Cowes Week, Fastnet, Haute Route Alps...life in a whirlwind

I've had a fantastic past weeks. Last Saturday saw the start of Cowes Week, which for the Artemis Offshore Academy means 5 Figaros in full swing for a week of racing. Each boat took up to four guests a day to get a taste of live on the high seas; a range of weather conditions from baking heat and little wind to wet weather and a rolling Solent ensured this was the case!

Amazingly on my boat (OC 21, which I skippered with Sam Matson) the closest we came to somebody throwing  up overboard was myself, after I'd gobbled a less than tasty crab sandwich. My diet for the week became one of muffins, flapjack and Oasis, as it is just to easy to live off the lunch left overs...we always ensure our guests are well catered for. Starting work at 8am everyday with some team bike rides after sailing justified this though, I'm sure! 

Spending a week sailing the Figaros was a lot of fun, as I was kept busy on the bow and making sure the right ropes were being pulled at the right time. Aside from the racing, the social aspect of Cowes week is also very important; we all got a chance to meet the guys and girls working for Artemis, finding out more about the Company and their clients while also explaining to them what it is each of us strives to achieve in the future...a joint dream of competing in the Vendee Globe. 

Speaking of dreams, one of mine came true when I met the one and only Francois Gabart, this year's Vendee Globe winner and France's latest heart throb.Highly approachable, he spoke of his reasons for competing in the race, and why he does not necessarily aim to do it again (focusing instead on events like the Transat Jacques Vabre). His passion for the sport bubbled through the room, and you could tell he must be meticulous in everything he does. Feeling like a teenager getting an autograph from One Direction, I'm pleased to say I did get a flag signed by the man himself. Perhaps if I take it on my first solo race, it will ensure Bon vent!

Meeting Francois with the rest of the squad 

Other highlights of the week for me included boat sitting a gorgeous 70 foot yacht, which kept me off the infamous Banyan's coconuts, instead watching the majority of the parties from a mooring. This, I think, was a good idea, as by mid week I found myself to be co-skippering a figaro  II in the Rolex Fastnet race with Nick Cherry, starting immediately after Cowes week. 

A room with a view!

With the entire squad competing in the fastnet this year, I was very pleased to get the chance to sail, as I had been boat less just the week before. Using Sam Goodchild's Figaro was a pleasure, as it is well set up and looked after. Nick's sails were a pleasant sight for the eyes after having spent the past year looking at and lugging around heavy Dacron mains and worn out genoas, which we use for corporate sailing. 

All set for the Fastnet with Cherry Racing & nine packs of Soreen...

 I got the final bits of paper work sorted on Friday before the boat made it over to the Island for a jauge / security check. Food wise, we catered for two meals a day and a big snack bag to open every 6 hours. Throughout the race  this worked well, as you soon go off boil in the bag meals and packs of Oreos. Cherry even cooked up fresh pasta for our first lunch stop, but I made the mistake of taking a tablespoon of chilli sauce to a wrap and had to stick the next 3 hours with a burning mouth. However, This was really the only uncomfortable aspect of the whole race, with the Figaro having a pipe cot for a bed and headroom to stand down below... Luxury compared to the Mini. 

The start of the race was intense, with the fleet of Figaros joining the class 40's to start immediately after the IMOCA 60s. Once again Gabart was out to provide some inspiration, as was GB hero Alex Thompson. Watching the IMOCA 60s powering over the start line was quite something and a good incentive to get in the mood for racing; Macif would later take the IMOCA 60 line honours, crossing Plymouth Breakwater at 07:32:19 on Wednesday.

 

 

                                                            The mighty Macif 

    

We started more towards the pin end of the line, having an intense upwind battle all the way out to Hurst Castle. Dalin / Curwen tactically worked their way up from the back of the pack to the front, while we were working hard as we did tack after tack. Once past Hurst the fleet split; heading through the North channel with OC 21, Nick and I were one of the first boats to get the expected right shift, leaving us laying St Alban's nicely. The next couple of hours continued to be a tacking battle between us and 21 (Matson / Elsey), where we pulled into first place, with a 2-3 mile lead over the others. We held on to the top spot until the fleet converged at Portland Bill; Henry, Xavier, Nikki and Ed appeared, going further inshore. 

Overnight everyone was changing position quite often. As we settled onto a long starboard tack, Ed somehow worked his way to windward off us, stealthily sailing past with no navigation lights on (Gilles had turned them off by accident with the ballast pump!). OC 21 remained just to windward off us, and we stayed in this pack of three for a couple of hours. around this time our tracker stopped working, and became truly buggered after I plugged it in to charge while it was a bit soggy. Luckily Nick prevented a small fire from happening while I was having a snooze!

Thumbs up, the boat's not on fire 

Approaching Land's End, Ed had pulled three miles in front, while Matson /Elsey and Bomby remained just to windward. We were positioned furthest left of the fleet and looking good, sailing quick. The next tactical decision was whether we should go to the left of the Scilly Isles and TSS, for the expected shift, or head North as Henry had done, basing decisions more on our positioning relative to the fleet. 

We decided to go North, again sticking in our pack with Bomby / Hill / Matson. It was Tuesday night when we made our big mistake, forgetting about the TSS just before the fastnet rock. Questioning why Henry and others were sailing higher than us, it was not until it was too late that we checked the SI's and realised we hadn't put the traffic separation zone into Adrena as a 'no go area'. Having to sail 20 degrees to low for 8 or so miles was a shocker and lost us miles on the fleet, and the hope of a top 3 position. It was a rookie error and next time I will be sure to make sure all the vital info is on the crib sheets I always make of the SI's. I felt pretty bad for Nick, who with a 17th at the Solitaire this year is one of the 'roast beefs', doing Britain proud out on the French circuit. Thankfully, a massive pack of Revels saved Nick from suicide (was it the toffee or orange flavour that did the trick?), so I at least didn't have to face rounding the rock solo in the thick, muggy fog that later surrounded us.

Gloomy weather, and Henry is chasing us...

A mile or so beyond the rock (not that we could see it), we tacked for Pantanieus buoy. My tack was a bit shoddy but other boats were also doing some pretty big angles in the dark, with the lack of visibility making it all a bit disorienting... Alex and Dyfrig (Figaro 43) later told me they could barely see each other on deck! At the buoy we hoisted the big kite, sailing the early hours of Wednesday in 20 knots, again on a tight reach to avoid the TSS, which was 60 miles or so back in the direction we had just come. Later as the wind built and shifted a little we went to one reef in the main, water ballast, and the small kite; unusual in the Figaro but it was tricky sailing at 65 AWA.

As dawn broke on Wednesday we could see other boats again, and Henry reappeared on the tracker. Breakfast came and went, lunch came and went, and we were still sailing in the same conditions with the big kite up. Later there was some to and fro'ing with an Irish boat who we eventually overtook, and then as evening came we squared the pole back for the drag race back to Plymouth. Things got exciting approaching 15 miles from the finish, with lots of boats crossing each other; Henry came on the radio, perhaps trying to be tactical and distract us from trimming the kite as he told us the story of his race so far. But we kept the lead on him, finding out that there were still some other Figaros behind. We crossed the line at 06.30 on Thursday morning, packing the boat up before we docked at Sutton Harbour. We had to go through a lock to get in, which was a new experience for me! 

I really enjoyed the race, with better sleeping patterns meaning no hallucinations! I did learn about the importance of looking after your feet though, having finished with a nasty ulcer and some blisters...perhaps waterproof socks with a sprinkle of athlete's foot powder are the way forward.

THE RESULTS:

1. Artemis 77/Nikki Curwen & Charlie Dalin/05:11
2. Artemis 37/Ed Hill & Gilles Chiorri/05:16 
3. Maluel/Xavier Macaire & Yves Ravot/05:17
4. Artemis 21/Sam Matson & Robin Elsey/05:32
5. Magma Structures/Nick Cherry & Lizzy Foreman/06:27
6. RockFish/Henry Bomby & Richard Tolkien/06:30
7. Artemis 43/Alex Gardner & Dyfrig Mon/07:07
8. Full Irish/David Kenefick & Full Irish/07:18
9. Jehol/Didier Bouillard & co-skipper/07:31

With just one day's turn around, I'm now back home with just a couple of hours to pack up my bike and kit, digest the road books and book a transfer to Geneva for the start of the Haute Route Alps. My seven day, mountain cyclosportive starts at 5am tomorrow morning. This will be a massive challenge for me, particularly having just spent four days double handed at sea! 

You can track the race live on my Facebook page and stay updated with Twitter.