Oceanracing 2002 - Around Alone

25.03.2003
IT TAKES DEDICATION
Have you ever wondered what kind of dedication it takes to do an Around Alone campaign? Let me give you a few examples starting with Alan Paris aboard BTC Velocity who is currently just under 600 miles from the finish in Salvador sailing is light headwinds. Since this race started on September 15 last year, Alan has been at sea for 170 days. He has been on land for 19 days. For every day spent on land, Alan has spent nine at sea. On top of that he sailed a qualifying voyage from Bermuda to the Canary Islands and then back to Bermuda before sailing to Newport for the start.

Kojiro fährt für ein paar Tage in Urlaub

Which ever way you cut it, that’s a lot of time away from home, yet Alan’s story is bettered, if that’s the right word, by Kojiro Shiraishi. In order to get to the start of the race Kojiro had to sail half way around the world. He started from Japan and sailed across the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco, then to Panama before crossing the Caribbean Sea and sailing up the eastern seaboard of the US to New England, a voyage of around 10,000 miles, Kojiro left this morning with some friends for two days vacation. Tomorrow will be the first day off he’s had since leaving Japan.
These two stories are indicative of all the stories of the skippers in this race. Maybe Alan and Kojiro have had more time at sea, but the other skippers have not exactly taken it easy on land. "Since April last year I have taken a sum total of 36 hours off," Tim Kent told me. "Just before I left on my qualifying sail I went back to Wisconsin to see my daughters. Even when they were in New Zealand I worked every day, all day." Same too for Bruce Schwab. "Since February last year I have taken a week off," he said. "While the boat was in the boatyard in Charleston I went back to California for a short vacation. Otherwise it’s been seven days a week." And the days are long ones. Most of the skippers arrive at their boats early and can still be seen working well after dark. In some of the stopovers they have rigged up lights and carried on throughout the night.
This stop in Salvador is the first time some skippers have had a chance to get away from their boats. Bernard Stamm has returned to France to see his (very pregnant) wife. Simone Bianchetti has returned to Italy to spend time with his wife who he married during the stopover in Torbay. "I must go home to see my wife," he told me before leaving. "Since we have been married I have hardly seen her. Just a small time in New Zealand." With just under three weeks until the restart, there should be plenty of opportunities for all the skippers to get away from the boats and relax a little. "The problem with boats," Tim Kent said, "is that the work list always expands to fill the amount of available time. I would like to think I could take a day or two off, but you know how it is. We will probably be working right up until the start."
There is something to be said for making time for yourself. Granted some of the teams that don’t have shore support, or have only minimal help, are not able to get away, but take Brad Van Liew for example. During each stopover Brad has made it a point to get away from the boat. In Africa he went on safari. In New Zealand he took a small plane to the South Island and relaxed for a few days. "You can really tell how good it is to take time off," Tim Kent noted. "Look at Brad. He starts each leg in much better shape than the rest of us, and it shows. The first few days at sea he pushes hard while we are still trying to catch up on our sleep. Before we know it he’s well over the horizon."
The two skippers that have found a balance between work and time away from the boat are Emma Richards and Thierry Dubois. Thierry has two small girls and a wife who have been at every stopover, and they have made a point of going off as a family for a few days. "I take care of my boat when I am sailing so that I don’t have too much to do when I am in port," Thierry said. It also shows in his performance. Dubois is able to push hard as soon as he gets back to sea. Emma Richards has learned to leave a lot of the work to her shore team and take a little time for herself. "It’s important for me to get away from the boat, but you never stop thinking about it even when you are miles away," she said. "Only when I cross the finish line in Newport will I be able to relax. And I am sure I speak for all the skippers in the race."
The long hard hours may be tough, but clearly the work is rewarding. Many of the skippers are already talking about doing the next race. "It’s either that or get a real job," Tim Kent said. "I would rather be doing this all day every day for the rest of my life than go back to the business world I was in before I started this adventure."
--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net