Blog 5 ARC Rally November 27th 2015
’15 shades of grey….’
Ever sailed an ocean? No? you should try it, it’s magical, overwhelming,
peaceful, violent, cruel but above all fantastic!!!! We’re sailing
through rainbow territory, honestly, we’ve seen 1 full grown moon
rainbow and a handful of partial rainbows, fairytale! And this immense
empty world causes a very subtle feeling of intimacy, comradery..
friends for life.
We met 3 boats in 5 days.. busy times. There is literally no one around
here, which is great. Stresses the need though to be very careful
indeed, it’s us, the boat and the ocean. Oh right, and a whole lot of
flying fish. About an hour before sunset they start flying around to
escape predators (like our yellow tuna like keel bulb) and some fly
straight over us. But quite a few don’t make it and hit crew in the face
or drop on deck, smelly buggers. I believed fresh fish doesn’t smell, no
clue what these guys eat for dinner….
Senses
When racing the ocean one is really in a sort of mixed reality:
On deck sun- moon- rain squalls- falling stars, concentration – focus –
workouts on the grinder- chatting with the boys, cracking jokes, talking
shop.
And below decks quiet- off watch sleeping- cooking breakfast- brewing
coffee cleaning, sponging the excess water of the floors.
But above all a challenge of all yours senses, an overload of
impressions. The howling almost serene singing of the water flow along
the rudders like altos and sopranos seamlessly taking over the song of
speed when the tempo goes up (don’t need speedometer readings anymore to
know the speed)
And smell, the testing of the nostrils, an item often discussed in a
negative context when on board with 15 unwashed men. Not with us
however, everyone is clean and fresh and a delightful smell of Lilly’s
of the Valley (or was it Roses?) wanders through our living quarters.
The taste of all delicacies brought as personal gifts to the crew and
the healthy freeze dried meals and even a lightweight (surely carbon?)
mini- espresso maker (thank you Ferry) please our tongues and noses.
But most excitingly is this novelty: Lay in your bunk- eyes closed and
covered with a eye mask (courtesy KLM long distance flights), ears
closed and covered with ear protectors, half awake after a good night
(=2hr) sleep, a gentle breeze from the ventilator over your skin and
enjoy the immense power of the boat surfing and smash -dancing over the
waves. A sensation only perceived via hull/bunk/skin/brain contact, even
much stronger than the feel of speed when on deck, phenomenal.
‘Fifteen shades of grey’
Admitted, the young pro’s are good looking thick dark hair athletes and
I counted them in my 15 number. But still, who are the crew? Who are
this rare bunch of aficionados who live a dream? Well, all are active
supporters of the Team Sailing Hollands’ initiative a.k.a. Team Brunel.
During the VOR2015-16 they were somehow involved with the team. All
experienced amateur sailors and without the desire for statistical
accuracy, most are in strength of their lives i.e. their fifties. 3
Entrepreneurs in IT, Ferry, Joern and Koen, a toyproducer (nicknamed
Toyboy JB) and the ‘Fatboy producer (nice comfy seat here in mediadesk
RJ !), airline captain Ron (great helmsman, no surprise after 22000
flight hours), two Damen shipyard chiefs Jaap and (G)Auke (a.k.a.
Turkish Cowboy), the commercial director of a huge office equipment
manufacturer Rick and a collector of real estate (a.k.a. Oscar the Brick).
When the plan surfaced to bring the bright Black/Yellow VO65 to the
Caribbean for the race season and the option to race her across the
Atlantic in the ARC Rally all (and many more) signed up to crew the
yacht together with 5 pro’s. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
The beauty of this eclectic venture creates plenty of opportunities:
The youngest pro’s skippered by Johnny Poortman get a chance to coach
the senior guys to optimal performance in racing the boat. Rokas
Milevicius (bowman VOR) and Tomas Ivanauskas (technical shorecrew) do a
great job as <30 yr sailors pushing the veterans to drive her fast and
straight to the next mark, transferring their skills to the amateurs.
Jens Dolmer has 2 VOR’s (watchleader) under his belt and is the master
of techie tricks on this yacht. With the biggest smile he’ll guide his
watch to max precision and speed. P.S. We now understand his nickname
‘the Farmer’ (what indeed he was before); he helms the yacht as a laser
guided plough through the waves as if on a 1000 acres of land,
impressive steering!
Gideon Messink (technical director of Team Brunel) supports the crew
with Whitbread experience and a zillion ocean miles. His driving style
nicknamed him Gi the Weaver, as he seems to find every sliding chance
speeding of a wave.
So all crew have an equal share in driving the boat, a rare but unique
experiment that proves successful and guarantees immense commitment of all.
Also, Team Sailing Holland has signed up for the next VOR (yeehhh!!) and
these races keep the team, sponsors and supporters bonded together
Racing
Another 1005 NM (straight line) to go to the famous Caribbean Rum Punch
in St. Lucia. That will be some 1200 NM to sail to keep the right
sailing angles, gibing over our imaginary highway through the Atlantic.
Our competitors’ positions have not arrived yet. Yesterday we calculated
a tiny margin of some 5 NM ahead of nr 2. Farfalla and Durlindana3
(on corrected time/distance). Eager to find out where they are now.
The Leopard’s record of the ARC crossing is theoretically still possible
and maybe even shave half a day off it ?!
Only one way to find out: push push push and see what the Race Committee
is clocking on the finish line.. But we are getting hungry, hungry for
success J
Best regards from 15 Shades of Grey
Your OBR a.i. Koen