Well if company was what we wanted on this penultimate leg then company is what we've got. Most of the fleet are within a couple of miles of each other and only SAIC La Jolla have separated from the pack to head south. For the most part we don't need the six-hourly position reports - we can see most of the other yachts on the radar. It does make a change from weeks at sea without seeing anyone, often anything, but with the race so close we'd prefer some pick-up in the wind to allow us to split from the pack and get ahead.
Today has been very foggy with little or no wind and the oh-so-familiar glassy sea. We plough on making sure that every base is covered, focused helm, alert trimmers and best weight distribution i.e. everyone on the low side and it is paying off. We have been creeping away from the other yachts, if only very slightly. It is light until about 9:30pm and as we sailed through the mist we caught sight of the top of Spirit of Sark's mast looking like a lost ghost ship. We caught and passed them but they disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared. But we could still hear them talking on deck - it was very eerie. Later, as we tacked, they appeared again, now dark they flashed their torches at us and we returned fire. Their mast lights more visible in the fog they remained in sight until the end of the watch but have once again vanished from sight if not the radar screen.
While not much fun for us these conditions are suiting those who have chosen to cross the Atlantic under their own power. On Tuesday we received this e-mail from Race HQ:
Dear Fleet
Olly Hicks in his rowing boat Virgin Atlantic (last posn 1430 = 20/06/2005) is listening out on channel 16 VHF hoping to speak to any yachts in our Fleet as it is very lonely out there on your own. He would dearly love to talk to someone. See what you can do. I will be updating you with the rowing boat fleets posn later today.
Many thanks all you VHF Hams
Lisa Marie
Duty Race Officer
In the early hours of yesterday we could hear Stuart, the skipper on Barclays Adventurer, talking to Olly and he sounded grateful for the chat. Rowing across the Atlantic is one way I thought I could top the Global Challenge and it is something I have been planning even before this race. It was great to hear someone actually doing it and it has heightened my interest to pursue it when I get back in July.
Good luck Olly, we've only got enough food for 14 days so if we don't get some wind soon we may need to borrow your oars and I might have to start my training early.
Showing posts with label Photos PreStart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photos PreStart. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Friday, May 6, 2005
23' 03S 4' 25E
Yesterday was a good day, the boat was powered up, we were in the right place tactically, all the numbers on the schedules looked good and the weather was clear. As a skipper this results in a very pleasant feeling. All is well in your world, its easy to sleep, and when you awake to more good news from the schedules, its easy to joke with the crew and praise their efforts.
Today is a tense day... Overnight we/I agonised about whether to drop the genoa and bear away and raise the 1.5oz race kite. Do we, don't we? Have the others? You get the crew to set up the spinnaker and pole and then change your mind and hold the situation. You can't sleep, you have a nagging feeling that things aren't going well and six hours later the schedules come in. '' the boats to the east have made some big gains on us'' is the gloomy analysis from the navigator. Your fears are confirmed. Finally the wind falls into a shape that you are comfortable with the kite goes up and some form of parity with the others in the race is achieved.
Looking at the schedules you see that for the next 18hours we are in a vulnerable position on the inside line of the high waiting for the winds to fill and the next stage of the race to take shape.
As a skipper I find that you are often in this kind of situation and it is the hardest part of the job for me. You can't just do what everybody else is doing all the time. But unfortunately I have not cracked the art of being right all the time either. We are more often right than wrong or we wouldn't be consistently up the front. Dealing with the days like to today is the real challenge of skippering a boat.
We are sailing slowly and there is a likelihood that the boats to the east will be/ could be sailing faster. There is six hours between knowing what everybody is doing and finding out via the schedules. Its tempting to sit like a bear with a sore head, or roam the boat making observations about how
the crew might sail the boat faster. But the crew hate this and have told me at numerous debriefs. It has often proved a mistake to voice my concerns to crewmembers as this seems to have a bigger negative effect on their morale than the positive effect on my own! So like bosses the world over you have to put on a positive face, squash down the feeling that the race is disappearing over the horizon and practice logical thought control.
What we have lost we shall regain. Being down only brings the crew down. We know how to sail the boat and have proved it time over. Get on deck and be positive.
Well I'm glad I've got that off my chest I feel better now!
N.B For those that don't realise we are supplied with the position of all the boats in the fleet every 6 hours. These are know as 'the schedules'. I often think of this constant 6 hours analysis of the situation (every day for 35 days) as ''the tyranny of the schedules''. Pre satellite, yachts in ocean races might learn of positions once a week or at best once a day. Or in some cases by waiting in the bar at the finish and seeing who turned up next!
Today is a tense day... Overnight we/I agonised about whether to drop the genoa and bear away and raise the 1.5oz race kite. Do we, don't we? Have the others? You get the crew to set up the spinnaker and pole and then change your mind and hold the situation. You can't sleep, you have a nagging feeling that things aren't going well and six hours later the schedules come in. '' the boats to the east have made some big gains on us'' is the gloomy analysis from the navigator. Your fears are confirmed. Finally the wind falls into a shape that you are comfortable with the kite goes up and some form of parity with the others in the race is achieved.
Looking at the schedules you see that for the next 18hours we are in a vulnerable position on the inside line of the high waiting for the winds to fill and the next stage of the race to take shape.
As a skipper I find that you are often in this kind of situation and it is the hardest part of the job for me. You can't just do what everybody else is doing all the time. But unfortunately I have not cracked the art of being right all the time either. We are more often right than wrong or we wouldn't be consistently up the front. Dealing with the days like to today is the real challenge of skippering a boat.
We are sailing slowly and there is a likelihood that the boats to the east will be/ could be sailing faster. There is six hours between knowing what everybody is doing and finding out via the schedules. Its tempting to sit like a bear with a sore head, or roam the boat making observations about how
the crew might sail the boat faster. But the crew hate this and have told me at numerous debriefs. It has often proved a mistake to voice my concerns to crewmembers as this seems to have a bigger negative effect on their morale than the positive effect on my own! So like bosses the world over you have to put on a positive face, squash down the feeling that the race is disappearing over the horizon and practice logical thought control.
What we have lost we shall regain. Being down only brings the crew down. We know how to sail the boat and have proved it time over. Get on deck and be positive.
Well I'm glad I've got that off my chest I feel better now!
N.B For those that don't realise we are supplied with the position of all the boats in the fleet every 6 hours. These are know as 'the schedules'. I often think of this constant 6 hours analysis of the situation (every day for 35 days) as ''the tyranny of the schedules''. Pre satellite, yachts in ocean races might learn of positions once a week or at best once a day. Or in some cases by waiting in the bar at the finish and seeing who turned up next!
Friday, October 1, 2004
Gunwharf Quays!
This morning has seen an impressive displays of complex logistics with more than 200 excited crew volunteers being shuffled into position for an aerial shot from the spinnaker tower - a memento of what will no doubt go down in our memory banks as a real red-letter week. Many of us have been waiting upon this moment for three or four years, in some cases even longer. In every nook and cranny on the boat, in the crew house, over coffee - we repeatedly turn to each other with wide eyes - 'this is it - it's actually going to happen... now!' Part of yet another impossibly packed pre-start day, the fleet picture came after our final fleet crew briefing and slots in before yet more photo calls for the crew swinging from the rigging of HMS Warrior, rigging checks, final attention to detail on our spinnakers, the list is endless. After this we head out into the Solent to blow any lingering cobwebs away before the off - which now looks set to take place in the teeth of pretty much a full gale! And finally, there is our crew bye bye bash tonight (with an order for 'no alcohol for crew' being imparted from an optimistic David!). The air of (I hasten to add controlled) tension aboard BP Explorer is tangible.
The adventure starts here!
Friday, July 2, 2004
Sunday, January 18, 2004
The Skipper
David Melville's career, has never taken him far from the sea. Although growing up in landlocked St Albans, where it 'all started', meant that his love for the water began with dinghy sailing in local reservoirs.
Joining the Merchant Navy at 16 as an apprentice Navigation Officer, David learnt seamanship and navigation. Leaving to study for a Marine Geography degree David began yacht sailing and racing in earnest. After setting up his own charter company, Carmel Yachts, David went back to study for a Postgrad in International Shipping, Trade and Finance. From here David became a director for a company specialising in financial risk analysis within the shipping industry, launching a subsidiary company in America where he became President during what David describes as his 'yuppie' stage in life!
However in 1998, the pull of the ocean bought David back to professional sailing and he has proved this was the right move by already carving out a successful career in yacht racing, winning the highly competitive second leg of Challenge Business' inaugural Challenge Transat 2002 aboard Vail Williams. David came second overall. The crew were reunited for the 2003 Round the Island Race and came in first out of the twelve Challenge yachts entered. David also skippered BP Explorer to a first place win, in the closely fought Round Britain and Ireland 2004 race that completed on June 11th 2004. He intends to be a serious contender in the Global Challenge 2004/5.
So what are David's expectations for the race? "It's quite a bloody business - it's not called the world's toughest yacht race for nothing. It's going to be hard going but I hope the camaraderie amongst the crew will knock the hard edges off the most of it."
Being a good skipper is what got David to the position he is in now but what, in his opinion, will make the difference? "You have to be good at sailing. There's a lot of talk about good management but you have to get the boat going fast, in the right direction. The second thing is to get the crew to come along with you."
So, what would be his luxury item, as he cannot take his wife and newborn baby? "A Max Sea lap top routing system
Joining the Merchant Navy at 16 as an apprentice Navigation Officer, David learnt seamanship and navigation. Leaving to study for a Marine Geography degree David began yacht sailing and racing in earnest. After setting up his own charter company, Carmel Yachts, David went back to study for a Postgrad in International Shipping, Trade and Finance. From here David became a director for a company specialising in financial risk analysis within the shipping industry, launching a subsidiary company in America where he became President during what David describes as his 'yuppie' stage in life!
However in 1998, the pull of the ocean bought David back to professional sailing and he has proved this was the right move by already carving out a successful career in yacht racing, winning the highly competitive second leg of Challenge Business' inaugural Challenge Transat 2002 aboard Vail Williams. David came second overall. The crew were reunited for the 2003 Round the Island Race and came in first out of the twelve Challenge yachts entered. David also skippered BP Explorer to a first place win, in the closely fought Round Britain and Ireland 2004 race that completed on June 11th 2004. He intends to be a serious contender in the Global Challenge 2004/5.
So what are David's expectations for the race? "It's quite a bloody business - it's not called the world's toughest yacht race for nothing. It's going to be hard going but I hope the camaraderie amongst the crew will knock the hard edges off the most of it."
Being a good skipper is what got David to the position he is in now but what, in his opinion, will make the difference? "You have to be good at sailing. There's a lot of talk about good management but you have to get the boat going fast, in the right direction. The second thing is to get the crew to come along with you."
So, what would be his luxury item, as he cannot take his wife and newborn baby? "A Max Sea lap top routing system
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
