Race 10 - Day 12
Crew Diary - Race 10 Day 12
19 April

The element of truth to being an Our Isles and Oceans crew member on Leg 6

To past and future Our Isles and Oceans crew, supporters and most importantly my kiwi family and friends – Ahoy!

Your favourite New Zealand OIAO blogger (favourite, not only) is back. With time on my hands this standby I have put my fingers to use with the vain hope that any movement at all might warm my body by even one degree Celsius. Plus, it stops me snacking from the world’s largest chip packet – 5ft of Pringles has made its way on board, I kid you not.

The cold of Leg 6 was foretold, and our forebears did not lie. There certainly is a reason less people in the world have circumnavigated than have climbed Mount Everest, and I think this North Pacific crossing may play a large role in this statistic. One can try to mentally prepare for the challenges that this biting cold will produce, but really surviving this leg is about adaptation. The truth is that as you get colder it takes so much of your body’s energy to even just stay warm that tasks can take longer and be more physically exhausting than usual. Hence, I am banging the two brain cells that have yet to freeze over together to try and create some creative blog content, bringing to you a play on the 4 elements to give you the truth about surviving Leg 6 on board our vessel CV21 (Charlise Victoria 2 – 1 to those in the know).

(1) Water
Water is undoubtedly the easiest element to talk about. Our body is composed of so much water that in these temperatures I do sometimes worry that I will turn into a human iceberg, but alas I appear to still be somewhat mobile and therefore still a turning cog in the engine of OIAO’s crusade to cross the mighty North Pacific.

Something that blows my mind is the sheer volume of water we are surrounded by (I do understand the irony seeing as I signed up to sail around the world for a year). Clearly, we are surrounded by a vast ocean seeing as we are undertaking such a large crossing, but more than that water is above, below, behind and beyond us. During Leg 3 (the Southern Ocean) I wrote that water was spilling through the companionway onto unsuspecting victims below and condensation was dripping from the ceilings. In Leg 6 we have added to this further with the extreme cold resulting in constant dripping noses, hands so saturated with water after a deck shift it feels like the skin is a sponge itself, and we mobilise with a misty envelope of breath surrounding us. Once permeated, fabrics below never dry until the fresh breeze of land heralds our welcome.

Charlise Victoria has also been trying to get her fair share of water, and retain it, with us playing a little game of cat and mouse with bilge buckets being emptied daily. Water is not always bad however, not only does it provide our vessel a medium for momentum, but it also when heated provides nourishment in the form of hot drinks and delicious meals, including the addition of noodle soups which are a new crew favourite. Water is therefore a resource we treasure, yet at the same time can be a source of much crew frustration and resentment!

(2) Fire
Warning: heavy levels of cheese ahead (mozzarella, and a little blue)

For those that have sailed on Our Isles and Oceans, it would be a universally acknowledged truth that there is something special about this team. There is a feel of family and kinship quite unique to this group of previous strangers that have banded together to achieve something remarkable. It feels like the team is constantly aiming for improvement; success is not only defined by ticking off mile by mile, but also in our accomplishments (both big and small) as highlighted by our most recent race win, and the fact that Steve M just pulled off a solo cooking effort of a quad mac and cheese.

The fire within this team is ever more important to sustain us in this wintry landscape. There is no doubt that OIAO is currently facing some of the toughest conditions that mother nature can throw at us. Crew members are cold, wet, suffering sleep deprivation and the supply of food and what can be produced is limited on board… a pessimistic person might even liken this to a torture prisoners might face to break people! Certainly, some shifts are Type 2 fun, but Leg 6 crew are crazier than most having signed up for this leg with all the facts presented to them. As our team coordinator David Spence once stated and summarises what must be endured at times… “We were naive enough to start this race, and stubborn enough to finish.” Race 10 will push every crew member to their limits, and perhaps further, but there is no doubt in my mind that those onboard OIAO are up for the challenge and most importantly will not suffer a sense of humour failure on my watch.

(3) Air
Temperature: have I mentioned yet how cold it is? My motion down the companionway yesterday got likened to a Thai Chi masterclass if that gives you any indication. If people aren’t layered in at least 4 layers its game over… dragon breath on deck, below deck and even in sleeping bags. Rain that is sleet, waves that crash over the deck causing immediate brain freezes, and gloves that are pillars of ice.

Wind: ten-fold more variable than what I expected; ranging from systems forecasted to bring 50-60knots, through to wind holes. If there is anything less pleasant than holding a spinnaker sheet, it’s doing so in a subzero wind hole dreaming of a dry bed, hot shower and pizza.

Sound: whilst huddled under sleeping bags the game of guessing wind speeds based on the rushing sounds of water, flapping of sails and grinding of winches is one I did not expect to be playing. Can confirm accuracy is low, however the cacophony of sound is certainly enough to keep some awake whilst in a storm. Lorraine, one of our round-the-world'ers (RTW’ers), gave sage advice as a check helm the other day, which was even when the wind speeds are triple what we normally helm in, to blanket out the noise surrounding you and instead zone in on the compass and feel of the deck below your feet. It seems everything is louder on this leg – wind, waves, banter, and Lachy’s newest bathtub tunes on deck (...murder podcasts…).

(4) Earth
For some reason the conditions on Leg 6 have made everyone contemplative. In the periods of silence whilst lying in one's bunk, or sometimes in the crashing waves and gales outside there is a lot of time for one to pause and think... perhaps to ground oneself. Though to truly understand what being brought down to earth means, one needs to experience trying to pump the heads at a 40-degree heel!

Crew find themselves reflecting on a variety of topics – what they hope to accomplish this leg, what achieving this sailing milestone will mean to them in terms of their next adventures, and what the North Pacific has made them realize about themselves.

In the short term the hope of land beckons us… the Clipper Race version of the ‘American Dream’. It’s not difficult to start a slippery slope of thinking about what one desires when we arrive in Seattle – but sailing also makes you realize how few possessions and comforts one really needs to still feel fulfilled. For me, the more long-term goal of arriving back in New Zealand in August is a factor driving me forwards; to reunite with loves ones and to enjoy the simple things such as sand between my toes, walking in our native bush, and even to think about how to drive something with wheels again!

But for now, it’s time to soldier on; as Max says… “Everything only takes two seconds of courage” and unfortunately, we still need about 2 weeks' worth.

By Katie Mulholland