My last blog ended with us preparing for the last short race
from Den Helder (Holland )
down to Southend-on-Sea and the final Parade of Sail up the Thames to St Katharine Docks. One thing we had not
anticipated was our skipper, Vicky, coming to the whole crew and saying that we
had developed into such an efficient and competent crew that she would step
back and allow us to develop our own strategy for the race, be responsible for
all routing decisions and to sail the boat as we deemed necessary. She would
retain overall responsibility for our and the boat’s safety and all legal
requirements placed upon a skipper. This was both a surprising and daunting
thing to hear.
So our preparations were extra rigorous and heightened our
excitement and apprehension about the race. On the day before the race, we
attended the usual whole fleet race briefing by the Race Director of Clipper.
He gave us all the usual information including the weather forecasts for each
12 hours up to 48 hours from the start. These indicated that the winds would be
good to start with but would lighten as we got closer to the Thames . However, if the boats managed to do faster
speeds, he had set two additional routes to ensure that we arrived at the
marshalling point and finish line at Southend by 7.30am on Saturday the 12th July.
He also made a special point about drugs. Holland has a more liberal attitude to soft drugs
than the UK but
he stated that under no circumstances should any one on the 12 yachts take any
substances on board no matter how small the amount. The penalties if found
would be arrest for the person responsible, arrest of the skipper of the yacht
and the name of Clipper being brought into disrepute. The warning was stern.
After his presentation, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston got up to speak about the end
of the race, how proud he was of all the crew members who had taken part and
also added a rider. He emphasised the power of Customs and Excise by telling us
that whilst he was taking part in the Queen’s Pageant on the Thames on his boat, Suhaili, he was boarded by
Customs and Excise during the celebrations. I think he declared that he had a
couple of bottles of Scotch on board as the weather was a little inclement!
Race day held quite a surprise. A relatively strong wind was
blowing and once the race had started, the sea state became a little lumpy. The North Sea down to the Thames Estuary is full of
Traffic Separation Zones (ship’s motorways), oil rigs, massive wind farms,
fishing vessels and narrow channels between sand banks and we had to be on our
most alert all the time. We were in the middle of the pack and doing quite well
until we heard that the whole fleet were going quicker than expected due to the
increased wind speeds and that we were then sent back up the east coast of England to
and beyond Great Yarmouth. By this time the seas had taken on a quite choppy
character mainly due to its shallow nature, the tides and the wind. Crew
members began to feel ill. At one point we had to change our foresail,
something that would and should take about 15 minutes from getting the sail
onto the deck, attaching it and getting it hoisted. We took a lot longer
because the three people up on the bow undertaking this job were coping with
high winds, waves crashing over them and all three being sea sick
simultaneously. They battled on whilst being violently sick but the result was
that the whole operation took one and a half hours and we dropped to the back
of the field.
We managed to make up two places once we turned south and
the sailing became easier running before the wind. At about 10.30pm we
passed the finish line in 10thplace and with a great deal of relief and
excitement, we all cheered, shook hands and hugged. For the Round the Worlders,
this was the end of an 11 month adventure. For me it was the end of an amazing
experience over three months.
We then slowly motored around a set area until dawn and took
it in turns to get some sleep. At 7.30am we were all had breakfast
and then started our journey up intoLondon. We cleaned various parts of the
boat, mainly the galley as other areas had been deep cleaned in Den Helder . As we passed
through the Thames barrier we
hoisted our banners and flags and conducted the Parade of Sail upto Tower
Bridge. There were thousands of people on the river sides and many in spectator
boats. Many people in the apartments which were once warehouses came out to
wave at us. The weather in Southend had been drizzly and murky but as we
approached the city the sun came out and the day was glorious. All the hard
work we had done on board, mainly with muscles in the upper body came into
great effect as we waved and waved and waved to supporters.
I knew that a large group of family and friends were coming
down to welcome me home. The yachts came into St Katharine Docks in reverse
order of race position and so it was some time before Switzerland entered
in 5th position. I had spotted a few Swiss flags as we arrived at Tower Bridge
After celebratory drinks on the boat, the whole crew of Switzerland plus
other “Leggers” who had joined us went to the main stage to be presented to the
crowd and then we were free to meet with family and friends. Team Malcolm swept
me off and after a quick and totally necessary shower, we had a lovely dinner
in a Thames-side restaurant and I must say it was all a blur.
On Sunday morning I was able to take a number of them
onto the boat so that they could see the living conditions down below and how
the boat worked. My 82 year mum was able to get on board and she along with
most of the others stated that I must have been mad to have taken part!
This was due to have been my last hours aboard “Heidi”, but
a conversation with Rachel, our daughter, when she visited me in Derry with
Cathy, led to an extension of two days to the adventure. We had been told that
in order to get the boats back to their home at Gosport ,
anyone volunteering to do the delivery sail could bring a family member or
friend along for the sail. I had originally declined the chance but Rachel
expressed interest and had some leave from work available. When else do you get
the opportunity to sail on a 70ft ocean racing yacht that has just
circumnavigated the world? So she signed up and having missed the finish
due to being a bridesmaid to one of her bridesmaids, she travelled to London on Sunday and
stayed over in readiness for getting on the boat on Monday.
We motor sailed down the Thames and then headed off around Kent . We had 15
on board and took up the watch patterns we used throughout the race. The sea
became a bit lumpy and conditions down below were quite hot. This led to Rachel
to become familiar with one of the boats buckets as sea sickness struck. She
had taken medication but the best thing was getting horizontal in her bunk and
getting some sleep. She helmed twice, once under motor and then when we were
getting closer to the Solent and under
full sail (no motor), healed over at about 35 degrees, she took to the job like
a duck to water!!
We moored in Gosport that
evening and several of us went for dinner in a local hostelry. We slept on the
boat and at 8.30am we said goodbye to the boat that had been my home
for three months and over 10,000 miles of sailing.
As I write this, I do not think it has all really sunk in.
It has been a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to my wife, Cathy, who
has been at home on her own, worried about me every minute of every day and to
whom I will be eternally grateful for supporting me in this adventure.
I also want to thank Gareth who designed the blog website
and who has sent you my various blatherings from the boat.
I hope you have enjoyed sharing in the experience.
With best wishes
Malcolm
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| Reunited at last! |
