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FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR This will hopefully be the last daily report from Toshiba Wave Warrior; we are currently around 140 miles from the finish line & we can almost hear the sound of champagne corks popping through the silence of the mist. Our progress, by no means slow at over 9 knots, feels sedate in the enveloping fog. The boat is relatively flat and the final clean-up has commenced; by the time we arrive in Southampton, everything will be sparkling, including the welcome drinks! Are we racing to the finish? Without doubt. How else could you explain half the crew staying up most of their off-watch last night to finalise repairs to our race spinnaker which decided to give up the ghost yesterday lunchtime. With less than 40 hours to finish, a team of 5 people worked for 14 hours to ensure we had a spinnaker available if the wind should drop. Toshiba is a serious racing crew for sure. Now, as we tidy the boat, taking down domestic rota instructions, menus & cooking instructions etc, it is slowly dawning on us that the adventure is almost over. Geoff, our oldest crew member, is keen to go round again; after all, second place overall after the first lap isn't bad but what about the second lap? There would be few deserters if we did just turn round at the Needles- provided of course we could replenish our supplies of biscuits & Earl Grey tea! A nightime entry into Southampton is far from ideal but we know family & friends will crawl out of their beds whatever the hour to give us a loud cheer. We deserve it - to race around the world the wrong way, enduring many personal sacrifices & financial stricture is a significant achievement. We are as proud of ourselves as of each other. Living together in such close quarters with 13 others for weeks on end is part of the challenge; we have not only survived it, we have become close friends. When the rest of the world is fed up of hearing about our adventure, we can meet up and reminisce together! Reality will have to be something special to beat this! Jo Dawson
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR
we continue towards blightly. there was a degree of frustration on
board yesterday as the wind died and left us wallowing, making very
little progress for several hours. as we contemplated our losses,our
mood was not cheered by a message from race headquarters asking if we
had a problem, because they'd noticed we were barely moving in not
exactly the right direction. this was an important safety measure,
but nonetheless a little frustrating to know that the rest of the
fleet must be charging along as we sat in our own little private
hole!
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR The combination of moderate seas and very light winds does nothing for boat speed. Once again, we are tormented by the soul-destroying sound of empty sails wallowing helplessly. The likely cause - the encroaching high pressure system; the barometer is rising whilst our hopes of making ground on Group 4 and a speedy arrival back in Blighty fall. It is pure mental torture - we thought this might be the one leg we could finish in real style without the weather playing cruel tricks on us. As always, however, we continue to try to get the most out of the wind we have & cross our fingers that others, notably Group 4 & Concert, are not blessed with too much wind! The British spirit of supporting the underdog showed its colours again yesterday - we received a message from Concert encouraging us to get Group 4; other yachts in the fleet have expressed similar sentiments. Concert's message was special because they are the closest yacht behind- it seems they would rather we storm on & beat Group4 than slow down & let them catch us - such altruism,eh? Whatever the progress against Group 4, we shall celebrate tonight anyway - it's Geoffrey's 56th birthday. The day started with a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" on deck at watch changeover early this morning and, if past experience can be relied on, will continue with trifle or chocolate cake for pudding tonight. No alcohol however - we left this in Boston to save weight but it's not that long (!) until we can enjoy a glass of dry sherry together in Southampton! Stop press! We're moving again. Fortune smiles on the virtuous ,eh? Jo Dawson
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR we passed 1000miles to go y'day morning, just before breakfast and the milage has been rattling down ever since. consistent north westerlies have allowed us to reach down the line at 10knots plus for the last 24hours. fantastic sailing! unfortunately though, group4 aren't hanging around either and we are still 16miles astern. with less than 750miles to go, we still have everything to play for and we do seem to be pulling away a little from concert and the rest of the fleet. we've had lots of messages from Toshiba and our friends and family, rallying us on-it's tremendous to know we have so many supporters and we're doing our very best not to let you down guys! we've made some progress on the lyrics for our bt party piece. ben sang us some of his old numbers from his dental revue days...quite something!? with a talent for songwriting and camaradarie such as his on board, i think bt are in for quite a treat! we also scared ourselves silly last night discussing horror movies-it was all good fun until someone had to go onto the foredeck to call the trim. no-one would go up alone without the deck light on, for fear of shadows lurking in the darkness! noone wanted to go below alone either to make the tea...so no change there then!
that's all from us, folks!-back to this ocean racing.
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR We now have less than 1000 miles to the finish line and Spike our, on board weatherman, assures us that we should enjoy decent winds over the next 5/6 days to carry us home. It would be nice to have blue sunny skies too but I guess we can't be too greedy with our luck. Unfortuantely, we haven't managed to make up any miles on Group4 over the last 24 hours and they are still c16 miles ahead; however, Concert have stopped making ground on us so it's not all bad. Food supplies are starting to run out, a sure sign we're almost there. We now have no jam,marmalade, nutella, honey or marmite to spread on our toast and within a day, the only cereal left will be Weet-a-bix. Biscuit supplies are dwindling and the weekly sweets & chocolate rations are already exhausted.Still we won't starve that's for sure and hunger will only heighten our eagerness to get in! The sad news is that we are extremely unlikley to be in by 14 July. Why sad? Well, it's Geoff's 56th birthday and he promised to buy the beers all night if we had finished. Believe me, for a Yorkshireman that's a major gesture and one we'll be sorry to miss out on! His last grand gesture was to share 5 pounds between the 14 crew members- half his winnings from Ciara's mum for beating Global Teamwork into Boston (Ciara's Dad is on Global Teamwork) Come to think of it, I don't think we've seen that yet! Jack, our RNLI legger for this leg is suffering badly from a persisitent migraine which is unfortunate because he's been looking forward to the race for over a year and now can't enjoy it to the full. Unlike the rest of us drunkards on board, he doesn't drink so thoughts of cases os champagne in Southampton don't motivate either! Plans are afoot for our cabaret performance at the Welcome Home Party on Friday 18th July - can't say too much or it'll spoil the surprise but just expect a fair deal of raunchiness (and that's just from the boys!) - I think it's the prospect of performing infront of Zoe Ball that's got them all excited & eager to impress... All for now, hopefully closer to Group 4 by this time tomorrow! Jo Dawson
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR Frustration set in last night as we were caught by the large col between the main low pressure system & a secondary low that has developed. This had obviously affected the yachts behind us earlier in the day and we wallowed helplessly for 3-4 hours making less than 2 knots of boat speed. In those hours Group 4 pulled out further ahead of us (before they themselves were caught) and those yachts at the back of the fleet caught up some of the ground lost earlier in the day. We now find ourselves 16 miles behind Group4 which is disheartening since they were less than 0.5miles away only 48 hours ago. On the more positive side, we have now picked up a bit of wind from the north west corner of the secondary low and, with the wind slowly backing, we should be able to sail more onto course and whittle away at the remaining 1195 miles to the finish line & the party! Almost 1200 miles to finish still seems a long way to go and we are still in touch with the leader; however,the next 5/6 days will undoubtedly go very quickly and the time available to catch up those lost miles on Group4 is disappearing. Nevermind! We will continue to "Trim! Trim! Trim!" (Chay's top tips for winning yacht races!) and are being encouraged in our efforts by the rest of the fleet. Guess it's British to support No2! Anyway, we would hate to let the fleet (& ourselves) down so watch this space! Yesterday was Ciara's 24th birthday which meant special birthday trifle for pudding- marvellous! Infact a great meal all round with "Boil in the Bag" (the nearest thing we have to real food) to start with - Spike taking the instructions somewhat too literally and boiling the foil packets in their plastic protective cover! Such is the sense of camaraderie & mutual support on board that no one took the mickey of course - NOT! It's strange to think that we will be missing life on board once we've settled back into reality. Fancy sleeping with 13 unshaven tramps who haven't showered for a week, getting up every 4 hours to sit out in the rain, eating 4 varieties ("flavours" would be inaccurate!) of mushy porridge and carrying your used toilet roll 50 feet down the hallway to throw out of the front door! What can reality offer to compete? Junk mail and traffic jams on the M25? Jo Dawson
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR
for the last 24hours we have had group4 within our sights, both
literally and metaphorically.
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR Toshiba has picked up her skirts and is running for home! Steadily building winds are helping us on our way and we seem to have benefited from being the most northern boat, reducing the adverse current we have experienced over the last few days. There is a potential fly in the ointment from a weather perspective; a developing secondary low pressure which could see the fleet once again wallowing in light sloppy winds. Hopefully, our northerly position will minimise the adverse impact but nothing is guaranteed! As we near UK shores, we have been reflecting on why we've been pretty successful as a crew. There are many theories. In Boston, a number of boats highlighted a high proportion of crew "just out for the adventure", implying that this had a negative impact on the boat's performance. However, crew selection for every boat was on the same basis and the crew on Toshiba, like every yacht, each had different priorities in the "race v adventure" dilemma. What was different is how those alternative priorities were managed; we seem to have avoided any deterioration into conflict - perhaps the key to our success? We all bought into the simple motto "what ever you do, do it so the boat goes faster!" - even if that meant just sitting or sleeping in the right place.
In just over a week the race will be over and 150+ circumnavigators
will return to "normal life" in the UK - there are no losers amongst
us and I'm sure we will all look back with fond memories on our
adventure - whatever position we finish in!
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR We continue our climb north- both geographically and in the position table. We are currently in 3rd only 2 miles behind the front yacht, Group 4. However, we are 36 miles to their north and should benefit from stronger winds over the coming days as a result. Fingers crossed! Yesterday afternoon brought with it bright sunshine and we enjoyed a clear star-filled night sky for a change. All good things must come to an end though and as dawn broke, the fog again descended. We have been at sea for 8 days now. If the stronger forecast winds materialise and with a bit of luck, we should be home within another 8/10 days- maybe even in time for our home-coming party! Thinking about our eventual arrival in Southampton brings with it mixed emotions; on the one hand, it will be the culmination of an outstanding achievement for each & every one of us but, on the other hand,it'll mean a return to reality and perhaps we should fear that more than the Southern Ocean.
Whilst some of us have jobs to return to, for others there is the
turmoil of job-hunting & possibly moving home - an empty bank
account awaits us all!! Whatever happens in the days & weeks ahead,
we should all walk off the yacht in Southampton feeling 10 feet tall -
less people have sailed (let alone raced) around the world the "wrong
way" than have climbed Everest - that's an inspiring perspective.
Whatever glory is to be had is well deserved - we "ordinary people"
have suffered many personal sacrifices to take part in the race & to
experience real adventure - settling down again will be difficult for
sure but show us a challenge we can't handle!
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR There were anxious moments yesterday afternoon as we approached Waypoint Alpha. We were 30 miles to the north & needed to pass it to the south. A significant veering in wind direction had been expected all morning which would allow us to round the waypoint without moving onto an unfavoured tack...but as the hours passed and the waypoint got ever closer, the wind teasingly veered 20 degrees then remained stable. We held our nerve though and with under 2 hours left, suddenly the wind shifted, freeing us up & allowing us to make the waypoint under spinnaker! Relieved & happy faces all round and a chance for the skipper, Simon, to finally get some sleep! As an antedote for the tension that was building on deck, we tuned into the World Service to listen to the Womens Final at Wimbledon...fond thoughts of strawberries & cream, lush green grass and Pimms - all now less than 2000 miles away. As darkness approached, we were again enveloped in a thick fog. With less than 100m visibility, you feel cocooned in your own private world; that is until someone switches on the generator and disturbs the eerie silence! In race terms, the well-timed shift in wind direction has allowed us to maintain our 4th position and we are making ground on Nuclear Electric who are currently in 3rd. Our strategy at this time is to head north where the winds are expected to be stronger over the coming days and where we hope to avoid the worst of the high pressure system still sitting between us & Blighty! Jo Dawson
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR
We finally have some wind! If it keeps up, we may even make
Southampton in time for our welcome party which is good news! The
increase in wind also means a change of scenery for crew, moving over
from leeward to windward rail and a southerly rather than northerly
horizon. Simple things please...... A couple of special requests if we might be so bold....can RHQ advise us of the Test Match scores (asks Geoffrey) and do you know if the Rugby test will be broadcast on the World Service and, if so, on what frequency/time etc (asks Guy)...finally, we seem to have mislaid our list of World Service frequencies, can you help??
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR
Frustratingly slow progress! The wind has not been above 5 knots for
over 12 hours and boat "speed" (although the term seems poignantly
inappropriate) raraely above 2 knots. At this rate we'll be lucky to
hit UK shores before our prize-giving ball in September.Perhaps a new
consolation prize for slowest 24 hour run should be devised and
presented in absentia?
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR A disappointing night in many ways.We had been aiming to get as far south as possible to benefit from warmer airs as wind generally dropped but the wind direction meant it was a very unfavoured gybe with a WCV (waypoint closing velocity) of less than 3 knots on occasions even when boat speed was 8 knots so we gybed back. During the night a thick fog descended and after a while 6 little bleeps appeared on the radar screen. Visibility was less than 0.25 miles so it was not until we were really close that we could confirm they were Challenge yachts & not fishing vessels. As the fog lifted it became clear that these yachts had passed us on the other gybe & were themselves making a lot of southing - in a 12 hour period we went from most southerly boat of our group to most northerly and at the same time lost miles to the leaders. Not an ideal situation! Nevertheless, there is still a very long way to go and we wll fight back - the skipper wants a trophy for hs mantelpiece!
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR We've finally left the land where pavements are called sidewalks and medium-sized portions of anything are huge with large portions enough to feed the average family of four! (or even a couple of Southern Ocean sailors) The start was fantastic - sunshine, following winds, spinnakers, lots of close quarters manouevring ..what more could the media ever want? For Toshiba, it was also another decent start and we were easily in the top half of the fleet as we left Boston harbour. WE even had a call from a British Airways flight overhead where Judy (who sailed with us from Rio to Wellington and came to visit in Boston) had persuaded the pilot to let her sit on the flight deck for take-off and call us up to wish us good luck! The fleet quickly split into 2 groups, 1 apparently heading straight for the waypoint and the second group (lead by Save & Toshiba) making more southing - either to avoid ice & colder airs or to pick up some favourable Gulf Stream current. The first day's sailing was superb - including our first ever whale sighting off the Stellwagen Bank. The yachts behind us were silhouetted against a brilliant red/orange sky as the sun set and with no clouds, the stars sparkled in all their glory - I had almost forgotten how much I will miss the night sky at sea. Added to the white & yellow stars were a row of red masthead lights off our starboard quarter, like soldiers waiting to advance. Unfortunately for them, Toshiba quickly adjusted to racing again and we have pulled away from them during the night. As I write this, the smell of bacon is filling the air - regrettably the last of our fresh rations but England is less than 3000 miles way so it's not long to survive on McDouglls dehydrated food!! All for now - we're just happy to be back at sea
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR bit late, but so goes the life of big waves and sail changes! angela, aged 25 and an outdoor pursuits instructor and me, aged 23 and a dental surgeon were discussing why people do the challenge. crashing around the deck in 50 kn gusts is the sort of thing you've got to want to do to enjoy it, but why?. ange is an rnli volunteer, and was selected to take part by toshiba, as part of their support of the rnli. for me, i was breezing through university and at 19 felt that good job and a comfortable middle class existance were approaching all too quickly. i wanted to do something more drastic! so after 3 years of sponsorship hunting,fundraising and part time work to raise the money,learning to sail and being seasick, here i am. this morning was pretty drastic! i was at the helm just after breakfast. a steady 14kn was blowing, the no1 yankee, staysail and full main flying. a squall hit us, but it did not pass. after 15 mins the wind had gusted up to over 30 knots. wecalled to put 2 reefs in the main. the sail flogged as we battened it down and great waves hurled themselves over us. as the wind crept higher, we clambered onto the foredeck and clawed down the no 1,an almighty task,...hoisted the no3 and dropped the stay sail. by now the wind was 45kn, gusting 50. hail stung our cheeks and numbed our fingers and waves swept us along the deck. on one wave , iwas swept right along the leeward deck, only halting as my safety line pulled tight. i emerged as water drained away, to find myself jammed against the guard rail, my legs hanging over the side and up to my knees in southern ocean- not a good feeling, but makes me all the more aware of the importance of the safety gear on board. as the wind steadied of, we put the 3rd reef in, hoisted the storm stay and caught our breath back. certainly not a boring watch, and as we took turns maning the deck, others went down below to warm up and get on with the chores;clear breakfast, clean the heads and make lunch, not easy or pleasant tasks at a 30 deg heal ona bumpy ride! we were ready for some lunch and well deserved sleep by the time watch change came! even when its awful down here, it can be great fun and very exhilerating; but boring and comfortable? never! rgds, ciara
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR What an eventful 24 hours. Yesterday was changeover day for our food; we work to 8 day weeks to avoid the repetition of always having the same meal on the same day..."if it's Tuesday, it must be Veg Curry scenario....." That said, we find it difficult to remember the time, let alone what day of the week it is! Anyway, as we sorted all the remains of Week 1 food from out of the galley cupboards, we discovered we had been unnecessarily frugal in our biscuit rationing and had a veritable Southern Ocean biscuit mountain on our hands! Now biscuits are a valuable commodity on board a Challenge boat and many crew have been heard to mutter that their greatest wish (after cold beer!) on arrival in port is to have a packet of biscuits entirely to themselves. Well, yesterday, as they slept, they were visited by the biscuit fairy who deposited a packet of biscuits on their pillow. One new crew member,somehwat surprised by the treat, wondered whether the Southern Ocean had turned him into a sleep-walking cleptomaniac! We finally managed to get our heaters working only to discover that the vent for the aft cabins passed through the cupboard where we store our fresh eggs...horrific visions of chickens hatching in the galley quickly turned to pleasant thoughts of roast chicken lunches, as we remembered that Kobus, one of our crew, is a chicken farmer in South Africa and was used to slaughtering 5000 chickens a day ! In sailing terms, a frustrating 24 hours, as we sailed out of one gale into a secondary low reducing wind speed from over 30 knots to 4 knots. Having just climbed back into 3rd position, we then lost 20 miles in a 6 hour period. But behind every blue cloudless sky is a silver lining and we spotted that the main halyard had failed and was dangerously close to snapping, which would have brought the mainsail crashing down to the deck with the risk of significant damage & possible injury to crew. In the prevailing calm conditions, we were able to set up a new main halyard using the spare main as a temporary support during the process. Tonight we again have 30 knots of wind and to have conducted that operation in these conditions would have been nigh on impossible. I guess we should be thankful for the lack of wind after all!! Jo Dawson
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR it's getting very cold down here!! temperature seems to be dropping every hour, we're all in "full" kit rations now-thermals, midlayer, drysuits, mitts, hats and red cheeks! there's a double celebration on board this evening- it's justin "new boy"'s birthday. certainly not a day he'll forget in a hurry- he managed to get himself caught around the innerforestay this morning and near castrate himself(!?!). nothing serious, he's getting on really well on the boat and enjoyed the special supper and birthday trifle jo made for him! birthday treat was having the latest tropical cyclone named after him- we said we'd arranged it specially with the met service, but I don't think he was convinced! we also seem to be pulling back miles on the leaders, which is good news. we've all been working really hard and spike's turned receiving and analysing weather faxes into a masters degree! he's doing stirling work, and it seems to be paying off, so we'll just keep pushing on! cheers, ciara ps. is it mothers day today? if so, please wish all our mothers a very happy day-if it's next week, let us know, please!
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR Simon Walker's Southern Ocean Hothouse
So you want to know the real news today? Toshiba Wave Warrior saw the opening of, skipper, Simon Walker's Southern Ocean "Hot House". Simon came down to make a cup of tea this afternoon to find the chef of the evening with his head in his hands in the galley. Was this dispair at the prospect of cooking dinner for 14 again? No, just a brief bout of seasickness. Simon - our very own magi mix - whirled into action with only 30 minutes to go. He produced a boiling curry complete with mango chutney and lime pickle. The Toshiba Wave Warrior hot house is nurturing a great sense of team working in us all; and in a few the ability to make a great curry. Joe Watson
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR the pressures falling but spirits are high as the warrior surges forward! we're battening down the hatches and stowing the gear for rough weather, as we head south. the big blow is due to reach us soon, possibly with very little respite until we reach cape town. we're lucky to have such a strong crew. my watch, port, dubbed "the 999ers" by the others consists of 3 RNLI volunteers, a doctor and 2 dental surgeons. Ben, our noble leader and ex royal navy dental surgeon commands with a somewhat military but good humoured authority! we work well as a unit, striving towards the same goal, working together, spuring each other on, winding each other up and making each other laugh! conversations can lead to allsorts of interesting little facts... two have blue peter bagdes and one has a pierced nipple! haydon, who has joined us for this leg insisted on having his ear pierced last night, as he had missed the ceremony at cape horn! i suppose rounding tasmania at the front of the fleet has just the same prestige! that all fom us! rgs, ciara
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR WELL, WE MANAGED TO FEND OFF THE HUNGRY WOLVES LAST NIGHT & HOLD ON TO OUR LEAD. TONIGHT THERE ARE NO LIGHTS CLOSE ON THE HORIZON AND THEY ARE WELCOME IN THEIR ABSENCE. WE WORKED HARD AS A CREW. TRADITIONALLY, WE HAVE NOT SAILED AT OUR BEST IN LIGHT WINDS BUT THE LAST 24 HOURS PROVED THAT WITH APPLICATION AND CONCENTRATION, WE CAN DO IT SO WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR FROM ANY WEATHER CONDITIONS! DUTY YACHT REPORT: ALL YACHTS CONTACTED AT 0700 INTER-YACHT SCHEDULE AND NO DAMAGE/URGENT NEWS TO REPORT APART FROM WILDLIFE OBSERVATIONS AND A COMPETITION ON SAVE THE CHILDREN TO GROW THE "WACKIEST" MOUSTACHE BY CAPE TOWN! JO DAWSON
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR Tonight, the winds are again light, influenced by the high pressure system, currently over us. We have all the other Challenge yachts in our sight, their navigation lights staring at us like wolves eyes, ready to pounce. It is hard work to keep the boat going. The last time we lead the fleet was 30 September - 2 October last year and it is a good feeling - we'll learn to cope with the sense of vulnerability that is our inevitable companion! In a few days time, we'll have more wind than we can cope with so we'd better not complain; after all, it's a clear warm night and the sky is full of stars, the boat is flat, there are no flying ketchup bottles or pots of water and sleep is easy - better enjoy it whilst we can! Personally speaking, with a broken arm in plaster, the deck becomes forbidden territory in 25knots so I'm enjoying sailing rather than being tied to the chart table & galley! Jo Dawson
FROM TOSHIBA WAVE WARRIOR the sunshine at the start line did not last long- true to start day form, bitter cold, sickness and driving rain soon set in! the sky was electric with flashes of lightening and as the wind speed and direction constantly changed, we dropped the flanker and hoisted our headsail. early this morning following a sharp increase in wind speed, we changed to a smaller headsail , only to notice a torn seam in the sail we had dropped. one crew member(me!) spent the next couple of hours laboriously hand stitching the seam back together, so the sail was ready to use again before the wind decreased. a bright afternoon followed- the on watch reported seeeing dolphins and stomachs settled as most people managed supper. all settling in to full racing form now! rgds, ciara tosh Leg 3 Yacht Toshiba Wave Warrior Yacht Toshiba Wave Warrior Yacht Toshiba Wave Warrior Yacht Toshiba Wave Warrior Yacht Toshiba Wave Warrior |
