Sailing Logic Blog
Monday, 8 September 2008
IT IS OK TO BE SCARED!
CLOSING BLOG FROM PHILIPPE
I was quite relieved on Monday night when Becki sat in the cockpit of Puma and announced to the team ‘for the first time ever aboard Puma I was scared.’ I was relieved as it was good to know that I was not alone in my own thought.
I have often been asked about my scariest moment at sea. I get the feeling that my normal response of ‘I have never been scared as such’ is met with a certain amount of scepticism and disbelief. However, that was the truth up until Monday night whilst sixteen mile West of Ushant. I have been anxious and apprehensive before about a situation; but never scared. Now I actually understand and appreciated what it is like to be scared at sea. I will be able to answer the question with honesty in the future.
The next question that I am sure many of you will immediately be asking is ‘so were you in danger?’ This is something that I have subsequently given careful consideration to. We learn from our own experiences and it is therefore very important to analyze the events that lead up to a situation provoking certain emotions and actions. Firstly I will give you the conclusion of my deliberations as I do not want you to be unnecessarily concerned. No is the answer, I do not believe Puma or anyone aboard her was in any danger at any moment.
‘So, how come I was scared then?’ That is a harder question to answer. Having a healthy respect for the sea is paramount in good seamanship. There is continual thought process that a skipper goes through when making tactical decisions combined with assessments of risk analysis and crew welfare. We all know that to race successfully means pushing slightly closer to the limits of safety than cruising requires. But we must determine what is reasonable and when the risk becomes too significant. It is the best balance of the two that separates success from disaster.
We were hurtling toward Ushant at speeds hitting just under twenty knots with one reef in the mainsail and a poled out no 3 jib. The wind speed was reaching nearly 40 knots (a full force 8 gale) and the sea state was very rough with waves in excess of five metres. It was pitch black and raining hard with poor visibility. We were on the edge and pushing hard, forever closing the deficit on Pen Azen.
I was considering reducing sail area to control the speed as with a lee shore rapidly approaching I was conscious of the safety issues. It was time to once again throttle back. We were 16 miles from Ushant when the lines that hold the spinnaker pole in place departed from the pole end. The consequence of this means that it is very difficult to get the jib to the other side of the boat (something we needed to do before any other manoeuvre was possible).
Poochie (Brighty’s latest and favoured nickname), Richard, Becki, Alan and myself were on deck. This situation needed some quick thinking with a safe and fast execution of whatever manoeuvre was decided upon. We all sat in the cockpit shining torches at the front of the boat for about ten minutes. Nothing was said; fairly indicative of the fact that none of us could think of a solution. The quietness of all of us was actually quite amusing and comforting in itself, a good sign that panic had not yet set in. We even had a laugh about the situation at one stage!
Then we started bouncing ideas around, we moved some lines around in a vein attempt to provoke a thought process. Clearly we had no answers that we knew would definitely work so we decided that the best way forward would be to cast off one line, pull another as hard and fast as we could, close our eyes and hope for the best! I was not entirely satisfied that we had a satisfactory solution to the problem and just before we started it I came up with another plan.
David just looked at me and said ‘that will not work!’ I responded ‘maybe not, but it is better than the current plan.’ Poochie retorted ‘ok, let’s give it a go and if it works you are a f*****g genius!’ We set up for it, breathed in and hoped. A few moments later Poochie looked at me and proclaimed me to be a F*****g genius. The problem was solved.
In total it took about 30 minutes to resolve our little predicament but in that time we had closed to within eight miles of Ushant. We had travelled eight miles in thirty minutes, an average speed of sixteen knots. For a thirty minute period we had not been able to control our speed when I felt it particularly necessary to do so. At that point I was scared! The elements had completely controlled us leaving very few options and we had to deal with it. Never before had I felt the sea to be so much in control of the situation which was a sobering reminder of the power of nature. That is why I was scared.
So why were Puma and the crew never in danger? Simply because we had planned far enough ahead to enable us to sort out any problems effectively and safely. We had the experience, knowledge, ability and most importantly time to analyze, plan and execute a remedy that would keep Puma out of danger. ‘TIME’ is the key issue. Whilst we had been pushing hard we had given ourselves time to sort out the problem and therefore I was satisfied that I had never put the team in danger.
The next 220 miles we covered in just 22 hours. I probably do not need to say too much about the sailing other than it was breathtaking with one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I have experienced. The speedo was reading 15 knots for sustained periods of time and peaking at 18.8 knots! The hull was resonating for much of the time and the loads were immense. I am sure you are fully aware of how hard Team Puma pushed right to the end. We were all at our mental and physical limits digging deeper and deeper into the reserves.
I do not fully understand how a team like ours can come and take on some of the best and most experienced teams around, possessing the belief that they can succeed. There is certainly a rare quality about the teams that sail offshore aboard Puma Logic and it is testimony that anything can be achieved with the right mindset. Puma Logic was very much the underdog in this battle but came out on top. This year there has been an undeniable commitment, incredible self belief and most importantly a huge respect for each other which has resulted in a morale and energy capable of taking the team to the top and conquering.
Sailing back into the Solent with the support RIB’s to greet us was a very special moment. At that stage we knew we had won the race and we had time to take it in and savour the moment. I cannot really recall my thoughts except the ones of relief at finishing the toughest yacht race I have competed in the euphoria of winning it. I will never forgot the moment we berthed in Cowes under sail power only. It was a sensational moment and the smiles, tears, laughter and hugs said it all. This concluded the best month of my life with a fairy tale ending…..beating the best yacht in the RORC championships in the toughest race. What more could anyone have asked for?
Posted by Philippe Falle at 7:17 PM
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CLOSING BLOG FROM PHILIPPE
I was quite relieved on Monday night when Becki sat in the cockpit of Puma and announced to the team ‘for the first time ever aboard Puma I was scared.’ I was relieved as it was good to know that I was not alone in my own thought.
I have often been asked about my scariest moment at sea. I get the feeling that my normal response of ‘I have never been scared as such’ is met with a certain amount of scepticism and disbelief. However, that was the truth up until Monday night whilst sixteen mile West of Ushant. I have been anxious and apprehensive before about a situation; but never scared. Now I actually understand and appreciated what it is like to be scared at sea. I will be able to answer the question with honesty in the future.
The next question that I am sure many of you will immediately be asking is ‘so were you in danger?’ This is something that I have subsequently given careful consideration to. We learn from our own experiences and it is therefore very important to analyze the events that lead up to a situation provoking certain emotions and actions. Firstly I will give you the conclusion of my deliberations as I do not want you to be unnecessarily concerned. No is the answer, I do not believe Puma or anyone aboard her was in any danger at any moment.
‘So, how come I was scared then?’ That is a harder question to answer. Having a healthy respect for the sea is paramount in good seamanship. There is continual thought process that a skipper goes through when making tactical decisions combined with assessments of risk analysis and crew welfare. We all know that to race successfully means pushing slightly closer to the limits of safety than cruising requires. But we must determine what is reasonable and when the risk becomes too significant. It is the best balance of the two that separates success from disaster.
We were hurtling toward Ushant at speeds hitting just under twenty knots with one reef in the mainsail and a poled out no 3 jib. The wind speed was reaching nearly 40 knots (a full force 8 gale) and the sea state was very rough with waves in excess of five metres. It was pitch black and raining hard with poor visibility. We were on the edge and pushing hard, forever closing the deficit on Pen Azen.
I was considering reducing sail area to control the speed as with a lee shore rapidly approaching I was conscious of the safety issues. It was time to once again throttle back. We were 16 miles from Ushant when the lines that hold the spinnaker pole in place departed from the pole end. The consequence of this means that it is very difficult to get the jib to the other side of the boat (something we needed to do before any other manoeuvre was possible).
Poochie (Brighty’s latest and favoured nickname), Richard, Becki, Alan and myself were on deck. This situation needed some quick thinking with a safe and fast execution of whatever manoeuvre was decided upon. We all sat in the cockpit shining torches at the front of the boat for about ten minutes. Nothing was said; fairly indicative of the fact that none of us could think of a solution. The quietness of all of us was actually quite amusing and comforting in itself, a good sign that panic had not yet set in. We even had a laugh about the situation at one stage!
Then we started bouncing ideas around, we moved some lines around in a vein attempt to provoke a thought process. Clearly we had no answers that we knew would definitely work so we decided that the best way forward would be to cast off one line, pull another as hard and fast as we could, close our eyes and hope for the best! I was not entirely satisfied that we had a satisfactory solution to the problem and just before we started it I came up with another plan.
David just looked at me and said ‘that will not work!’ I responded ‘maybe not, but it is better than the current plan.’ Poochie retorted ‘ok, let’s give it a go and if it works you are a f*****g genius!’ We set up for it, breathed in and hoped. A few moments later Poochie looked at me and proclaimed me to be a F*****g genius. The problem was solved.
In total it took about 30 minutes to resolve our little predicament but in that time we had closed to within eight miles of Ushant. We had travelled eight miles in thirty minutes, an average speed of sixteen knots. For a thirty minute period we had not been able to control our speed when I felt it particularly necessary to do so. At that point I was scared! The elements had completely controlled us leaving very few options and we had to deal with it. Never before had I felt the sea to be so much in control of the situation which was a sobering reminder of the power of nature. That is why I was scared.
So why were Puma and the crew never in danger? Simply because we had planned far enough ahead to enable us to sort out any problems effectively and safely. We had the experience, knowledge, ability and most importantly time to analyze, plan and execute a remedy that would keep Puma out of danger. ‘TIME’ is the key issue. Whilst we had been pushing hard we had given ourselves time to sort out the problem and therefore I was satisfied that I had never put the team in danger.
The next 220 miles we covered in just 22 hours. I probably do not need to say too much about the sailing other than it was breathtaking with one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I have experienced. The speedo was reading 15 knots for sustained periods of time and peaking at 18.8 knots! The hull was resonating for much of the time and the loads were immense. I am sure you are fully aware of how hard Team Puma pushed right to the end. We were all at our mental and physical limits digging deeper and deeper into the reserves.
I do not fully understand how a team like ours can come and take on some of the best and most experienced teams around, possessing the belief that they can succeed. There is certainly a rare quality about the teams that sail offshore aboard Puma Logic and it is testimony that anything can be achieved with the right mindset. Puma Logic was very much the underdog in this battle but came out on top. This year there has been an undeniable commitment, incredible self belief and most importantly a huge respect for each other which has resulted in a morale and energy capable of taking the team to the top and conquering.
Sailing back into the Solent with the support RIB’s to greet us was a very special moment. At that stage we knew we had won the race and we had time to take it in and savour the moment. I cannot really recall my thoughts except the ones of relief at finishing the toughest yacht race I have competed in the euphoria of winning it. I will never forgot the moment we berthed in Cowes under sail power only. It was a sensational moment and the smiles, tears, laughter and hugs said it all. This concluded the best month of my life with a fairy tale ending…..beating the best yacht in the RORC championships in the toughest race. What more could anyone have asked for?
RORC Cherbourg Race - last outing of the season....
Puma Logic and Jaguar Logic set sail on Friday evening to race to Cherbourg with an expected fleet of 52 yachts. This race was the culmination of the RORC offshore series and Jaguar Logic, skippered by Sailing Logic's friend Pete Summers, came along to push Puma hard and also join in the celebrations in Cherbourg. The weather was appalling, and for once the forecast pretty accurate.
Only 18 yachts appeared on the start line, with the rest deciding that a Force 8 southerly wind on the nose wasn't going to be fun and decided to stay at home and watch the tennis.......I think perhaps they had the right idea!
Never to be daunted, the Logic yachts set off down the Western Solent and out of through the Needles and then across the Channel to Cherbourg. Puma Logic was trying to consolidate her second place in IRC 1 Class, and for that they needed to make sure that British Soldier were in sight at all times. The maths were that if British Soldier won the race and Puma had not taken part, then they would have overtaken Puma to claim second and push Puma to third. Pen Azen emerged just after day break in Cherbourg as the Class winners with British Soldier second and Puma Logic third.
Puma spent half of the race without a mainsail up, after a technical problem, which meant that even getting to Cherbourg in third place, and not too far behind Pen Azen and British Soldier was another great achievement. Jaguar Logic came a very creditable 4th place, after having half their crew drop out at the last minute after looking at the weather, and with the rest of the team being made up of first time offshore racers, hats off to them!
The obligatory few beers were drunk, a belated French breakfast eaten at the yacht club, and then onto a rice little restaurant...........mmmm.....we always enjoy Cherbourg!
The teams were met at the finish by a Logic groupies...namely Jane, Maire, Poochie, determined not to miss out on some fun time and a few drinks with the crew.
The yachts returned safely at Sunday lunchtime, and all is well.
STOP PRESS:
Puma Logic has now been confirmed as coming 2nd in IRC Class 1 and also 2nd in IRC Overall which is a fantastic achievement for a team of relative novice offshore sailors, and a little sailing school yacht....we are VERY proud of you!!!
Posted by Philippe Falle at 5:39 PM
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Puma Logic has now been confirmed as coming 2nd in IRC Class 1 and also 2nd in IRC Overall which is a fantastic achievement for a team of relative novice offshore sailors, and a little sailing school yacht....we are VERY proud of you!!!
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
RORC Madeira-Cowes Race - Final report: It's official - Puma wins!!!
Fantastic news...RORC this afternoon have confirmed that Puma Logic and her team have won the Madeira-Cowes Race, by 2 hours and 23 minutes on corrected time...they have actually won twice; first in Class and first overall which means a double celebration. We have some exceptionally weary sailors here in our offices this afternoon, but the smiles and grins on their faces say it all....an fantastic achievement and what a fitting end to an amazing adventure.
When RORC advertised these two races back in December we were looking for a new adventure to fit into our calendar. Little did we know at the time that this adventure would turn into such a journey, and with such success. Not just the positions on the water at the end but the spirit of human endeavour, steadfastness and friendship. We have 12 people who normally would not meet in their everyday lives. We now have a team comprising of 12 sailors who will forever be joined together with their common experience, loyalty and achievement. Our yachts have never been in such weather conditions before and so far away from land. We are immensely proud that they stood up to this hard test and passed with almost flying colours. Puma does need a little bit of tlc after her journey but nothing that will stop her racing once again on Friday over to Cherbourg for the last race of the season.
There were grumblings this morning on the dock that with the weather forecast for this coming weekend being horrible, that maybe the team should stay in bed, and drink a beer or two just in Southampton. However, after a few hours sleep and some of Bernie and Kath's fantastic cooked breakfasts at the Waterfront Bar at Shamrock Quay, they are all raring to go again. We can now officially announce that they are all mad!
The biggest impetuous for racing again this weekend is the team want to meet their fellow Madeira race teams for a celebratory beer or two, and this is the last opportunity of the season. They weren't able to meet with the Pen Zen crew last night after finishing and the British Soldier team were long gone back to Gosport. There is also the little matter of the positions in the IRC 1 Class and the Offshore series overall to think about, probably the biggest impetuous to carry on sailing than the beer!
Anyway, rest assured the crew will give it their all as before and I hope that Ian from the RORC Race Office have warned the Cherbourg Yacht Club that Sailing Logic is coming back!
Posted by Philippe Falle at 6:02 PM
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Fantastic news...RORC this afternoon have confirmed that Puma Logic and her team have won the Madeira-Cowes Race, by 2 hours and 23 minutes on corrected time...they have actually won twice; first in Class and first overall which means a double celebration. We have some exceptionally weary sailors here in our offices this afternoon, but the smiles and grins on their faces say it all....an fantastic achievement and what a fitting end to an amazing adventure.
When RORC advertised these two races back in December we were looking for a new adventure to fit into our calendar. Little did we know at the time that this adventure would turn into such a journey, and with such success. Not just the positions on the water at the end but the spirit of human endeavour, steadfastness and friendship. We have 12 people who normally would not meet in their everyday lives. We now have a team comprising of 12 sailors who will forever be joined together with their common experience, loyalty and achievement. Our yachts have never been in such weather conditions before and so far away from land. We are immensely proud that they stood up to this hard test and passed with almost flying colours. Puma does need a little bit of tlc after her journey but nothing that will stop her racing once again on Friday over to Cherbourg for the last race of the season.
There were grumblings this morning on the dock that with the weather forecast for this coming weekend being horrible, that maybe the team should stay in bed, and drink a beer or two just in Southampton. However, after a few hours sleep and some of Bernie and Kath's fantastic cooked breakfasts at the Waterfront Bar at Shamrock Quay, they are all raring to go again. We can now officially announce that they are all mad!
The biggest impetuous for racing again this weekend is the team want to meet their fellow Madeira race teams for a celebratory beer or two, and this is the last opportunity of the season. They weren't able to meet with the Pen Zen crew last night after finishing and the British Soldier team were long gone back to Gosport. There is also the little matter of the positions in the IRC 1 Class and the Offshore series overall to think about, probably the biggest impetuous to carry on sailing than the beer!
Anyway, rest assured the crew will give it their all as before and I hope that Ian from the RORC Race Office have warned the Cherbourg Yacht Club that Sailing Logic is coming back!
RORC Madeira-Cowes Race Report 12: Puma finish in dramatic style!!
02.14.50 hrs - Puma Logic finish the Madeira-Cowes Race....welcome home Puma!!
Pen Azen finished at 23.52, just 2 hours 22 minutes ahead of Puma after over 1500 miles of racing, amazingly close. We do not know yet where each yacht stands in the overall placing of the race but as soon as we do we will update you.
A fantastic night rib ride for the families of the crew met Puma as she skirted around the coast of the Isle of Wight and escorted her across the finish line and into Cowes fo a champagne reception. The yachts engine was restarted after their power failure 3 days ago, and the yacht is now heading back to her home port of Shamrock Quay for a little sleep and then a full English breakfast that they have been dreaming of since leaving the Solent in early August.
More to follow....
Posted by Philippe Falle at 4:45 AM 0 comments Leave Comment
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
RORC Maderia-Cowes Race Report No 11: .....12 hours to go and counting....
Puma is nearly home - into the Channel they have stormed this morning and are still averaging 10 knots towards the finish line. Pen Azen have definitely got ahead of them further after the interesting night, but not far enough for comfort. We still believe that Puma has a chance of overhauling the handicap deficit and so please keep everything crossed even tighter. It will be very, very close and oh so very, very exciting!
Puma is nearly home - into the Channel they have stormed this morning and are still averaging 10 knots towards the finish line. Pen Azen have definitely got ahead of them further after the interesting night, but not far enough for comfort. We still believe that Puma has a chance of overhauling the handicap deficit and so please keep everything crossed even tighter. It will be very, very close and oh so very, very exciting!
We have heard from the yacht at lunchtime and they have the 0.75 oz spinnaker up and the sun is shining. The wind is still strong from the south west which means it is perfect for bringing them home as quickly as possible.
A few of the crew are having second thoughts about racing to Cherbourg this weekend, but I am sure after a few beers and a good nights sleep they will be raring to go again.....absolutely mad!
Unfortunately, singing and dancing to Queen cannot help them at the moment as they have no power but they have been trying to remember the words and the tune, so maybe its a good thing they are mid-channel and no-one can hear them! Spirits as ever are very high with everyone working exceptionally hard to get the yacht back to Cowes in record time.
ETA still the same - 0200-0400hrs Wed morning.
Posted by Philippe Falle at 1:21 PM
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RORC Madeira-Cowes Race Report No 10: A tale of two Ushants.....
In 2005, Sailing Logic declared that we were never going to sail in or around the Bristol Channel ever again, after experiencing the worst tides and conditions that we had ever sailed in on our little 38 foot yachts, whilst trying to take a group of novice sailors to the Ireland and back. Force 9's on the nose and an equinox tide made the Bristol Channel particularly inhospitable.....Philippe, Dave L and Mike to this day still have not been back. Early this morning (1am to be exact) Philippe declared that Ushant was to be held in the same regard as it came back to bite them again for a second time 'Never again' he declared, 'am I going round this piece of rock and water'....this being declared after the yacht experienced large following seas.
In 2005, Sailing Logic declared that we were never going to sail in or around the Bristol Channel ever again, after experiencing the worst tides and conditions that we had ever sailed in on our little 38 foot yachts, whilst trying to take a group of novice sailors to the Ireland and back. Force 9's on the nose and an equinox tide made the Bristol Channel particularly inhospitable.....Philippe, Dave L and Mike to this day still have not been back. Early this morning (1am to be exact) Philippe declared that Ushant was to be held in the same regard as it came back to bite them again for a second time 'Never again' he declared, 'am I going round this piece of rock and water'....this being declared after the yacht experienced large following seas.
You might think, well that's not too bad, wind and water coming from behind them, much better than when they were going to madeira... however there is a little 'but'. Puma had gone back into superior stealth mode after a battery switch was left on in the wrong position, meaning they had no batteries, which means no engine to start to charge them, which also meant, no lights, no navigation instruments, no vhf communication, in fact absolutely nothing. A pitch back night with rain squalls, huge seas and the yacht hurtling down them reaching nearly 20 knots...yes, I mean that....nearly 20 knots.
With all this going on you can forgive them for being a little tired this morning but also very relieved to see day break and at least have a chance of seeing what they are doing. Whilst all this was happening during the night, they had a poled out No 3 headsail and 1 reef in the main, when disaster struck on the bow and one of the ropes holding the pole in place snapped, leaving skipper and mate scratching their heads to think of a way of retrieving the situation whilst hurtling towards Ushant directly at breakneck speed, with no deck light to work with, only a torch with its batteries running out. And they are still racing.......
This morning we think they have lost a little bit of time to Pen Azen, but it is still incredibly close on handicap. We will be getting updates periodically through the day and will post these on the website blog as and when we hear fron the yacht. Unfortunately they won;t be able to receive any of your messages today but we will print any out for them and pass them over once they have finished. ETA in Cowes at the moment is approx. 0200-0400 Wed am....
Monday, 1 September 2008
RORC Madeira-Cowes Race Report No 9: ....50 miles to Ushant...
Puma has done extraordinarily well today......they are absolutely flying along with 25 knots of wind coming from astern.
Puma has done extraordinarily well today......they are absolutely flying along with 25 knots of wind coming from astern.
We think they may have pulled back a few more miles on Pen Azen this afternoon. We believe the deficit is down to less than 15 miles. They have just sailed over 55 miles in 5 hours which means if they keep up this sort of speed average they will have covered around 220 miles in 24 hours and for a small plastic 38 foot yacht that isn't too bad!
Brighty (or Poochie to his team mates) has the speed record of 17.5 knots today but Philippe is determined to beat him at some point and so they are wrestling for time on the helm. They have changed down from the big spinnaker to a smaller, more user friendly version. It hasn't seen Puma's average speed drop too much, but makes helming a straighter and more direct course much easier, which in turn may make them quicker in the long run.
The crew are all absolutely stoked up for the fight right until the end and know that every manoeuvre and every tactic from now until Cowes has to be executed perfectly, if they stand any chance of overhauling the deficit of mileage and handicap of Pen Azen.
It has to be noted here that Pen Azen have been the outstanding yacht of the season so far, as they were in 2007. We all have a huge respect for them and they have only twice been beaten by a British yacht in the last 2 years.....and both times it was Puma.....lets keep our fingers crossed (and everything else) that Puma can make it 3rd time very lucky........
Posted by Philippe Falle at 6:05 PM
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RORC Madeira-Cowes Race: BLOG FROM SKIPPER PHILIPPE
Our extraordinary adventure is now drawing to a close. We have just a few hundred miles to the finish line in the Solent and are battling it out every inch of the way against Pen Azen. We are currently 22 miles behind them which, once the handicap correction is applied, puts us pretty much level. It is gripping stuff and the team aboard Puma are completely psyched up to fight till the finish.
Three weeks ago we left the English Channel in a full gale, so it only seems fitting that we should re enter the Channel in another force 8 gale. Yes, that is what is forecasted for us as we round Ushant for the final time! It hardly seems possible that it is less than three weeks ago that I wrote ‘I would never choose to sail around Ushant in 40 knots of wind again!’
Well here I am eating those famous last words! There are however two fundamental differences this time. Firstly we will have the wind from behind us making for an extremely fast and more tolerable ride. Secondly, we are returning with a team of experienced ocean sailors who have developed in confidence, stature and ability over the last 3,000 miles of tough racing.
It always strikes me that much of what people back at home read about adventures at sea is based on the discomfort, hardships and physical toughness of offshore sailing! You may wonder therefore why we do it! Based on what you read I guess you may be forgiven if you think that we are bordering on insanity. Believe me though, that is not the case (well for the majority of us anyway)!
I often think that you may not get a completely balanced narrative of what life at sea is all about. If it was always as tough and miserable as we often like to make it out to be then I think I would be the first to agree that maybe the men in the white coats should be waiting for us in Shamrock Quay on Wednesday morning! As much as I would like to fuel our egos depicting heroism I feel compelled to divulge the truth of our journey!
Over the past few months I have had the great honour of sailing with eleven of the most considerate and team spirited individuals I have ever met. Richard has previously written about our ‘Team Values.’ I think you will all agree that a set of words is meaningless unless everyone believes in them and fully embraces them. Over the past few weeks it has struck me that our team not only believes in those seven key words but they have become the epitome of us. They could now be seven random words that anyone who looks at our team from the outside would select to describe us.
The truth is that we set off on an adventure together as twelve strangers and have shared a unique and wonderful experience together. Do not get me wrong, every single person on board deserves every bit of admiration and praise they get. The achievement is immeasurable and without a doubt we have been through some extremely tough conditions. However, for every hour of hardship there have been several hours of immense pleasure, fun and euphoria.
What is so amazing out here is the appreciation of the power of nature. There are no words or prose that can completely depict the emotions, or pictures that can document the magnificence of the ocean. To fully understand the true enchantment of the sea you have to experience this sort of sailing first hand. We can try our hardest to explain it to you but I feel it to be an impossible task. This is why I do it and why I love the ocean with so much passion. There are twelve privileged people on our campaign who will share the memories and emotions of Mother Nature at her best for the rest of their lives. Our lives will be so much richer for this experience and it is something that no amount of money will ever be able buy.
For me this race has provided me with the best month of my life. It has been a once in a life time experience that perhaps will be impossible to replicate. Everything has worked out so well and the enthusiasm, humour and commitment of every member of the team have been outstanding. Team Puma is a ‘TEAM’ in every sense of the word and I now look forward to the Fastnet campaign next year with the same team.
I hope you have all enjoyed sharing our experience through the wonderful blogs that everyone has been writing. They only give a taster of what life onboard Puma is really like. This team has been unique and with a very special bond. Without being here it is difficult to fully understand. Sadly for us the adventure of a lifetime is nearly over and we must all start thinking about how we are going to cope with returning to normality next week and saying goodbye.
Anyway, enough of that sentimental rubbish, it is back to business. We have a yacht race to win and please be rest assured that we are giving it our all. We are experiencing light winds at the moment which is a welcomed break after two days of tough upwind sailing. Both Puma and Pen Azen have negotiated the light winds very well and as the tactical options are drying up with every mile we will be relying on superior teamwork to out sail them.
Morale is extremely high both on deck and down below which is a huge advantage in the closing stages of the race. We have the prospect of some exciting downwind sailing over the next few days which is something we very much look forward to. All we need to do is keep Pen Azen in the same relative position and we can have them. Keep thinking positive thoughts for us. There is one thing you can be certain of; we will arrive in Cowes (hopefully on Wednesday morning) having put in 100% right up till the end. Come first or second I wholeheartedly believe we are all winners on Team Puma. Beating Pen Azen will just be the icing on the cake though!
PS Congratulations to Bol on making it through the North West Passage, the first boat through unassisted in a season! Well done you. Awesome achievement. Safe passage home.
PPS Thanks Ben for your legendary messages. It really has been like Nania Land out here much of the time. Cannot wait for you to join the Fastnet team, I have a feeling you will fit in just fine!
PPPS Top advice Finbar, but a tad late!
PPPPS Thanks to our harem of loyal supporters. It was fantastic sharing our experience and making you all a big part of it in Madeira. (Mum, Allie, Maire, Anna, Siobhan, Debs and Steff).
PPPPPS Huge thanks to Allie for your continued support. You have been truly amazing and we all love you.
RORC Madeira-Cowes Race - Peter Brownsell’s Sunday Blog
This has been a very high spirited trip as I guess you’ll all have realised from the blogs we’ve been sending back from Puma. However spirits can’t always remain high.
I know personally that however exciting and rewarding the current experience, I always have a down moment, when nothing is as it should be and the world is just WRONG.
That moment came for me yesterday. I think it was yesterday, a couple of watches ago anyway. I was expecting it, and to be honest I was surprised it had taken so long to come. No specific reason, just tired after cleaning the boat on the morning watch while the boat rocked crashed and slammed it way through a difficult sea, and fed up with slipping all over the place in my special non-stick deck shoes. Twice into Philippe, who suffered quite badly for it, adding a nice frisson of guilt to the miserable mix. So I recognised that the darkness had come, and I wasn’t concerned because I knew it would pass.
My crew mates were I think, a little concerned, having never seen one of my less than happy moments, and responded in exactly the right way by taking the micky out of my foul mood. The swine! It did make me smile at the absurdity of how I felt though.. Then just as I was dozing off, off watch I was presented with a little bunch of flowers made from tie wraps and kitchen roll. What can you say, I couldn’t help myself, however much I was enjoying my misery, I had to smile and give it up! I can’t make any further comment without getting a sentimental. So as a Bloke I shall refrain, but I’ll just say that I love everybody on this crew dearly. (I have told them before, but I was, as they keep reminding me, very, very drunk at the time!)
Now after sleeping through three straight off watches and Puma humming along on flat seas, everybody dancing to Queen again after Philippe’s briefing last night with a special light show of flashing torches in the cabin and Pen Azen firmly in our sights, everything is rosy again.
So I’ve had my moment and it’s all up from here. All I need to be concerned about is what I’m going to do when this adventure comes to an end, which unfortunately it must. That is in the future though, and the future doesn’t exist, there is only this moment, NOW! I tried to explain this to my watch at three thirty this morning as we were getting ready to go on. They laughed at me very hard. I can’t think why?
RORC Madeira-Cowes Race Report No 8 - Homeward Bound......
Fantastic news this morning.... Puma have got the expected winds and is rocketing along at the moment, averaging between 11 and 12 knots. They had around 350 miles to go at 0730am, and this will start reducing at an alarming rate going at this brilliant speed. It is interesting to note that Change of Course, who were only a few hours behind Puma and Pen Azen at one stage have now dropped back considerably as they have not hit the south westerly winds at present..
Pen Azen we think are around 20-25 miles ahead of Puma, which means that it is going to go down to the wire as who is going to win class and the race on handicap. By our calculations there are only minutes in it! How exciting!! British Soldier finished last night sometime around 8pm we think, but unfortunately the their tracker seemed to get stuck at 12 miles to go, so we assume they are in safely, and congratulations go to them. They left 4 days ahead of Puma and Pen Azen, so with an eta expected early hours of Wednesday morning, we hope that Puma will have jumped ahead of them on corrected time.
Pen Azen is a J122 which means she is 12.2 metres long with a waterline length of 10.55 metres. Puma is 11.6 metres long with a waterline length of 10.40 metres which means that she is a little shorter and in these conditions should be fractionally slower, as the rule normally is the longer the water line length in a following sea means a quicker boat. However, Puma is wider than the J122's which means in the conditions that the yachts are in at the moment, gives them a slight advantage as they have more wetted area, thus giving them more stability and hopefully that little bit of extra speed. Think of the yachts as giant surfboards and you won't be too wide of the mark.. so Pen Azen is slightly longer, Puma is slightly wider...which will give the yachts the best advantage, its too close to call. The Reflex 38's in general really relish these type of conditions - flat seas, wind behind the beam, surfing along quite happily. Go Puma, go!
All is very well onboard. They have had another Queen disco experience last night when they found out where they were in relation to Pen Azen and British Soldier. Those of us who were in Madeira and witnessed Puma leaving will remember the crew dancing, singing, and laughing to the tune of 'Don't stop me now', well they are at it again. With whoops of joy coming from the helm when they top 15 knots boat speed, life onboard has just changed to one of upbeat anticipation. They are in no doubt that they have to keep racing hard right up until the finish line, if they want to be in with a chance of go ahead of Pen Azen. It will be a very nail biting time tomorrow evening waiting for Pen Azen to finish and then counting the minutes until Puma appears over the horizon. We will keep you updated as often as we can right up until the finish......
Posted by Philippe Falle at 9:00 AM
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Fantastic news this morning.... Puma have got the expected winds and is rocketing along at the moment, averaging between 11 and 12 knots. They had around 350 miles to go at 0730am, and this will start reducing at an alarming rate going at this brilliant speed. It is interesting to note that Change of Course, who were only a few hours behind Puma and Pen Azen at one stage have now dropped back considerably as they have not hit the south westerly winds at present..
Pen Azen we think are around 20-25 miles ahead of Puma, which means that it is going to go down to the wire as who is going to win class and the race on handicap. By our calculations there are only minutes in it! How exciting!! British Soldier finished last night sometime around 8pm we think, but unfortunately the their tracker seemed to get stuck at 12 miles to go, so we assume they are in safely, and congratulations go to them. They left 4 days ahead of Puma and Pen Azen, so with an eta expected early hours of Wednesday morning, we hope that Puma will have jumped ahead of them on corrected time.
Pen Azen is a J122 which means she is 12.2 metres long with a waterline length of 10.55 metres. Puma is 11.6 metres long with a waterline length of 10.40 metres which means that she is a little shorter and in these conditions should be fractionally slower, as the rule normally is the longer the water line length in a following sea means a quicker boat. However, Puma is wider than the J122's which means in the conditions that the yachts are in at the moment, gives them a slight advantage as they have more wetted area, thus giving them more stability and hopefully that little bit of extra speed. Think of the yachts as giant surfboards and you won't be too wide of the mark.. so Pen Azen is slightly longer, Puma is slightly wider...which will give the yachts the best advantage, its too close to call. The Reflex 38's in general really relish these type of conditions - flat seas, wind behind the beam, surfing along quite happily. Go Puma, go!
All is very well onboard. They have had another Queen disco experience last night when they found out where they were in relation to Pen Azen and British Soldier. Those of us who were in Madeira and witnessed Puma leaving will remember the crew dancing, singing, and laughing to the tune of 'Don't stop me now', well they are at it again. With whoops of joy coming from the helm when they top 15 knots boat speed, life onboard has just changed to one of upbeat anticipation. They are in no doubt that they have to keep racing hard right up until the finish line, if they want to be in with a chance of go ahead of Pen Azen. It will be a very nail biting time tomorrow evening waiting for Pen Azen to finish and then counting the minutes until Puma appears over the horizon. We will keep you updated as often as we can right up until the finish......