• Success & Sadness Rolled into One!

  “On the very same day that Sam Davies was celebrating her successful exit of the Southern Ocean as she passed the southern tip of South America, another of our BLUE Ambassadors, Rob Gauntlett was tragically killed whilst ice-climbing in the Gervasutti couloirs on Mt. Blanc. The elation that we felt for Sam, who lies 4th in the Vendee Globe was suddenly replaced by shock and deep sadness for Rob and his climbing colleague, James Atkinson.
  
  Both Sam and Rob are inspirational young people who live life to the full. They are articulate, caring role models with a passion and a thirst for life. They look at the world and see such positivity. It is this characteristic that really sums up what BLUE is about.
  
  I hope that both Rob and Sam’s courage will push us all to get more from life
  
  Conrad
  
  If you would like to post a tribute to Rob or a few words of sympathy to Rob's family and friends, you can do so online at www.theblueproject.org/robgauntlettt....

  0 commenti 328 giorni

• Fishermen Crossing

  I can't imagine what the fishermen we crossed today were saying to each other aboard their small boat as we crossed close by them earlier today, cutting the bottom of Sri Lanka heading to Singapore on Leg 3 of the 2008/09 Volvo Ocean Race. Maybe something along the lines of "there's something you don't see every day" or perhaps "damn blow-boaters!." Had we cut their buoys too close? We didn't get caught up so I guess an inch is as good as a mile...which reminds me of a trip I took many years ago along with my good friend Andrew Cape, who is asleep in a bunk behind me, and James Dadd, who incidentally is now the chief measurer for the VO70 class, it's a small world.
  
  We were delivering a race boat called "Juno" from Sardinia to Palma Majorca when we ran down some nets. Fortunately, there was very little wind and I was able to dive in and cut us free which seemed like the end of the story until about 10 minutes later when the angry Spanish fisherman came chasing after us demanding money. We didn't have any and the fishermen had to make do with an apology. I'm not sure if the fishermen we crossed today were using some kind of fish trap or perhaps a Seine net but either way they were standing on the back of their boat waving enthusiastically about something and I'm going to go ahead and assume that they were just plain old impressed to see our big red and black monster.
  
  Having spent some time working in the commercial fishing industry, I can say that whilst not agreeing with some of the methods used or the rampant over-fishing that takes place in certain places, I have nothing but admiration for people who work the sea for a living. It is a tough life and every year there are less fish and more people to feed, and I think that knowing these two truths and their own part in it might go someway to explaining why fishermen are known to have a somewhat bleak view of the world.
  
  People often ask me how life aboard a VO70 compares to the tough life aboard a fishing boat. I have to tell them that there are as many similarities as there are differences. In my experience, when it's game on and a the fish are being hauled it can be very much like Volvo racing- just put your head down, grunt up, bash your head against a wall race against whoever or whatever is next to you. The Volvo is probably a more brutal and dangerous environment due to the sheer discomfort and the relentless nature of the race. Whilst the race does take over you and your family's life, it does come to an end. A fisherman's life however is measured out in generations and communities and when the fishing stops it is usually a bad thing for all concerned.
  
  So we wish the Sri Lankan fisherman a great day on the water, and hope that the boats behind us also manage to stay out of the nets.
  
  Rick
  
  To follow Rick's progress onboard PUMA Ocean Sailing in the Vendee Globe, please go to www.theblueproject.org/rickdeppe.

  0 commenti 354 giorni

• Adrenalin Filled Ocean Sailing

  Hello everyone!
  
  What an amazing day yesterday!
  
  The wind was established between 35 and 40 knots all day, with gusts of 45. The waves were mountains, and Roxy was hooning along, on the edge of control! I wanted to push quite hard to gain some miles with the weather system towards the security gate.
  
  The waves were so impressively scary that I tried not to look at them!!
  That way I wouldn't chicken out and reduce sail too much! Anyway, it is better to keep going fast in these big seas so that Roxy does not get overpowered by a breaking wave.
  
  As night fell, the wind started to shift and I had to gybe in the pitch black, with the huge waves. It was quite an adrenalin buzz to control Roxy in those conditions, working out in the cockpit as she screams along at 25knots! I did my gybe and afterwards, managed to get some sleep (much needed, but difficult when you bed moves more than a fairground ride!!)
  
  This morning, it has been full-on! The wind has been easing, and I was planning a day of tidying and preparing Roxy for the next storm. Just as my porridge was ready to eat, there was a bit of a lurch and a bang. i looked out and saw that the starboard rudder had kicked up - we had obviously hit something. Then I realised that instead of 14-15 knots we were doing just 8!! I rolled the solent and quickly got the endoscope out to check under the boat. I couldn't see the keel because there was a HUGE packet of seaweed wrapped around it!!!! We had literally "parked up" in a big pile of sea-weed.
  
  I think it must be J-P Dicks sea-weed!!
  
  So, the rudder was the first priority. Annoyingly, it is the rudder I have fixed, so re-doing the fuse and getting it back down is a bit more complicated than before and needed some adjustments. I found myself in the scoop at the back of Roxy, tools in hands, practically underwater, as because we were going so slowly the huge waves were breaking into the scoop! A nice chilly job!
  
  Rudder fixed, I could then concentrate on getting the weed off the keel.
  Luckily a big back-down did the job (you can see some of the weed that came off in the photo). The sea-birds were very happy with me because I'd presented them with a pile of tasty weed that must have been full of shrimps!
  
  So, after a bit of a "pit-stop" I got Roxy off again, re-stacked, gybed ,shook out 2 reefs, and set the headsails. Totally knackered! And a messy cockpit with ropes everywhere! And, on top of that - COLD porridge
  - YUK!!!
  
  To make up for that, and because I'd got a bit of a dunking with my rudder, I heated up some water and had a "shower" and put on a full set of clean clothes - luxury!
  
  Sam x
  
  At 1100 UK time, Sam Davies aboard Roxy was in 10th position, 922 miles from race leader Michel Desjoyeaux aboard Foncia
  
  To follow Sam's progress in the Vendee Globe, please go to www.theblueproject.org/samdavies.

  0 commenti 354 giorni

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