Race 3 - Day 15
Crew Diary - Race 3, Day 15
09 November

Being a Watch Leader

Hey everybody back home!

I hope you have all enjoyed watching Leg 2 and the ‘dot’ that is Black Betty making her away across an almighty ocean that has truly tested our resolve. This leg I have had the privilege to be the Watch Leader for one of the Watches, known as BayWatch (except rather than red and yellow swimsuits and tanned bodies, we are clad in six to eight layers with yellow foulies on top and very soggy crinkled skin underneath)! It is an opportunity I had hoped for at some point, but as an inexperienced sailor I had not expected to get the chance until beyond Leg 4. I thought I would use this blog to introduce the ten crew that make up the watch and mention a few of our challenges. In doing so I must apologise to the family and friends of the other watch who will not get a mention, but I assure you they are all here, alive and well!

Paul Widdowson is a Kiwi who graciously took the NZ defeat at the Rugby World Cup in his stride. He is a hugely experienced sailor and is also our bosun. He manages to fix everything and anything. Both the zips on the heads cubicles had broken at the same time – making going to the loo a very public event! During his standby watch and with a can of silicone, he quietly sorted the problem, much to the delight of many, particularly the female crew. Paul is happiest on the bow but as one of our key helms, he spends most of his time there. I am truly grateful to Paul for supporting me in my role, particularly with the more technical elements. He is the most stalwart of the team, always available for anything and adds value to everything he touches.

Mark Southey is our media man. He is responsible for the majority of photographs and media that you receive including generating these blogs. Without his passion, our journey would not be captured with such energy and style. Mark suffers really badly with seasickness. He has my respect for his dogged determination through such an uncomfortable condition. He is also a pie and chips man and so is not sure of most of our dishes are pasta or rice based. We are suggesting he should market the ‘Clipper Race Diet’ as he is a shadow of his former self.

Tom Sloan excels in detail and high standards. Noticed most predominantly below deck you can tell when he is involved. We get the cleanest heads, cleanest galley and the food is prepared with a real flair, even in such limited and restrictive conditions. He was our victualler for Leg 1. Having never done anything like it before he worked diligently and tirelessly to provide food for 24 people for five weeks. It does not surprise me that we ate like Kings for the duration. Happy to be on deck wherever is required, Tom’s previous experience enables him to advise and coach those of us with less experience.

Susie Blair, also a Kiwi who believed passionately her team would be victorious. So much so the galley was donned with All Blacks paraphernalia – which quietly disappeared on semi final day! Susie describes herself as a free spirit with little regard for status. It was inevitable with my military background our ideologies would clash, but I think we have learned to mutually respect each other Susie adds real value on deck to the team. Most happy on the bow but with awareness across the whole boat she will usually be seen running to solve a problem with a grin on her face.

Brad Howie is Canadian. An inexperienced sailor with no more time on the boat than any of us he seems to know everything. Always on the go (he is in the galley making drinks as I write this – even though it is his time off) he lends his hand enthusiastically to everything and anything. He always knows what needs doing, how to do it and bizarrely, but most importantly where everything is – a feat that defies the rest of us on this boat as everything seems is permanently lost! Brad has completed Leg 1 and 2 and will be sadly missed until he returns on Leg 7.

Ben Deifel our resident cheeky German. He speaks fluent English but ends most things with the word ‘exactly’. He also uses this as his ‘go to’ word. Even if being challenged or in a ‘discussion’ his response is ‘exactly’. There is little you can actually say to that so he has a winning formula. I suspect this is not through ignorance. Ben is our Victualler and responsible for the food provision. 22 people for 18 days is not an enviable task, but he has done outstanding and we have eaten extremely well throughout. Most comfortable on the helm he has steered us through much of this challenging and demanding leg.

Laurence Vignon adds yet another layer to this multinational watch and is from Annecy in France. Laurence does struggle sometimes to understand us when we are talking away to each other. I have at times tried to speak ‘schoolgirl French’ to her but it quickly became apparent she understands my English better than my French! Laurence is our chief sail repairer and whilst we have limited damage compared to many other boats, she has made sure we have been able to fly all of our sails within 24 hours of damage. Laurence loves helming. Not too much over 5’ and with a slight frame it always brings a smile to my face to see someone so petite commanding with such assertiveness such a large wheel and boat.

Hicham Tariq is the first person from Morocco to take part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and to complete a 360 at 10 knots without blinking an eye. An experienced sailor he is passionate about giving the experience and the boat his absolute best. Happy on the bow, in the pit and at the helm. He is also a whizz in the galley, venturing to prepare food others would not dare. Hicham is not phased by anything (although I think the cold has been a significant challenge) he can be relied upon to deliver the goods wherever you most need him and always with a positive and enthusiastic approach.

Wayne Domnick from South Africa concludes the international dimension of this Watch. A passionate sportsman anyway you can, but imagine his gloating when they trashed the English in the final. I guess we can just be grateful there will have been a week since the match when we arrive in Cape Town. Wayne is a giant of a man and is a natural choice for the bow. Throwing sails about single handedly and relishing the waves engulfing the bow as he hanks on yet another sail is where he is the happiest.

And so that concludes the cast of BayWatch Leg 2. A unique and diverse collection of individuals thrown together for 18 days in the most challenging and hostile of environments. The conditions have been relentless for the duration. Difficult, almost impossible at times to exist below decks and consistently freezing and wet on deck. Sometimes it has been physically exhausting trying to get a sail down in 40 knots of wind. At other times almost driven mad by the tediousness of sitting in the pit day after days with little or nothing to do as we remain on the same tack and sail plan. And remember, not sitting in ordinary conditions but instead with howling winds, crashing waves, some of which cover you from head to toe making you feel like you are drowning, and all in a small fibreglass container that is thrashed from side to side and up and down. Others have been helming. The fun job at times. Not so when 70 knots of wind and 8m waves are throwing you all over, demanding every ounce of your strength and energy as you realise the responsibility you have to keep the boat afloat, let alone racing. Watch after watch we are woken following only two to four hours of sleep. From the relatively warm conclave of our sleeping bags, we put on wet clothes to return to the deck for more of the same. Hardly surprising there have been some tense moments. But with hopefully less than 48 hours to go and the conditions improving it looks like we have come through it together. For that, I hope in time the team will look back with fond memories and a feeling of real pride to have survived and completed something so immense.