Race 7 - Day 4
Crew Diary - A trip advisor review of Zhuhai
27 February
Hi there, my name is Sandra, I’m a Round-the-Worlder on Unicef who decided to give a try to this new hotel and restaurant in town – called CV28, also known as Kevin.
Yes, it’s weird, they call their boat Kevin – not only that but Kevin isn’t gender-bounded, he and/or she is fluid and very proud. After helming on both tacks, I got it – Kevin is very hard on starboard and very soft and gentle on port. Kevin is also quite messy but full of surprises.
Every cave locker hides its own little treasure full of chocolate bars, cereal bars, nuts and fruits – but what Kevin really likes is Oreo, he would eat them at every watch if he could.
Luckily, Mel, the new victualler on board has been rationing to prevent my waistline to grow as big as Dave’s muscles. The food is good, simple and fresh and includes a regular appearance of so-called ‘pockets of happiness’ - toasted wraps that melt in your mouth. As a French person (I think they were looking for an excuse here), I was invited to become their mother and cook for them on Day 3. I failed the pancakes (I blame these damn American ready-made pre-mix!) but received a standing ovation for my own take on the ‘Pockets’ and my Pad Thai.
To my pleasure, I didn’t have to make breakfast and porridge isn’t a mandatory morning passage for my intestines - it seems to have successfully smoothed my morning grumpiness coming from sleeping mostly on the high side. I dare say, I’m a high life kinda girl but definitely prefer the low side for my beauty and disco naps. Last night, our skipper decided to keep the Yankee 1 ans staysail up by 26knts of wind, resulting in the boat jumping and bouncing in all directions and my mattress slipping out of the bunk. I gave up trying to sleep after rising my bed so high up I could not fit in it anymore. The dearest Chris was so kind to lend me his coffin cave for a couple of hours – I passed out within seconds and woke up rejuvenated...at 2am. At least the place isn’t stinking! A pleasant blend of tea tree oil and talc powder can be smelled throughout the starboard side – while the port...well it’s the port side, seems the same in every boat!
Now something to notice is the heads – how clean, white and shiny! It’s almost making up for the lack of shower! Everyone takes their turn in doing the chores without any plan, rotas or schedule and it seems to be working well. As the Team Coordinator in my boat, I’m impressed by how self-coordinated this Zhuhai crew is! Gotta say, Kevin’s residents are really what makes the place worth visiting. They’ve been more welcoming than Singapore Airlines – flying business.
They’re an amazing bunch of people. You can tell they’re really passionate about sailing and care about their boat and being here. I have yet to meet the full personnel but there’s Robbie, my calm watch leader, super chilled and very experienced sailor. He’s hiding behind a long beard which makes him look 10 years older than his age. There’s Melodie, the other watch leader, ex-dinghy Olympic level sailing pro and trimming wizard, it’s quite magical what she does with the sails! There’s David, super strong man, hyper-active, perfectionist, who knows his boat inside out. He’s always 3 steps ahead and he’s a foredeck giant. There’s TC, the fab TC and team facilitator. I don’t think she knows how to NOT smile. She’s a great coach and brings a lot of positive energy to everyone.
There’s Chris, an absolute delight, always in for a bit of chat or banter. He’s also the genius behind all these videos that come out of CV28. He works in cinema, this man knows what he’s doing! There’s Trevor, a RTW, new to sailing who’s working the hardest. He was on the grinder for 4h straight last night! There’s Nasser, who is a master baker, making delicious loaves of bread for everyone – and whose voice during evolutions could probably be heard all the way back to Luzon! And of course there’s James, the most relaxed AQP in the entire world, always ready to crack a joke or do a few reps to maintain his physique. He’s super gentle in the way he handles the rest of the crew – he’s very participative and a hard worker.
I have yet to spend more time with them and others but I’m positively surprised by the drive, motivation and relentlessness of this crew. I was told they were tired, down and not always looking at the bright side – well I’m finding myself surrounded by individuals who have this incredible ability to find the silver lining in everything that’s happening to them and who keep racing no matter what. I feel privileged to be part of this crew!
Now, I must admit I miss my Unicef crew and keep checking them out on the Scheds – I see they’re racing hard! Wouldn’t it be fun if they end up on the podium with us? Because yes. We’re winning this race guys!
5- Star rating to Zhuhai.