Gill Marine kit review: Sailing Boots

Welcome to the latest in what will very likely be many kit reviews as I stumble my way through the maze that is finding the right kit for me in my journey from landlubber to an ocean racing sailor who has crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

Tall Yachting Boots

Official Spec

• 100% natural rubber compound.
• Non-slip razor cut soles for grip.
• Quick drying polyester lining.
• Removable ultra light cushioned inner soles with exceptional arch support.
• Reinforced heel, instep and toe.
• Padded tie top
• £45 from Pirates Chandlery

My review

Comfy with no need to wear them in and roomy enough for nice thick socks, these boots were perfect for Level 1 training in the UK in March. Plus, at only £45, these were the perfect combination of quality and a bargain.

They were a little snug on my calves when I had my thermal leggings on, but I do have 'shapely' calves and this does actually mean that there's even less chance of water getting in and down to my feet - which is definitely a good thing! While I didn't have much chance to test out their grip in very wet conditions due to the remarkably fair weather we had, when they did get wet they held up well and I felt that I had pretty secure footing. They weren't good on an icy deck in the morning, but then I don't think any sailing boots would be as they're all designed for liquid water and not solid!

Although not the most fashionable item, they are nonetheless perfectly suitable footwear for any and all marina pubs and bars - I can attest this as I wore them into the Anchor in Cowes and they didn't get a second look from anyone. I did get a few odd looks on the train home after training though, so if you're particularly image-conscious maybe think about wearing deck shoes to get home!

I expect these will be perfectly fine for Leg 1 and any of the hotter legs, although I think if I do manage to go RTW I'll need boots with a warmer lining as although my feet were warm enough with thick socks, I was only in the Solent during a particularly warm spring week - the Southern Ocean and Pacific will be another story. 

My verdict? A respectable 4 out of 5 stars

MUSTO Kit review: Deck Shoes

Welcome to the first in what will very likely be many kit reviews as I stumble my way through the maze that is finding the right kit for me in my journey from landlubber to an ocean racing sailor who has crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

MUSTO's Dynamic Deck Shoes

Official Spec

• UPPER: Premium Suede, OUTSOLE: ROCK Rubber
• Premium suede trainer
• ROCK aquaDX Technology for water drainage
• Water draining, anti-odour treated mesh to keep shoes fresh
• No footbed or midsole in order to maximise feel of the deck
• EVA strobel insole for comfort
• ROCK Rubber with a siped and microsiped tread pattern for maximum wet surface grip
• Clarks and MUSTO, world leaders in high performance sailing wear, have teamed up to deliver the ultimate suede sailing shoe. Dynamic Deck has been designed and engineered to result in underfoot comfort and stability, while a siped ROCK rubber sole gives unrivalled grip and durability in wet conditions. Water quickly drains from the shoes with the aquaDX water drainage system and the anti-odour treatment keeps the shoes fresh. Water resistant eyelets and a superb fit make these premium suede deck shoes a style essential for the yacht and marina

My review

I love these shoes! These are SUPER comfy on deck and have also fast become my go-to shoe for wearing with jeans when I'm stuck on dry(ish) land. 

While they may be incredibly comfortable, they do need wearing in to get to that point. This only takes a couple of wears though, and once they have been worn in, they are the perfect deck shoe - lightweight, flexible, breathable, gives you plenty of arch support while letting you feel the deck properly, and all with a great grip. 

They're not a pair you can slip on with the laces pre-tied though - you need to tie them every time to make sure they're perfectly fitted so that you avoid rubbing on your heel. It might be just me who is that lazy when it comes to footwear, but this is slightly irritating as I can see myself rushing to get up on deck and not being able to pull my shoes on quickly. However, the laces are easy to quickly adjust to your foot unlike some shoes, and there's a handy loop at the heel to help pull them on, which was very useful when leaning over at an angle, stumbling over a sail bag and trying to pull them on.

For the fashionistas out there, I think that they are really stylish and modern. I'm not a fan of 'traditional' deck shoe styles so just love this smart trainer look in a lovely linen coloured suede. They go with all of my sailing kit and look fab with my jeans too so they're the perfect crossover shoe for after you've nipped to the pub and need to stumble back onboard without fear of sliding along the deck.

I bought my pair for £36 in the MUSTO sale, and think they were an absolute steal compared to the £90 RRP - worth waiting for their next sale and stocking up!

My verdict? An impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars

Level 1 training Part Two: Highlights, Good to Knows, and Learning Curves

This is the second of two blogs talking about my Level 1 Clipper training, and looks at my highlights of the week, learning curves, and list of Things That Are Good To Know. For the super keen, I've also included the syllabus at the bottom as well. Part One covered Top Tips and Kit Chat.

We were pretty lucky with the weather - light airs for most of the week, but much better than Storm Katie which the guys after us had to deal with! Despite the sunburn and Force 0 wind for a few days, at least we managed to get out on the water every day. It did make taking the forecast pretty predictable though  - "force zero, variable, smooth, fair..."



Massive thanks go out to my Skipper Paul Hopkins and First Mate Emily Caruso - these guys were incredible teachers and really made the whole week a fun experience and a great intro to sailing and Clipper. Emily dancing around to Danger Zone to warn of the dangers of the Cockpit Cautionary Zone will stay with me for a long time!

Skipper Paul

First Mate Emily

Highlights of the week

• Shaking out a reef - on my own! Crazy hard (really need to work on my core strength) and I thought I'd fall over at one point while grinding the main up, but a totally amazing experience that helped prove to me that I really can do this sailing malarky
• Cooking tasty porridge for 11 (so tasty in fact, that everyone had seconds, and one person even had thirds!)
• Clambering around the bow hanking on and off the Yankee sails like a monkey - definitely one of my favourite jobs on board
• Being watch leader for putting the boat to bed after our second day out on the water
• Making friends with such an amazing group of crewmates - the Wincanton Over-60s have nothing on us! (crew in-joke - it made sense on the boat!)

Photo of the week!

Blue Steel

Team Porridge

Learning curves

• I'm definitely a fan of bow work - I felt totally at home in the pulpit
• Factor 30 is absolutely useless at sea
• Putting your hand up for everything may end up being hard work, but it is totally worth it as you often get first shot at trying new things (even if you don't realise that that thing is shaking out a reef on your own...)
• Even if you're fun sized and not super strong, you can still do everything on board if you take your time, use the tools around you and work with your crewmates
• I'm even more competitive then I realised!
• Land Sickness is a real thing and can last quite a while after getting back on dry land. Hint - avoid alcohol while recovering. However fun it is at the time, it'll just make it a hundred times worse the next day (especially if you're camping in the middle of Storm Katie)
• Clipper bunks are surprisingly comfortable and are way better than my camping mat
• Lightbulb moments may take a while (the running backstay for me was particularly tricky) but they do come eventually - just keep working at them
• New mainsails are very hard to flake
• I'm actually a competent sailor! Hurrah!

Good to know

• The most useful knots to practice in advance:
• Bowline - used for practically everything. Practice this upside down, back to front, blindfold, and most definitely tie it around things otherwise your brain will get confused when suddenly its perfect bowline routine is muddled by the massive sail attached to it!
• Round turn and two half hitches - useful for keeping your leecloth upright and securing open hatches
• Admiralty - stops lines and sheets running through jammers or through your hands too quickly!
• It's worth buying a RYA logbook to track your sailing time and miles - £5.84 from the Marina shop in Gosport with the Clipper Crew discount, and your Skipper will talk you through filling it out and signing it off for you at the end of your course
• Carry your wet notes with you at all times. They will become your bible. I cannot stress this enough
• You'll have to row a dinghy at some point in order to pass your RYA competent crew certificate. If your Skipper has you do this in pairs, try to pick someone roughly the same height so you're not leaning at strange angles trying to avoid capsizing while doing a handbrake turn with an oar
• Your last day will be the Deep Clean - if your crew is efficient and works hard, you can leave after lunch rather than at 4pm. Hint - blast the radio and provide plenty of sweet treats and you'll get through it faster and in good spirits
• You'll probably go to The Castle pub for a quick drink on your first night to get to know each other. The Castle is basically the Clipper local and you'll spend a lot of time here over the course of your training in Gosport. Likewise for The Anchor in Cowes
• It's traditional on Level 1 for the crew to take their Skipper and Mate out for dinner on the last night. Unless your Skipper/Mate really want to go somewhere else, you'll likely be going to the 'Clipper Clubhouse' that is Hardy's (http://www.hardys-catering.co.uk/) - great food, but a little pricey so if you're not planning on going all out for three courses with wine, maybe have a word with your crewmates before you go so there's no awkwardness at the end of the night about splitting the bill 100% evenly when your portion is a fraction of the cost of everyone elses
• Last but not least, it's an AMAZING experience

Level 1 Syllabus

For the super keen/interested, here's a detailed outline of the Clipper Level 1 syllabus:

Day 1

• Introduction to Clipper and familiarisation to Gosport Marina and facilities
• Comprehensive down below safety brief
• To include detailed explanation of use of bunks and lee cloths
• Moving down below and use of grab rails
• Actions to be taken in event of fire, flooding and gas leak
• Knot practice
• Figure of eight
• Admiralty stopper knot
• Clove hitch
• Round turn and two half hitches
• Single and double sheet bend
• Reef knot
• Rolling hitch
• Bowline

Day 2

• Comprehensive above deck brief
• Action to be taken in the event of abandoning ship
• Set a Clipper Training Yacht for sailing
• On water training
• Hoisting Mainsail
• Hoisting Yankee
• Hoisting Staysail and use of running backstays
• Upwind helming and tacking
• Man overboard under power including recovery and use of harness
• Evening lecture
• Points of sail
• Rules of the road

Day 3

• Reefing Mainsail
• Racing headsail change (changing up to bigger sails only)
• Downwind sailing
• Use of preventers
• Gybing
• MOB downwind including recovery and use of harness
• Evening lectures
• Flares and their use
• SART
• VHF and Mayday call
• Basic meteorology including weather forecast, and how to read a synoptic chart

Day 4

• Refresh
• Reefing
• Headsail change (changin up to bigger sails only)
• Long triangular course
• Sail trim
• A flappy sail is an unhappy sail
• If in doubt let it out
• Use of tell tales by the helm and trimmers
• Introduction of car positioning to create twist/different headsails
• Interaction between traveller/vang/mainsheet/preventer
• MOB under sail with recovery
• Evening lectures
• Proper use of log book
• Plotting GPS position on to a chart
• Manners and customs (as per RYA competent crew syllabus)

Day 5 and 6

• Refresh and strengthen any weak areas of above syllabus
• Offshore challenge
• Overnight passage to include an early morning arrival at anchor
• Introduction to the watch system
• Preparing the anchor to drop
• Dropping and setting the anchor
• Importance of anchor watch
• Safe recovery and stowage of anchor
• Storm sail drill
• Emergency steering drill
• Rig climb (if conditions allow, at anchor or alongside)
• Use of dingy
• Evening meal

Day 7

• Deep clean
• Individual crew debriefs

Thanks to Fran Baker for being resident Pap on board and taking such great photos!

Team GREAT Britain charity t-shirts

The amazing Debbie Porter (remember her jammed-packed with hot tips and kit advice guest post from back in February? http://caitlinsclipperchallenge.blogspot.com/2016/02/debbie-porter-15-16-legs-1-2.html) is spearheading the Team GREAT Britain t-shirt effort to raise money for Official Race Charity Unicef and asked me to share this message:

Sailing is GREAT t shirt. Just £15 to help children in danger. www.justgiving.com/SailingisGREAT

Team GREAT Britain, are asking for a minimum donation of £15 to UNICEF in return for a fantastic limited edition Sailing is GREAT T-shirt.

The t-shirts are navy blue and come in four sizes - XL, Large, Medium and Small.

Please make a donation in your name and then contact Debbie Porter (debsyporter@outlook.com) to either arrange for your T-shirt to be posted or collected. Postage costs (£2.50) will need to be covered in addition to your donation, or alternatively there are several free pick up points across London.

Thank you so much for your support, and enabling UNICEF to carry on their vital work For Every Child in Danger around the world.

- Debbie Porter

Level 1 Training Part One: Top Tips and Kit Chat

Hurrah! A week, countless bruises and much hilarity later, I am officially a Clipper Race Level 1 qualified sailor with a RYA Competent Crew certificate to boot!

 

This is the first of two blogs looking at the various aspects of training, and will focus on my top tips for future crew about to embark on their training, as well as taking a good look at kit. Part Two covers the (many) skills we mastered and my list of Things That Are Good To Know.

My Top Tips

• Try to learn the vocab before you get to Level 1 - even just knowing the difference between port and starboard will help you focus on the practical skills and not get all tangled up in learning a new language. You can print out my vocab flashcards for free here.
• Practice your bowlines backwards, forwards, blindfold and upside down. They are easily the most commonly used knots on board the Clipper yachts and are often tied in a 'pressure bowline' situation with everyone watching you.
• For those who are thinking about going gloveless - stop moisturising your hands at least three weeks before you set sail. Your hands will be battered and bashed constantly by wind, salt, seawater, heavy ropes, lifting sails, climbing the mast, operating corroded hanks...you name the task, your hands will bear the brunt of it and the softer they are, the harder it'll be on you.
• Take Factor 50 suncream and remember to wear it! Even if you aren't usually susceptible to burning, the combination of sunshine (if you're lucky) and light reflection off the sails and sea will render Factor 30 practically useless. Don't forget to apply to the backs of your hands if you're going gloveless!
• Use a high SPF lip salve religiously. Between the wind, salt and light glare, your lips will feel like you've been grating them. If salve doesn't help, try a little bit of Savlon to encourage healing.
• Knee pads will help save your knees from the worst of the abuse you're going to put them through by learning to sail with Clipper. I didn't take any, but will definitely taking some for Level 2 and I know at least 3 of my training crewmates will be as well. Especially important if you suffer from sore, stiff or generally painful knees.

Kit

Starting to think about packing for Clipper training can be pretty intimidating. Here are some essential things to think about when pulling together your kit:

• How warm is your sleeping bag? Is it 4 season? If not, why not? Getting a good night's sleep, even when you're absolutely physically and mentally exhausted, is really hard if you're cold. If you don't have a good sleeping bag already, it's definitely worth investing in one now. You don't have to go all out and get an Ocean Sleepwear, any good quality 4 season will do (hint: go for synthetic fill as it dries faster in case your bag gets wet (which, let's face it, it probably will)).
• Do you really need to buy new gear for training? Do you hike or camp? If so, you probably already have a lot of the kit you need anyway - most of my gear has been repurposed from my thru-hiking and camping kit and worked just as well as some of the expensive sailing-specific gear my crewmates had on.
• If you like dry feet, it is probably worth getting a pair of sailing boots for training. They don't have to be crazy expensive - as long as they keep the water out your quality of life will be improved by 100%. I bought a £45 pair of Gill Marine Tall Yachting Boots and loved them (full review to follow).
• When choosing a head torch, it's worth making sure you go for one with a separate button for the red light. Having to cycle through the white lights will blind everyone around you which, let's face it, probably isn't going to go down too well when they're coming on watch at 3.30am, can't see where they're going, and they fall over an ankle breaker.

For those who're interested, here's a complete list of the kit that I took, and what brand key items are:

• Large rucksack
• Sleeping bag (5 season down, Field & Trek)
• *Bivvy bag (Quechua)
• Cotton sleeping bag liner (Mountain Warehouse)
• Clothes
• 1 x long sleeve merino base layer (Orvis)
• 2 x legging base layers (M&S)
• 2 x mid layer trousers (Mountain Warehouse) 
• 1 x fleece mid layer (Mountain Warehouse)
• 1 x waterproof shell jacket (Mountain Warehouse)
• Pyjamas x 1 set 
• Underwear
• Thick dual layer hiking socks (Mountain Warehouse) x 3 pairs
• Thin cotton socks x 2 pairs
• Wooly hat
• Neck buff
• Gloves
• *Sailing boots (Gill Marine Tall Yachting Boots - review)
• *Deck shoes (Musto Dynamic Deck Shoes - review)
• *Head torch (Geonaute Onnight 200+ Headlamp)
• Multitool (Mountain Warehouse)
• Laundry bag
• Glasses retainer
• Toiletries
• Personal toiletries & medicine
• Spare glasses
• Quick drying travel towel (Mountain Warehouse)
• Suncream
• Lip salve
• Flashcards of key terms
• Crew treats (Magic Stars, chocolate raisins, Skittles)

Impressively (I think), I only took four items that I didn't use:

• Sleeping bag liner - my sleeping bag is so warm and cosy (especially with a bivvy bag covering it) that the liner was more of a tangled annoyance than a help and was quickly abandoned after the first night
• Gloves - this was a personal choice as I felt I could handle the lines and sheets better without gloves, almost everyone else wore them
• Multitool - I think this was due to chance of circumstance, as I did use a crewmates during the deep clean as it was closer to hand
• Glasses retainer - the weather was very calm so I didn't feel the need to use this

Thinking forward to training for Level 2 and beyond, there isn't much kit that I think I need to add. I'll definitely be getting another merino base layer top as I really appreciated how (relatively) fresh smelling it stayed after a week of some pretty heavy wear, and it kept me toasty warm when everyone else started to pile on their mid-layers and foulies. In a similar vein, I'll be trading in my M&S synthetic leggings for merino leggings for longer lasting freshness and cosiness. I'll also definitely need to take more stuff bags for separating out my kit into easily grabbable piles. Hot tip - I laid out my clothes for the next day each night before bed and wrapped them in my waterproof shell jacket so that I could quickly grab them when I woke up without having to rummage around looking for a missing sock or fighting to find the other end of my leggings. Keeping your toothbrush and toothpaste close to hand is also pretty useful!

I might switch my cotton sleeping bag liner for a silk one for training in the summer months when my sleeping bag is too hot (although England being England, I'll probably only end up using it for one night...). 

And that's all on kit from me for now - specific kit reviews of asterisked items will follow soon. Any questions, just ask in the comments section below!

Part Two on Things That Are Good To Know and what sailing skills we covered to follow soon!

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