Race 3 - Day 14
Crew Diary - Race 3 Day 14: Cape Town to Fremantle
14 November

SECOND OPPORTUNITIES

Sometimes we all aspire to have a second opportunity in life. It isn’t necessarily because something went wrong nor because we want to change something, it could be with the intention of having the same experience in a slightly different way. Who wouldn’t want to have another attempt at that failed date or that work interview which didn’t go completely to plan? However, nobody can rewrite history.

For some bizarre reason, I find myself again sailing across the Southern Ocean: “The Himalayas of the Oceans,” as Sir Robin likes to call it. The routine of the watches and duties, the anatomy of the waves, the endless skies in uncountable shades of grey, the cold in my hands, the company of my buddies and the heeling of the boat, all come flooding back to me. Everything is similar and yet not the same, except for the sublime flight of the albatross around our small and fragile world. In the end, we live the experiences and create our own memories depending on our state of mind at the time; the reality is that we sieve out our feelings.

At the helm of CV29, I find myself surfing the waves with my head spinning with the “things and moments.” Imagine rising from the now-empty companionway the serene smile of Karri, the commitment of Jan, the craziness of Dana, the cackling of Tino’s laughter or the calm wisdom of Huw. It’s a strange feeling. But it doesn’t bother me because although they are an important part of my life, now I have the excitement of Helen, the insanity of Al, the serenity of Andy, the energy of Zuzana, the good-naturedness of Greg and the perseverance of Chris.

The one person I don’t miss is Jesse because I have Thomas behind telling me: “You are too high, too high!”. Then I snap back to reality! I need to focus…