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From : Sarah Brice Yacht : Concert Date : Thursday 13th February, 1997 So it was farewell to Wellington. And in fact a rather sad farewell for many. In contrast to Rio, many crew were far from itching to leave and could happily have stayed longer, it was such a fantastic stopover. For us it started on the biggest high, despite limping in with no mast. We arrrived on a glorious sunny day, escorted by a group of porpoises (dolphins?) . Out to greet us were a Concert welcome boat loaded with friends and reli's, Commercial Union flagged up to the nines, Nuc, skippered by Richard Tudor who was dismasted in the last race, and 'Phantom of the Straits', an ex-Whitbread yacht with the crew of Toshiba onboard. Appropriately, Nuc's mast had already been lifted out, so Richard was right with us! We hoisted our tiny, fully logo'd spinnaker (the top we'd blown off our medium weight on the run down from Rio) as we crossed the line and passed under the fountains of spray from the tug Kupe's water cannons. Then round the corner into Queen's Wharf to cheering crowds and the strains of 'Walking on Sunshine', our boat song. The reception was amazing. An unbelievable experience. So the parties began again, and this time in earnest. There was an extra bond between all the crews - we'd been round Cape Horn and survived the rigours of the Southern Ocean. We'd all been through it and come out the other side. The hangovers that week matched the parties and no doubt slowed the cleaning up operation onboard, but we were kept going by timely food parcels - boxes of donuts and coffee - from our supporters. Friends and reli's were instantly welcomed into the crew fold and allowed to buy us beers and be subjected to the old gags until they denied all connection with us. Soon it was time to get away and explore New Zealand. We were glad to leave the boat, which was such a sorry sight alongside the other yachts. Her stunted mast was a constant reminder that we were out of the race. We all needed to get away - from the boat and probably from each other. Having said that, after travelling independently round the South Island for a week we all met up in Queenstown for some serious playtime. After only a week apart, we greeted each other like long lost friends, which does make you wonder what the separation anxiety will be like come July! We bungeed 102m off a bridge (that's big), we rafted, where skipper revealed his hooligan tendencies, and went motorbike scrambling over the hills. Had a ball. Back in Wellington we began work on the boat and there was more entertaining to be done. Prizegiving was a civilised affair in the Governor General's back garden, but we felt quite at home all dressed up after our evening as VIP guests at the Concert-sponsored 'Opera in the Basin'. A sailing crew as VIP's? It's true - and we behaved impeccably, singing along to Puccini in the stands. Back at Queen's wharf there was a lot to be done, but a great atmosphere to work in. The dockside was always buzzing, with punters wandering past, joggers, rollerbladers, and the suits that appeared at lunch time with their fish and chips trying not to get grease on their ties. We'd work away in the heat, stopping for diet coke breaks (I wish!) and lunch, when the sail repair team would join us from the temple of the repair shed. They arrived as calm as we were hot and sweaty, after their soothing morning wandering in the cool shade, bare-footed over sails, speaking in hushed tones over the rustle of cloth and the hum of sewing machines. Soon Concert was ready to sail again, resplendent in new mast, rigging, pukka sails, humming winches, the lot. What a moment hoisting the mainsail for the first time in 7 weeks! After several rusty manoeuvres, we got back into the sailing swing of things and it felt good. We may be out of the overall race, but we're out there to really go for it and win some legs. The other yachts will still have to beat us on the water. So, to the start. We stuck to our theme of drizzle but this time at least with some wind. And it was hairy - 40 tons of yacht screaming round the cans and out into the bay. Plenty of action! And it's been nail- biting stuff since. There are always 3 or 4 yachts on the horizon, even after 500 miles of racing. We're lying in third at the moment, but with only 20 miles separating the top half of the fleet, anything could happen. Watch the news from Sydney... Yours, masted and happy, Sarah.
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