a much more acceptable alternative race to the current one we are in, should the race office require any assistance next time.

Race Start day will begin like all others. All crew members to be at the boats by 11:00. Skipper dockside meeting to take place. Crew photos - full team kit, no hats or sunglasses. Slip lines at 12:00. Parade of Sail 13:00. Man overboard drills following the Parade of Sail until 14:30. Ten minute warning 14:50, four minute warning 14:56, one minute warning 14:59. Race Start 15:00.

Each crew will place one rubber duckie in the water, labeled with the appropriate CV number. Engines can then be turned on and boats motored back to shore. A cooler of beer will be made available to all returning vessels (wine for Michelle). Crew is then welcome to attend the bar at the Subic Bay Yacht Club, where gin and tonics are available at a reasonable price. There, a live screening of the rubber duckies floating back to shore will be broadcast. Teams are encouraged to cheer on their duckie. Cherie has volunteered to provide media coverage from a small row boat (as long as Pringles are provided).

Podium positions will be appointed according to the order of arrival of rubber duckies back into port. There will, of course, be an ocean sprint section to the race. Points will be awarded according time taken to complete the designated ocean sprint section. A scoring gate will be placed 0.1nm port of the entrance to the Yacht Club. Strict six hour time penalties will be given to any boat found to have tampered with their rubber duckie.

Given the unpredictability of the possible arrival of the rubber duckie fleet, the arrival window will be 10 days following the Race Start. Points will be awarded to the team whose rubber duckie has returned to port. Any team found to be ‘encouraging’ their duckie in the right direction will be disqualified and must make a donation to Unicef.

During the race period the Subic Bay Yacht Club bar will be open 24/7. The beers, wine, gin, rum, vodka, tequila, etc. will be flowing. Please note food may take 1-2 hours to appear after an order has been made.

There will be no deep clean.

*For those who have not experienced beating upwind: The boat has been heeled over at 20-30 degrees for most of this time, with frequent banging of the hull against waves. Boom, boom, crash.