Fat bottomed girl

5th in the fleet / South Biscay, just off Cape Finisterre

Since the high emotions of the race start, the ‘Weather Gods’ have given us a very gentle introduction into the race. This all changed when we entered the Bay of Biscay. Unusually calm to begin with, the weather came up and before we knew it we were beating into a Force 8 gale, and rolling in heavy seas. Not expected really as this was the image on the Clipper Ventures poster that drew us all to being involved!

The last time I had been in Biscay I was a very ‘green’ rookie at sailing, and had even questioned my involvement with the race. Since completing my training I’m happy to report that I survived the rough conditions and thoroughly enjoyed witnessing the most powerful force of nature I have experienced so far!

It was an incredible experience to see our boat ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ (and her crew), weather the storm so well. It wasn’t until the next day that we learned that one of the other boats in the fleet had had to redirect to a French port due to a serious injury to one of their crew. Most of us have sailed with the injured crew member and it brought home the reality of Ocean racing. Our friend had been injured during a sail change and had been on the foredeck. Not the most stable place on a yacht in a pitching sea, with wind and water coming across the deck! A number of us had undertaken similar sail changes at the same time and fully appreciate the dangers involved. It certainly isn’t a place for the faint hearted!

On the same evening I had been asked to adjust the leach line in the mainsail. This involved climbing the first 18 feet of the mast, and tugging a cord into a tighter position. The only way to move around the deck is on hands and knees, so one of my team mates (Richard) accompanied me and he acted as my back up by positioning my feet on the climbing steps. As I made my ascent, I looked down into the ocean that was racing by at about 12 knots and thought about how quickly I would disappear into the distance should I fall in. I was of course ‘clipped on‘ via my life line, and a very trusty Richard had a ‘vice like grip’ on my line as I worked away.  Soon the job was completed and we made our way back to the cockpit. As we came off watch I made a special point of thanking Rich for backing me up. As the race continues, we are coming together tighter as a crew. I trust everyone implicitly, and the same trust is being shown in me. I’ve hauled a crew member up from the lee ward side after they were nearly washed away down the companionway! We’re here for each other and the Team gets closer.

The fleet of 68’s are designed for weather conditions such as these. They have a very narrow entry into the water, which grows into a very broad beam, and then into a very ‘shapely stern’. This gives ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ (and the rest of the fleet) a nice curvy appearance! This means that they seem to love big sea and surf beautifully! Equally, when confronted with a wave over the bows, they seem to just punch through with very little loss of speed.

After a very challenging 48 hours, I’m very thankful that ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ has these qualities! She truly is a beautiful ‘fat bottomed northern lass’!!!