Race 1 - Day 1
Crew Diary - Race 1, Day 1
02 September

After the razzamatazz and shenanigans at St. Kats yesterday and the nervous anticipation of the last few weeks, slipping lines and heading down river was quite a relief. So hard to leave friends and family behind, waving madly from outside Tower Bridge, London - you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till its gone. Simultaneously life affirming and heart wrenching. But, it’s a long way down river. 40 miles or more to Southend to think about it all. A weird combination of shell shock, excitement and relief affects us all. But the new normal establishes itself with each mile passed, the sun sinks behind the cranes and quays of Tilbury and the pale thin crescent of a new moon appears and follows it west.

Dawn on race day 1. Anchor watch off Southend Pier 4.am. The slightest glow of orange on the eastern horizon, breeze riffling the water from the west. Cold. Actually. Who would have thought it, after the heat in London for the past week? Shorts and T-shirts already stowed away. Salopettes, wind jackets and beanies are the new vogue. This week I am mainly wearing Musto. But not entirely.

By lunch time the race has started, the sun is out again and the T-shirts have reappeared. Got to keep hydrated, got to keep the factor 50 applied. Creaming along under billowing Spinnaker and full Main. The fleet opening and closing along with the gybes and the tacks.

The shoreline of Kent to the south and distant wind farms circle the horizon east and north. Galloper, Gabbard, London Array, Kentish Flats and around the corner to Thanet. There must be 500 sleek white graceful wind turbines out there in the Thames Estuary. Amazing. 20 years ago there were none. The first offshore turbines in the UK were installed off Blyth in 2001. Since then, the industry has grown exponentially and revolutionised UK energy production. Offshore wind is amongst the cheapest forms of electricity anywhere. More than 50% of UK electricity came from clean sources last year. Back in the late ‘90s it was more like 0.05%. What a change, what an achievement. And all those turbines will be there to meet us as the fleet completes its full circuit in August next year.

Where will we be tonight? Don’t know. Assuming the wind holds, probably not at anchor.

Tuesday am. update – most certainly not at anchor and I am entirely wearing Musto.