Race 6 - Day 19
Crew Diary - Adventure Travel
10 February

Sailing a Clipper 70 is the antithesis of the “if this is Tuesday, it must be Rome” travel experience. The restructuring of Leg 5 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in China is the obvious illustration of this reality. By the way, I have a personal aversion to travellers who describe their visits to foreign places by saying that “I did [place or site name].”

My strongly held view is that the best travellers are “done by” – that is forever altered – by the places they visit, the people they meet on their journeys, the different cultures they are exposed to, and the experiences they have while travelling. But, I digress.

Racing a Clipper 70 across the world’s oceans is an ever changing experience at many levels. At the most fundamental, race sailing on the open ocean, wind is king. Direction, strength, presence and (most frustratingly) absence both present and forecast are the starting point for all decisions about how to drive the boat. Wind is fickle, changes prompting selection of sails, trimming of sails, alteration of course, positioning of crew on and below deck, and assignment of crew roles (e.g., who is at the helm). When the wind is forward of the beam, one of the three Yankees and the Staysail are hoisted. A drop in wind speed and the Staysail may be dropped, then hoisted again when the wind picks up. If the wind is very light, the Yankee and Staysail may be lowered and the aptly-named Windseeker hoisted. If the wind angle shifts aft, the Yankee, Staysail and Main may be eased or one of the three spinnakers hoisted. Again, changes in wind strength will dictate changes in the sail selected from among the suite available. Of course, whatever sails are selected, crew are constantly monitoring sail trim; easing or grinding one or more of the sheets or lines that control the sails.

Forecast changes in wind speed or direction or the appearance of clouds indicating a localized change in wind (e.g., SQUALL!!!) require advance preparation, if possible. One of the Spinnakers, the Windseeker, or a different Yankee may be brought on deck in anticipation of a sail change. Not infrequently, the forecast change will not occur, the squall will not bring a dramatic increase in wind speed or change of direction, or something entirely different will occur. As a result, the measures taken in anticipation of the forecast change will be undone, and more appropriate measures adopted. For example, the Spinnaker brought on deck will be returned to the sail locker and a different sail brought up instead.

The description provided above suggests constant activity by the crew. While this is true with respect to diligent trimming, there are periods of relative quiescence. For example, Zhuhai has been on the same tack with the same sail configuration for the past three days. Even relatively minor modifications to the sail plan may not occur for an extended period. Chris Serata patiently waited three days for an opportunity to sweat the Staysail solo. His time of 19 seconds, while over his target of 15 seconds, was significantly better than the 30+ seconds required by two members of the Oreo W Watch later the same day. An accomplishment of which Chris and the rest of the Watch with No Name are justifiably proud.

I find that racing a Clipper 70 is much like fishing: extended periods of relatively modest engagement interspersed with shorter periods of intense activity. As in fishing, the timing, intensity, and duration of the active periods is dictated by a primary factor beyond the fisher’s or sailor’s control: whether the fish takes the bait and how the wind changes, respectively.

The periods of “downtime” that occur while sailing offer the crew opportunities for reflection. Here are my guesses at what the other members of the Watch with No Name think about during such periods.

Melodie: our watch leader, Mel is an accomplished ocean racer. She likely is mulling actual and apparent wind angle and speed, desired course, and sail plan to determine whether there is a better sail configuration to achieve Zhuhai's short-term objective, be it speed, course over ground, or velocity made good toward a defined waypoint, all of which are components of the primary objective of reaching the finish line as fast as possible. In sum, Melodie is a racer’s sailor, focused on improving performance above all else.

Dave F: quick, nimble, obsessing over every detail, Dave also is an adamant believer in conspiracy theories and the existence of aliens. When not tidying the lines in the cockpit for the umpteenth time this watch, Dave keeps his eyes on the heavens, especially at night, looking for UFOs. He claims to have seen numerous during this leg, let alone the previous four, and is voluble in comparing the different sightings. Whether his convictions about these matters are based on experiences during his past lives or a result of having spent too much time in compression chambers in his “real life” job as a deep diver remains uncertain.

Simon: articulate, and oddly a personal trainer who smokes, Simon is very attuned to economics and politics as a result of his prior career as a financial trader in the Asian markets. I imagine Simon thinking about how various world events, such as Brexit, the outbreak of the coronavirus, or upcoming elections in the United States, will affect financial markets. Simon has shared his views on the direction and levels of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (as a proxy for financial market performance generally). I am convinced that upon his return to England, Simon should develop a blog in which he shares his perspectives on these matters – I certainly would pay a modest sum to learn of his analyses of current and potential future events and how they may influence financial markets.

Ina: our Team Coordinator, German philosopher, and personal professional coach, Ina is constantly assessing interpersonal dynamics and team performance. When not recharging her own psychological batteries, I suspect that Ina is developing individual development plans for each of us. Thinking not only about what are the most salient aspects of each person’s intellectual and psychological characteristics further development of which would benefit the individual, but also of the most effective tell to remind the person to focus on that characteristic during stressful situations – is a different type of underwear really an effective prompt for personal development?

Chris Serata: thoughtful, sensitive and talkative, Chris is on a journey toward life following a career as a nuclear plant manager and parent. His biggest decisions appear to involve how to mesh his Clipper experience with travel opportunities. I envision Chris wondering whether to participate in Leg 6 or to visit French Polynesia and Hawaii before returning to Zhuhai for Legs 7 and 8. On a more refined level, should he skip the west coast segment of Leg 7 and join Zhuhai at the Panama Canal to experience sailing into New York Harbor? Whatever he decides, I am confident that Chris will make the most of the path he chooses.

Mu: one of Leg 5’s two Zhuhai ambassadors, Mu is the gadget geek of the Watch with No Name. Mu has multiple cameras suitable for capturing memorable moments in all circumstances; a personal oscillating fan; and all necessary, if not truly useful, apps on his phone. In addition, his native Mandarin afforded Zhuhai the opportunity to gather current information on the status of Chinese ports from a passing Chinese bulk carrier. Mu also is known for his eclectic music library ranging from Broadway numbers (Phantom of the Opera) to 50s crooners (Que Sera, Sera) to contemporary Chinese popular music. I imagine Mu thinking about what his next electronic gadget purchase will be and whether to incorporate any of the music he hears from other crew playlists into his library.

Phil: Zhuhai’s other Leg 5 ambassador, Phil is agile, an adept sail trimmer, and a great ambassador for China and sailing. Listening to Phil describe his current job in Sanya as a member of the organizing committee for Asian games to be hosted by Sanya later this year, I anticipate that Phil thinks about whether the coronavirus will interfere with Sanya’s plans to host the games. I also believe that Phil and Mu think about their families and friends at home in China and are concerned about the potential effect of the virus outbreak on them. As both Phil and Mu are from Qingdao, where it is winter now, they are hopeful that the cold weather will mitigate the spread of the virus in their homeland.

Magnus: quirky is an understatement to describe Magnus. By several orders of magnitude, the most creative of the Watch with No Name, I am certain that Magnus turns his substantial imagination to scripting future scenes for his Captain Magno film; memorizing others’ or creating original poetry; identifying the distinguishing characteristics of the next crew member he plans to sculpt in uneaten porridge; or on a more mundane level, integrating ingredients available on Zhuhai into new and more delicious bread recipes for all Zhuhai crew to enjoy.

Me: obviously I spend my quiet moments crafting blogs to share with Zhuhai’s supporters around the world in the hope of bringing our experiences on board to life for those who make our journey possible and our return to land meaningful. Also, I have been practicing meditation. This can be dedicated practice while seated on deck with no other responsibility or active practice – like walking meditation – while performing another specific function, such as grinding for the spinnaker sheet trimmer or tending the vang. In the latter situation, one part of the brain is alert for the command, either “trim” or “vang off”, while the remainder of the brain is quiet.

Finally, as I am not certain that we will be in Subic Bay on February 15, I wish Lara (my daughter and mother of Declan, my grandson) the very happiest 34th birthday. I hope to be able to call you on your special day and look forward to a Sweetaly celebration when I return to Salt Lake City.

Cheers,

Dave Deisley