Ok, after sailing around the world with Clipper, what to do next??  Well, I ended up being in the UK for 7 weeks this summer doing more big boat sailing.  First draw was Clipper Events entered a boat in the 2017 Fastnet race.  Thought that after the Sydney Hobart it might be fun to add another one of the Rolex 600 mile races so I got into that.  In order to do this I had to do a sea survival course and two qualifying races with the crew and then the Fastnet.  There were 9 of us on the crew plus a skipper and 1^st mate.  Some of the crew were past Clipper round the worlders, past Clipper leggers, a charter captain (also Yachtmaster), a Norwegian racer, and a few doing Clipper legs in the 17-18 race.

Our first qualifying race was the Morgan Cup which was a race from Cowes to Guernsey, France.

That was interesting as we were the last start and already our skipper, Andy, had warned us that in our start our rating was not the best.  Hmmmm?  Then the start and within 5 minutes, all the sleek asymmetrical spinnakers on much lighter boats were gone and we were still hanging out by the starting line.  You might know the feeling?  We were the only ones with a symmetrical spinnaker and on one of the Clipper 68s with vintage sails.  (If you look closely at the spinnaker you will see it was from the Clipper 11-12 RTW race.)  So much for a tight reach.  Also our boat had successfully gone around the world on 3 of the Clipper races and been a training boat for 12 years.  Lots of miles under her and lots of weight.

Our boat with spinnaker on last of the race.  After the depressing start, and about 6 hours of racing I came up for watch and wow, we were in a pack of boats…those with slower ratings that we seemed to pass for the rest of the race.

However we did get to feel better later that Sunday when we returned to the Solent and Skipper Andy asked if we wanted to stay out in the wind and practice or go in.  We all voted to stay out as the wind had picked up and we were enjoying the ride.  So we ended up racing 5 of the Clipper 70s that were doing a practice race and came in 3^rd!!!  We felt better then.  Andy is an amazing racer!

Just for grins I will share a shot of our suite!!  Believe it or not it is much smaller than the Clipper 70s we raced in 15-16.  These boats however did do several round the world races and I am not sure how they managed. Not sure how anyone survived the RTW on the 68s.  Amazing people I guess.  No sail locker so we were right there with the wet sails and even on our short journey everything managed to get wet.

The big long black thing is not a giant worm…no it is just one of the sails.

The next Fastnet training was Sea Survival in Southampton one day and then at the clipper office a second.

Next qualifier was the Channel Race from Cowes racing around the Isle of Wight with some other fun marks.

This one was interesting as the winds were pretty exciting the whole race. Also the official race course that was actually decided the morning of the race is what Andy has on his phone.  They like to keep one in suspense.  We were down to 8 crew as Kathy’s mom was put in Intensive care and she took off prior to race start.

Not sure how Andy was able to plan this one.  Yes, we beat all the boats that he said we would be competitive against both in this race and the Morgan Cup.

To check in at start of race each boat had to display their reflector and fire blanket.  Richard and 1^st mate Judy.  This race was wild…lots of wind!!!, rain and anything else that could come our way.  This race we came in 16 of 23 and beat the 4 boats that Andy said we should be able to beat plus three more!  They all actually dropped out of the race but they were far behind us when they did.

End of the race was a bit hairy as the winds and the rain decided to come play.

Sounds like we just worked hard…well, yes but we still had time to have fun.  My crazy crewmates Chris, Richard and Maggie with Bob our overboard man.  And Denise working hard and Bob and I just having fun

 

2017 FASTNET RACE

After doing the qualifying races and training, it was time to prepare for the Fastnet.

1^st, eliminate all extra weight on the boat….extra foul weather gear of which there were approximately 20 sets, take off the extra spinnaker pole (when explained how they used to gybe with the two poles I was more than happy to do a dip pole gybe and make sue the other pole was not on the boat…besides it was REALLY heavy), all excess equipment that we would not be using, excess lines, reposition the anchor and if we could think of it something would disappear including Bob.  All our personal gear that would not be used was put up in cars.

Here we are eliminating the Velcro patches that no longer stayed velcroed over the staysail hanks.

Andy and Craig (maintenance rigger) tuning rig.

Next is our version of cleaning the bottom with an old line and then a dinghy with a sponge vs. the Volvo boats with a diver scrubbing the bottom every morning.

I bet they have new sails too!

Andy checking the course and the tide schedule and the weather.  Weather reports were not so good as they changed every hour.  After the Channel race he predicted that we would finish the Fastnet in 4 days, 2 hours plus or minus 30 minutes if the weather was close to normal for early August.  However….they were not so good so we played out in the ocean a little bit longer!

Andy proved himself to be a master of planning with weather and tide.  Great privilege to sail with him.

Boat officially ready to go with Rolex sticker on bow, Sail numbers on the side and Rolex Flag on the backstay.

Below is the race course and the dark yellow line is our course.

Had to check in at start line with storm sail up. 

Of Course some storm sails were bigger than ours!

Below is the biggest multihull I have ever seen.  The motor boats following it looked like little ants waiting to be crushed should it flatten out.

And then there are always last minute fixes prior to race start.

Some of the action by the starting line.  With 400 boats out there it was a bit exciting. Just glad they had several starts.

My favorite Volvo boat on its way to pass us from behind.  Great theme!

Andy wanting to race the Volvo group.

Love it when we are on starboard.

Looking ahead about one hour into the race…..lots of boats in front of us…probably around 375 of the 400. But just wait.

This boat ended up grounded.  Story is they had to wait 6 hours for rescue boat due to it was diverted for a bigger emergency.

Passing the Needles.

OK, I just like nature.  The racing was getting too intense.

Finally, Fastnet Rock!! Winds were pretty light and shifty here.

Andy getting the time we passed a specific point.

Yes, we have now passed all those boats…very cool but most are in the slower classes. It does make one feel good to be able to look behind!

No he is not texting, he is checking the course and weather.  We are close enough to land to do that and one doesn’t have to run up and down to nav station or shout out.

And there is the boat SPARTAN with Gretchen and Clipper friend Javier on it.  They were fortunate that Javier noticed they were going the wrong way as he came up to go on watch in the night.  The navigator check and they had to turn around and retrace steps.  Probably why we had the pleasure of seeing them behind for a bit.

Most of the team once we arrived.  Couldn’t round up everyone due to beer line.Maggie, Judy, Andy, Tony, Anders, Me and Chris

And a chance to see favorite clipper buddy Javi (and later met up with Clipper buddy Craig) and Gretchen.

Gretchen and me with my coke!  Love those boots!

Going back to Gosport.  Awesome skipper Andy and 1^st mate Judy with me at the helm

Our final team.  Chris, Tony, Richard, Andy, Anders, Denise, Maggie, Judy, Helen and me.  Kathy was with her mother in intensive care and Nick home with bruised ribs from the Channel race.

What I learned in History!!  Why would there be both an American flag and a British flag at this location in Plymouth??

Turns out the Mayflower loaded up and sailed from here in July 1620 to America.  The Pilgrims are on the way.

What else did I learn?  Never to think that a big spinnaker would gybe like a J22 chute.  You know, just ease a little and let it float around?  HaHa!  When you release the line from the winch, let go!!!!!

So the Fastnet Saga is done.  Next up will be training for 17-18 Clipper Round the World Leg 8 and Day Skipper Practical.

There will always be a beautiful sunset!

April 2017 was a fun filled Tahiti trip planned by amazing Emilie and involving two catamarans and about 21 people.  Our boat had something very special…Fran, Mike and Stephen… three generations of a family.  Yes, I was on the calm boat!!

Big dinner time all together with Julian and Emilie our fearless leaders up front!

We went to Bora Bora, Taha’a, Huahuine, Maupiti and Raiatea.  My favorite was Maupiti.

Always lush and colorful vegetation.  Cool things to see and do….rainbows, paddle boarding, fishing (Guys), sailing, snorkeling, scuba diving (for others, not me), sun bathing, reading (I read 3 books) and watching the locals…..

The house built by seashells!

From the top of the mountain on Maupiti.  Below you can see the coral atoll that surrounds it.  Very interesting getting in with the tide and current.

You can see one of our group laboring to pull self up the mountain.   Lots of work but great payoff.  Amazing water color.

Then there is a symbol that many who have been there leave as their signature.  Ourselves included.  We left a blue and white float with all our names/signatures everywhere we went.

Bora Bora had some interesting moments snorkeling.  Yes that is what you think it is, a SHARK!

How would you like to live in one of these huts on Bora Bora with a bit of a nice backdrop?

A WWII cannon was discovered…one of the guarding forces.

Local entertainment was great.

Our own entertainment was also pretty amazing!

And then there was the sailing…the part I loved the most.

And of course one romance began between Brenda (UK) and Mike (Austin)

And no blog of mine would be complete without some nature shots …..

So life in the Islands is pretty cool.

Once upon a time I had a student that was quite a character.  Of course he was a drummer….who became a percussionist, Kevin Brubaker.  If you followed my journey on the clipper race you would have seen the adventures I had with Kevin and wife Cheryl in New York.  Well, they sold their place in Brooklyn and bought a Leopard Catamaran.  Moving onto it with Mr. Toast,

they sat out the hurricane season in St. Petersburg and then commenced to go to the Bahamas.  I met them in Nassau and we took off from there.

Kevin working from the boat.  Always searching for a hotspot.

First stop was Allen Cay, the land of the Iguanas.

They are really BIG but just looking for food handouts, not trying to hurt anyone.

Exploring the Cay with rain pouring down at different times led us to an old hut.  Too bad it wasn’t big enough to shelter all!

Snorkeling was fun here also but I didn’t count on the current being so strong so it was interesting working against it.  Some great wonders to see by the shores.

From there we raced another catamaran to Norman Cay.

Trim will help go faster!!  Kevin was quite the taskmaster.

…famous for serving as headquarters for Carlos Lehder’s drug smuggling operation from 1978-1982.  The airport is still there and we went over and checked out an airplane that had not made the landing!

One evening we had a bonfire on the beach with our friends from other boats.

And then there was an opportunity to try paddleboarding.  Interesting with a current!

Kevin was a very patient teacher!

And then it was time to head back.  Cheryl tried her hand at fishing but as luck would have it it was good there was food onboard.

She did put up a good fight!

We tried to set the spinnaker and that was interesting.  We also tried it on land and it was still an issue.  Kevin, have you had it flying yet?

In all a great time with some super friends and life was good!

You didn’t think I would post something without some great nature moments!

Have a great day!

Most of you thought this would never come and many times I have thought so also.  It has been hard for me to write the final blog of this Journey as it really means the incredible 15-16 Clipper Round the World race is over and Clipper Telemed is no longer my home and our fabulous crew is no longer with me every day.  However, it is a time that will live on for me in many different moments.  Having the opportunity to do 5 presentations with more to come about my Journey has awakened many moments and memories back into my heart.  Great friendships, incredible people, amazing sights and insights into different countries and cultures.

Even today while rehearsing for a Christmas program for church tomorrow, as I heard the choir sing so beautifully I had thoughts of that moment on Leg 1 when our watch was awoken to the Karaoke singing of Sweet Caroline at 2am.  Those sounds did not compare to what it was like listening to angels sing this morning. Continue reading →

Yes Yes Yes, I know that you are waiting for more about my Journey.  Please be patient as life has been hectic since I have been back.  Be sure to read to end and help me with future thoughts for you and to organize me!

Having trouble adjusting to all the TRAFFIC and crazy drivers and my driving.  1st day home managed to run over several curbs while making right hand turns (for you friends that drive on the wrong side of the road, this is the side we drive on…the right side of the road in the direction we are going!), couldn’t remember how the cruise control worked so kept turning it off when wanting to lower speeds (yes, I remembered to hit the brake, just when I was ready to put speed in I would manage to turn it off). Continue reading →

I put the wrong date down for TEAMability’s Welcome Home Party and have since been corrected.  The official date is Wednesday, August 24th from 4:30pm to 7:00pm.

please forgive me!! And hope to see you there.  A special thanks to the reader who contacted TEAMability asking about the date!!!