The final Level 4 training started on Sunday 12th July but as I had to be in London on Friday to renew my passport, I was able to arrive on Saturday and help with the “victualling”, the sailors equivalent of grocery shopping. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Sailing
Crew day today: Race start date revealed
It’s Crew Day today and yes I should have been there but it all seemed a very long and expensive weekend for an hour and half talk and meeting some of the crew and sponsors. Traveling 5 hours by train, two hotel stays in London and then another 5 hours back on Sunday is a long weekend in my book.
But I just got the email and now we know; the race will start on Sunday 30th August 2015 in the “South of UK”. The first leg will be straight from the UK to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In previous years there was a stop in Europe but this year it will be a straight 5,630 Nm run. Leg 2 will finish in Cape Town as last year.
Starting easy in the swimming pool.
Funnily the Level 2 sailing training started on Saturday in a local teaching swimming pool. We completed a four hour theory session learning what to do if you go for an involuntary swim in the ocean and at four, the pool too hot to use our “Foulies” (heavy sailing water proofs), we lined up along the edge of the teaching pool in swimming costume and a T-shirt. Rescue swimming and climbing into the life raft was practiced in progressive stages of difficulty.
Competent Crew with swollen hands
Latest news is that apparantly I am now “Competent Crew”. Relaxing in my hotel room, the last thing I remember from the last day of the course is rowing in a small rubber dinghy in the harbour attached to a line to make sure we are not wandering off too far.
The last week was just incredible from stumbling on deck with no idea what is what and scared to touch any winch or other piece of heavy equipment to jumping about grinding, flipping sheets and halyards around winches, all this in six “easy” days. It’s a tribute to the patience and dedication of skipper “Adie” and mate “Carol” that we learned so much in such a short time.