Peter Brumby, 13-14 RTW

Welcome to the latest in an ongoing series of guest posts from my future crewmates, current and past crew members! This is a chance for them to tell you all a little bit about themselves, why they chose to sign up for Clipper, and share some of their experiences.   

Now, over to Peter Brumby who sailed RTW in the 13-14 race - enjoy!

Anyone who has completed the Clipper Race will remember the feeling of knowing you had signed up to do something “big”, but not really knowing what “big” actually was. Many, including myself, will never have sailed before, many will not have been in sporting team environments for some time, many will not have been extensively living “in the elements” for some time, many of us will no longer be what is traditionally considered young, most of us will not have been scared for some time. Most of us had probably become “comfortable”. Secretly though most of us will have been looking for adventure. Not necessarily looking to completely change our lives, but definitely to add something new, vibrant and fresh. Something that has – potential. Not just for the period of the race you sign up for, but beyond. I have definitely received these benefits, and I am sure many more have too.

Once you sign up the experience begins. You will find yourself caught up in a swell of nervous investigation. How can I prepare myself for this “big” thing? What do I need to buy? How will I struggle? Initially this is a lonely pursuit, just you and the internet. Searching for clues in an ocean of information, none of which quite meets your needs, probably because we do not really know the questions we need to satisfy. Many of them emotional as well as practical.

But then you will be caught in the stream of the Clipper Bubble. You book and attend your first training week or you attend a Clipper Social. All of a sudden you are not alone. There are others! They feel the same as you. You have made contact. You feel less unassured, simply because others feel like you. You have the start of a new community.

The first training week is colossal. Having never sailed before I devoured all the training material sent out and more. In reality it still did not make sense to me. It was all new. New language, new movements, new people, new ways of working. New levels of energy needed. I survived by pulling and moving anything heavy around someone told me to. So tired by the end of the week, yet so satisfied. Out on the water, a cold bitter winter week. But such fun. Great people and so completely absorbing. The following week I managed to process so much about what had happened and so many bricks fell away from the wall of uncertainty I had built from myself.

And so it continues throughout the training. More knowledge, more confidence, more people, bigger community. At some point you cross a bridge. A place where you realise that you cannot know “everything” about sailing before you go. But you know enough. Enough that you will be safe, that you can be trusted and you trust others. That your boat and skipper will get you there. And that you will have a good time doing it.

The training and the period before the race is a huge part of the overall experience and is when you build not just the knowledge you need to get through but also the community who will help you on the way round. Enjoy and treasure it.

The Race? It will be what you want it to be. You will decide how much you watch or how much you participate. How much you receive from others actions and how much you contribute. We all volunteer, no one can be ordered to be what they do not wish to do. For me I wanted everything, full absorption. Learn as much as I could, do every job, be “there” when it mattered. I think I did. My crew mates would probably have a clearer view than I. But crews are made up of many different types of people, each contributing in different ways. None of us could have succeeded on our own.

I won’t go into detail of the experience of being at sea on a racing boat. It’s impossible to describe. Like the best photo is never quite as good as being there, I could give you an impression, but they would just be my poor words. It’s true, that you will be cold and tired, you could be bored and fed-up. But you will probably have wonder, and fear. You will witness the enormity and scale of the world and nature like never before. There will have laughter and arms around shoulders. There will be fruit duff and custard at the end of colds watches, and nothing gets better than that.

So at the end of it all what do you get? For me? Amazing memories you could not make anywhere else or probably in any other way. A new community of great people that is incredibly engaging, joined by a common bond that comes from being in challenging places at the same time and knowing what others did to succeed. Access to new experiences, from more sailing, to being challenged to row across the Mediterranean. You never know what someone will come up with next.

In 2013 I had never sailed before. By 2015? Sailed around the world, watch leader on some legs, raced from Palermo to Monte Carlo, sailed the Islands of Croatia, attempted to row from Barcelona to Sardinia (that’s another story), passed my Off Shore Yacht Master. (I did my yacht master with 3 other ex-Clipper crew, 2 of whom I had never sailed with before, however, the Clipper training ensured we all knew how to work together efficiently and effectively. Great experience). I could throw in many, many social times too, dinners, gigs, weddings. The community lives on.

Have I been rewarded? Oh yes.

Enjoy your sailing – however much you choose to do.

• Peter Brumby

Dave Harries, 17-18 RTW

Welcome to the latest in an ongoing series of guest posts from my fellow 17-18 Clipper Race crewmates and current 15-16 crew members! This is a chance for them to tell you all a little bit about themselves, why they chose to sign up for Clipper, and share some of their experiences.  Keep an eye on this space - there are THREE more in the works already!

Now, over to Dave Harries who will be sailing RTW in the 17-18 race - enjoy!

Hi! Why am I writing here, well Caitlin asked me to write a guest blog. I’m Dave, and will be doing the full circumnavigation in Clipper Round the World Race in 2017/18. I work in the oil industry and have recently returned to the UK after 3 years working mainly in Saudi Arabia but also Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea (absolutely loved South Korea, fantastic food and the people were so friendly). It seems so long ago now, but I was following the 2013/14 Race online from Saudi Arabia, via race viewer and several Facebook groups and also reading Team Spirit, written by Brendan Hall, the winning skipper of the 09/10 Race onboard Spirit of Australia. I would highly recommend reading this book, not just for those considering taking part in the Race but also those already signed up for the Race. Anyway, early in 2014 I took the plunge and applied. Why apply for the Race? I didn’t want to get to 70 or 80 years of age and think “what if…”, so applied and somehow got accepted. I decided to do round the world, as I knew I would find it incredibly difficult to leave the boat after doing 1 or 2 legs. I enjoy pushing myself, the week after my interview I was taking part in the London to Brighton ultramarathon. The Race will help push the limits of what I am capable of. It’s not just the challenge of taking on Mother Nature with the ocean crossings but also getting on with my crewmates and dealing with the inevitable arguments that will arise from being in a confined space. And asmuch as I love cooking, I’ve never tried cooking on a bucking bronco leaning over at silly angles, so that’ll be umm interesting lol. As for sailing background, inspections onboard oil tankers doesn’t really count lol Once I’d been accepted onto the Race I did the RYA Crew Competency course off the Pembrokeshire coast in South West Wales. This was great fun and helped give a good grounding in points of sail and some of the knots used (especially the all-important bowline lol). This was a great way of getting experience and confidence onboard, albeit a much smaller yacht. As good as the crew competency course was, it doesn’t really prepare you for life onboard a Clipper yacht. Level 1 training in September 2015 out of Gosport was great fun, even if we didn’t have as much wind as we’d hoped for. At least it was a ‘gentle’ introduction to taking it in turns cooking for everybody onboard and some of the day-to-day aspects of sailing the boat, just think cleaning out the bilges. The training involves a lot of learning by repetition, from the knots involved, again the bowline (you’ll be doing lots and lots of those) as well as the round turn and 2 half hitches (that’ll keep your bunk at the right angle lol) to sail changes, anchoring an man overboard exercises. Although there were only 8 of us onboard for level 1 training, you get a good sense of how cramped it would be with a full crew onboard, and how difficult it could be moving around, walking over the sails just to get to your bunk (that’s were having a waterproof bag comes in handy to leave your stuff in, dropping wet gear down, something will always get the bunks wet). One word of advice, get involved with everything and ask questions, we were lucky on level 1 with 2 previous race skippers onboard (1 of whom is now the skipper onboard Team ClipperTelemed+), so there were lots of questions not just on the sailing aspect but also kit and what to expect on different legs. One thing you’ll definitely get involved with is the deep clean at the end, the more people doing it the sooner it gets done. Our incentive was to book a table at the pub for a final meal that wasn’t onboard the boat (plus a few climbed the mast too). The big surprise for me during level 1 training was how much drinking was involved, and how it’s not much fun being on the grinders with a hangover! lol Roll on Level 2 training in May 2016.

The bunks, sails and rope locker

Sunrise in Gosport

Sunset on the Solent

Debbie Porter, 15-16 Legs 1 & 2

Welcome to the latest in an ongoing series of guest posts from my fellow 17-18 Clipper Race crewmates and current 15-16 crew members! This is your chance to learn a bit more about them and why they signed up for Clipper, hear about their experiences, and benefit from some of their hot tips for training and kit. Keep an eye on this space - I have another FOUR in the works already! 

Now, over to Debbie Porter who sailed Legs 1 & 2 with GREATBritain in the 15-16 race - enjoy!

It’s very hard to believe that it is three years since I made the decision to join the 15/16 Clipper Race but I can honestly say, despite all the angst and second thoughts and worries along the way, it is the best decision I have ever made.

I’d known about Clipper for a while having being taught to sail in Gibraltar years ago by one of the current skippers – Darren from IchorCoal – but never seriously thought it was something that I could do as a very amateur sailor. However, I work for the Government and was invited to the dinner launching the last GREAT boat in 13/14. Seated between two members of staff from Clipper, I had no chance once they found out that I sailed and by the end of the dinner I was signed up!

For me, Clipper was about a number of things. I wanted to take a break from my life to take stock and have a proper gap to really think about what I wanted to do next in my career and general life. As a close friend of mine said ‘it’s hard to think about your life when you’re in your life’ and there is nothing like staring out at an endless horizon of sea to help give you perspective on things. I also wanted to become a better sailor. I had done some RORC racing but really wanted to challenge myself and a couple of ocean crossings seemed a good way to do that so I signed up for Legs 1 and 2.

So the three things I wished I’d known before I set sail? First, all the things that I worried about ended up not being problems at all. Yes, you face challenges, things you might not want to do, things that might scare you but once you are out there on your boat and there is only yourself and your team to rely on, you will be amazed what you can do without thinking. Secondly, your team are the most important part of the boat. It is your team that get you through – when there is a bit of a breeze on (ahem) you all need to pull together; when you’re becalmed and it’s hot and sticky you need to hold your tongue and support each other even when someone is irritating; and when you need a hug it will be your crew mates that you will be turning to. And hopefully at some point it will be those lovely crew mates standing next to you grinning ear to ear on the podium! Learn about yourself and what’s annoying, make a point of understanding first when someone seems annoying to you – it is your team that will get you through and they will become your best friends. Finally, I wish I had known how hot it would be on Leg 1. On a hot leg it is like a sauna down below and it can be very difficult to sleep – make sure you take a silk liner as well as that super thick ocean sleeping bag!

In terms of training: it is excellent and make the most of it.  I found level 1 very difficult and a bit of a shock to the system, others found the same. Even if you have sailed before you are learning a whole new way of doing things and the scale makes it 10 times harder. But stick with it and it gets easier. Take the chance to make friends – these are the same people you will be having fun with in port and it’s great to know people on other boats and to compare experiences. Also use the training to try out different bits of kit – don’t  buy loads at once as it may not work for you (merino makes me itch!) and buy your boots close to the end of your training as they will get a hammering at sea! Level 4 was the best training as it was the closest to the final experience and starts to awaken everyone’s competitiveness!

I’ve been asked for kit recommendations a number of times. The best thing I took was a hand held fan that cost about £3 and was the source of much jealousy on Leg 1 as it least moved the air around by my face. My other top tip is to seal your knickers in plastic sandwich bags! The lockers are often full of water (sorry but they are!) and there is nothing worse than wet pants! If they are sealed in a bag you know they will be dry (and also which ones are clean!)

Finally, I’ve been asked what my funniest moment was on board. It’s hard to say really there were so many. But, as ever, the misfortune of others makes us all laugh. Cut to my crew laughing their heads off as I was totally swamped by a wave only 2 minutes after coming up on deck in new dry gear! Or the flying fish to the shoulder blades that happened to numerous crew. My watch leader’s favourite moment was when he asked me to put a compass reading of 370 degrees in the log – took a few moments to remember it only goes to 360!

So there we are – Clipper in a few words. My main advice - just enjoy every moment! Because before you know it someone will be asking you to write a blog about your experiences and you won’t be able to believe that is all over!

• Debbie Porter 

https://www.facebook.com/debbie.porter.7796

Sandra Squire, 17-18 Leg 8

Welcome to the third in an ongoing series of guest posts from my fellow 17-18 Clipper Race crewmates and current 15-16 crew members! This is a chance for them to tell you all a little bit about themselves, why they chose to sign up for Clipper, and share some of their experiences.  Keep an eye on this space - I have another FIVE in the works already!

Now, over to Sandra Squire who will be sailing Leg 8 in the 17-18 race - enjoy!

Hi,

I’m Sandra, I’m a 40-something year old married Mum of 2 boys, currently aged 6 & nearly 9. We live in West Norfolk, although I originally hail from Hertfordshire. I’m a local Borough Councillor and hopefully by the start of the 2017-2018 race I will also be a County Councillor. I was elected for the first time in May 2015 and am enjoying the ups and downs of political life. I’m signed up to do Leg 8, the homecoming (glory) leg in June/July 2018.

So you might be forgiven for wondering why on earth I’d be wanting to leave my family and go off sailing the ocean on a 70ft racing yacht with about 20 other like minded, crazy people.  Well, there’s no one simple answer, it’s a combination of things.

Way back in 1999 I broke my back, which does change your life quite significantly. I was very lucky and have recovered fully, with a fierce determination to prove that I can do anything I choose to do. 11 weeks after my breaking my back I went travelling around Alaska for 6 weeks alone, against doctors advice. You’re getting some idea of my personality now?!

I thrive on challenges; I don’t like heights – so in 2011 I abseiled down a lighthouse raising money for the RNLI while doing so. To date, that is the most frightening thing I’ve ever done!

Both of my sons have Autism, which brings with it numerous challenges. We’ve seen prejudices and ignorance regularly, done battle with schools about support or progress and generally developed a very tough skin with the ability and willingness to face down anything or anyone. So I went into politics, it seemed a natural progression!

When you listen to people talk about Autism, it is the disability that is seen above everything else. The focus is always on what they can’t do and what they find difficult and not on what they can do, or the simple beauty of truly having no idea and not caring what other people think.  As an overweight, stay at home Mum, I want to prove to my boys that anything is possible. That ordinary people can do extraordinary things and that if they really want them, and are willing to work hard for them, their dreams can become reality. 

I’ve always wanted to learn how to sail, but never really got round to it. So when we moved to Norfolk, half an hour from the coast, I took my chance & had some lessons, followed by a course. A few months later, we bought our first boat on a whim - a 16ft cutter rigged dinghy. I had to get the harbour master to rig it, as I hadn’t got a clue where to start!

It was while I was flicking through the RYA magazine when recovering from pneumonia in 2015 that I came across an advert for the Clipper Race. It was interesting enough to make me look at their website, and that was interesting enough to make me fill in the form. Which inevitably led to an interview in Gosport, which is quite a day trip from Norfolk! 

Fast forward seven months and I’m in the gym 4 days a week and practicing knots blindfolded (sorry Caitlin!), I’ve got my first week’s training booked for over Easter and my son’s school friends tell him that he’s got a really cool Mum!

I’m raising money for four local Norfolk causes so hopefully I can do my challenge, inspire my kids and raise lots of money for some causes very close to my heart, all while meeting some amazing fellow crew and making some really good friends. Why would I not want to do it?

So why Leg 8?  Well, I can’t realistically be away from my family for 11 months and I was torn between Leg 1 or Leg 8.  Partly as it would save money on flights and partly because it would mean departing or returning to the home port in front of a home crowd. So I eventually settled on Leg 8. But if say a well known chocolate manufacturer that uses purple packaging were to see their way to sponsoring me to do Leg 1 as well, of course I’d be very grateful…… :)

• Sandra Squire

www.sandrasquire.com  

Charlotte Willis, 15-16 Legs 7&8

This is the latest in a series of guest posts from some of my fellow 17-18 crewmates and the current 15-16 crew in which they tell us a little about themselves, their Clipper experiences so far, and pass on any hot tips.

Over to Charlotte Willis, Legs 7&8 with the Garmin crew in Clipper Race 15-16 - enjoy! 

Why Clipper Race Legs 7 & 8?

For me, I could only ever do a part of the race due to the time required off work so the whole circumnavigation wasn't an option for me. I originally just signed up to do Leg 8 for two main reasons - one, because I wanted to sail across the Atlantic, and two, because I'm a born and bred Londoner and I wanted to sail home. So Leg 8 suited me perfectly! But then I started my training, and once you start to meet other clipper crew, the buzz about the Race is just infectious and I instantly knew I needed to do more than just one leg. By this point, the majority of the legs for the 15-16 race we full though so I requested that I be added to the waiting list for Leg 7 which Clipper did. I was told I was second on the list so assumed that a place would never come up,  but then two legs into the Race, it did! So of course I accepted and I now cannot wait to start my adventure in Seattle instead! And it also means I get to travel through the Panama Canal which will be amazing!

Any hot training or kit tips for future crew?

Spend money on the important technical clothing which will mean you stay as dry and as temperature controlled as possible. But then for the thermals, the base-layers, the fleeces, the mid-layers, etc. re-use as much stuff as you might already have for skiing or other sports. And most importantly, don't buy everything up front; you'll learn what you actually need (and it's surprisingly little when you're living in the same clothes for days on end) as you go through your training. There's a strict weight limit on board each boat during the Race so get used to packing only the essentials. And put everything in waterproof bags - the boats leak once they've been thrashed around at sea for a while! 

What's the best/worst thing about not joining the crew until Seattle?

The worst is the FOMO (fear of missing out)! I've got to know my Skipper and team mates really well though pre-race Clipper events, a team-bonding weekend, training, and race prep activities. So I feel very much a part of the team, except I'm not actually on the boat yet. So whilst the crew on board do the actual sailing, the rest of us crew back home waiting to join have become a bit of a support group for each other - constantly chatting on social media, meeting up for drinks, hourly race following (and shared conversations dissecting every small bit of the race as well as the other teams) and we've even got to know other crew members friends and family too as we're all supporting the same team. So the best bit is the cameraderie amongst the remaining crew and supporters, and the bonds we've formed. And probably the sheer excitement of counting down day by day until it's my turn! 

What was your funniest moment in training?

There are way too many :) People getting things wrong, stories of snoring and/or sleep-talking, extreme situations which aren't hilarious at the time but all form great stories after they're done... Just generally getting to share this experience with such a random and diverse but like-minded group of people who are all a bit bonkers but all there because they want to do the same thing you do. And whilst most people's friends and families think we're all mad to do something like the Clipper Race, us crew just 'get it'. I have made friends for life along my Clipper journey so far. 

• Charlotte Willis 

https://clippercharlotte.wordpress.com/ 

Jess Barton, 17-18 RTW

This is the first in a series of guest posts from some of my fellow 17-18 crewmates and the current 15-16 crew in which they tell us a little about themselves, their Clipper experiences so far, and pass on any hot tips! 15-16 crew will also be sharing the 3 things they wish they'd known before setting sail and their funniest moments onboard. 

Enjoy!

Hi! 

I’m Jess! A teacher of Music and English as a Foreign Language, and musician based in Shanghai, China originally from Frinton-on-Sea, UK. I have always been keen on sailing / water sports generally, courtesy of my membership to a youth organisation called the Sea Cadets. I was lucky enough to attend a unit which was literally minutes from my house, and we lived very close to the sea, so I was able to get a lot of boating in! This was all well and good until 2001, when I noticed something physically wrong, that had been ignored previously… I have S.U.F.E (An acronym for a hip condition, which I can never spell!!) Basically, the growing plate was slipping off my femur resulting in my leg being hard to walk on and my back changing shape. At the age of 12/13 I as told to give up all contact sports etc. I am not one for being told no, so when the opportunity came to get back on the water, I did so, but very gingerly. I was scared that I would hurt my leg. 

I was sponsored by my local rotary club to sail with Jubilee Sailing Trust, again, a charity that enables both disabled and able-bodied sailors on-board one of their two tall-ship vessels all over the world! I joined in Hamburg, Germany and sailed into London (UNDER Tower Bridge!) This revitalised my sailing confidence, as I gradually re-learnt what I could and couldn’t do… and this is now why  I am here.

Caitlin, asked me to write a guest blog about my Clipper Experience. Now, I am a “rare species” because it is not the first time that I have taken on the Clipper Experience. I first joined Clipper for the 2013/2014 race where I completed Leg 6 (Qingdao – San Francisco). I was a part of a competition held by the Sea Cadets to raise awareness of the charity, and as a reward, to sail the North Pacific. I was a sponsored crew member, and it was incredible. We took part in three training, practically back-to-back. Which, on reflection, was very tiring!! We went from complete novice, to a race sailing crew! Our training was in Gosport UK using the Clipper 68’s as the 70s were already racing. The first week, was very much based around getting to know the vessel, be safe crew, and be able to do all jobs on board. The second week included sea survival training as well as more sailing, racing technique, and how to get the best “out of the boat” and then the third week was more of the sailing, and including the use of the spinnakers. 

The training isn’t just about what you need to know about the vessel, it also gives you a chance to “practice” what kit you are going to bring, or how to pack it. No word of a lie, on one of my training weeks – someone, brought a SUITCASE! – Tip: DO NOT EVER, EVER bring a suitcase!! I found that I had two kit bags for the race… one was my clothing, and the other was my sleeping bag/foulies/boots. You will need to get used to packing light… absolutely NO luxuries! You will get used to wet-wipe-showers!! 

In terms of the leg that I completed – it was just incredible. I was onboard CV27 (Then named Team Garmin) and we were a very small crew, only 12 of us! I was one of two leggers that joined for Leg 6. We set sail from Qingdao, took part in the “Parade of Sail” (which is where all vessels complete a set route, motor sailing, mainly for colours / promo shots etc.) then, we all made an attempt to start the race. It was called within minutes because of the lack of wind, and it was decided that we should motor to the coast of Japan, by which time the wind would fill in and we would be able to get sailing! 

The race itself was great fun, full of adventure, and experiences that I will never forget. Seeing nothing for miles, but being in great company! I won’t go into the nasty details that you don’t need to know about sea sickness or injury…. But, yes. WHAT A RACE. When I got to San Francisco, I was extremely happy, but also very sad that I was at the end of my experience…. And this is why I am now  returning to Clipper to join the 2017/2018 crew, as a Round-The-Worlder, not only because I want to do Leg 6 again, but get the satisfaction of circumnavigating, something that not very many people get to do! 

I completed my level one training in Sydney (October 2015), something that I didn’t have to do, because of my experience…. BUT, I hadn’t sailed on a Clipper yacht for just under a year at that point… and it was just like riding a bike… a skill you don’t forget. I have already set my sights on becoming a watch leader… and the ball is already rolling with that as I was the leader of my watch for Level 1 – here’s to that being the case for the remainder of my training! I return to Australia to complete levels 2 and 3 respectively in April and October 2016, then I will complete level 4 in the UK when I return after completing my teaching contract in China. 

As a returning of the favour, I am fundraising for Jubilee Sailing Trust, because without I would not have got the confidence back to get into sailing again!! To follow what I am doing, where I am, how the fundraising is going, and my blog… please see, www.facebook.com/jessbarton1718 you can also “click to donate” by visiting www.justgiving.com/jessvstheworld

• Jess Barton