Race 10 - Day 25
Crew Diary - Race 10 Day 25
21 April
A child's fascination with stitches
Without any sailing proficiency or experience, I started Level 1 training with apprehension and doubts because it was evidently clear, I had nothing to offer to the team.
Since then, I pondered how, being the least capable of the crew, I may give my highest value contribution to the team, however small but meaningful. As a retired investment banker, my professional skills were a faint history behind me, of which, perhaps only management leadership and decision-making skills were relevant. I thought best to avoid these as they're filled with idiosyncrasies and preferences that probably trigger conflicts rather than deliver benefits.
After completing Level 4, it became obvious to me when the announcement to form Zhuhai's sail repair team came, it seemed that I may have a skill to offer due to my fascination at watching my mother's skills at work on her sewing machine when I was a child. As my sewing curiosity grew, I graduated from a keen observer to a self-thought practitioner, proficient in sewing, both by hand and by machine, after having experimented and customised numerous things that I regularly used for improving the quality of my life. A one-day sail repair introduction and "sewing machine for dummies" lesson provided by Hyde Sails wasn't going to make anyone confident in sail repairs. Altogether, there are eleven sails on board and each are enormous in size and weight. Except for the spinnakers, all of the sails are made of thick fabric and in multiple layers that I had doubts about how on earth am I going to manage this. "What have I gotten myself into? Have I over-committed to a role that I could not deliver?"
Although accepting the role was at my own volition, it still felt like an impulsive decision, as if I had involuntarily obliged myself to be nudged onto a very fine and slippery edge, at risk of losing my balance and tipping over into an unknown chasm of disasters, waiting to bury me.
Whatever it may be, I was "all in" and committed. This was it and NO turning back. Right from the start of the race on Leg 1, with Austin as my sail repair buddy, Zhuhai's sail repair team, armed only with whatever limited knowledge we carried, endured waves of repairs.
I was grateful that I've never had to struggled alone at repairs. Instead, I was awestruck by the willingness, tenacity and resolve of my mates to labour alongside the sail repair team. Whether they had sewn before or not, they were willing to embrace the challenge, step up to participate in the repairs and went to work at a moment's notice, accepting guidance on experimenting, prototyping and applying proven solutions. While sailing, regardless of prevailing conditions, we worked round-the-clock, handing over unfinished work at watch changeovers. There were countless repairs, sprinkled over many sails, in a diverse patchwork of various shapes and sizes, too many to catalogue. With every patch and stitch added, my admiration for their contribution grew and my confidence in their patchwork integrity compounded. Never will any of us forget the long and difficult hours working below deck, often under uncomfortable sea states and in contorted body positions, suffering cramps and all. Strangely, it was rare and few that I could recall, when a sail repair was carried out during a calm sea state. Contrary to perception, it was for purposes of recognition rather than admonition, that Austin and I insisted for every repair to be stamped with their initials on the repairs together with the date, immediately upon completion.
The most extensive repair was made on the Code 2 spinnaker, which ripped from head to the clew and across to the luff, just above the fan section of the tack. Under the guidance of Martin of Hyde Sails, a committed team of "super-8"*, took two full days to complete the repairs under cramped conditions at Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club during the Leg 4 stopover. Whether or not the restored Code 2, almost to original state, had contributed to giving Zhuhai her 1st place podium finish on Race 6, from Newcastle to Airlie Beach, it was tremendous personal satisfaction and joy, to see it hoisted for the first time after restoration and had it flying for three consecutive days, until a breath hold to the finish line at Airlie Beach.
As I'm writing this, there was less than 1,000nm to Seattle and the end of Leg 6, after crossing the largest ocean on this planet, the mighty North Pacific. I'm close to completing 3/4 of my circumnavigation and I had hoped to be able to deliver a favourable report that the Code 2 had remained in its faithful service, without further incident but I regret to inform, with a broken heart, that it suffered a 2nd explosion, along a fresh fault line, 2 days ago. We weren't able to assess the full extend of damage or whether it was restorable as we've accomplished before, although our initial visuals suggested all the pieces were intact and duly recovered on-board. Until we are able to lay it out on a large space and consult the expert, once we're in Seattle, we will just have to be patient and hope for the best outcome. Looking on the brighter side, I was still pleased that all the repairs on the first incident together with reinforced upgrades added at subsequent stopovers**, remained unaffected, both a relief and testament that our repairs were sound and reliable.
Right now, I can't help but feel a surreal sense of realising that a child's fascination had paved a way into the future and with just a dash of seasoned sewing skills, added value to a group of strangers united by a common purpose to sail successfully from one race to the next. This story is my dedicated appreciation to all who have helped out the sail repair team, in every way and to those who will join us in future repairs. While my broken heart is on the mend, my spirit stands resolute as Zhuhai's race journey continues...
*super-8: Dave(1,3,4), Frank(C), Ciska(2,3,4,5), Wen Wen(3), Arnold(4), Justin(5), Austin(C) & me(C).**Broni(5) and Caro(5,8), decorated by a giant shellback crossing the kite's Equator.