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I stated race 8, from Brisbane to Singapore with the excitement of a gentle cruise, nice warm temperatures, low winds and some spectacular scenery. I knew the race would be long however I was prepared for this.
We left Brisbane and started sailing upwind. Usually on the race, we travel down wind so the boat is level, the wind feels low as you are traveling with it and conditions on board are a lot easier. When beating upwind, the boat is heeled over, everything down below gets harder and it's generally more demanding.
We beat up wind for days and days and as we approached the tropics, we encountered more and more squalls, discrete areas of high wind and rain, where you need to down sails and hang on until then pass through.
After the first week the strain was already starting to show. People weren't getting sleep, the temperature had shot up to mid thirties on deck and above forty down below. You would go to your bunk to sleep and immediately sweat. Dyhydration soon became a problem and when we most needed water, our water maker broke and we were limited to two litres of water per person.
And outbreak on DnV occurred (Diorriah and Vomiting) and I was unfortunate to catch this. I also had psoriasis on my chest and a wisdom tooth popping through.
Needless to say, my thoughts of a nice cruise were well and truly out the window and I just had to be mentally strong to push through all these obstacles to carry on racing.
Then when the crew was at its lowest, we entered a squall and started preparing to down sail. Then from no where a water spout, which is a mini tornado about 40m wide, hit the boat. I was at the back of the yacht behind the helm as the tornado hit. The boat went over so the mast was resting in the water and saw the crew on deck get swept off their feet into the water. One guy on the mast was holding on to a line above his head, that in normal racing, is vertical on the mast.
The tornado swept through only lasting 10 seconds. After it has passed the boat righted itself and we assessed the situation. The crew on deck were obviously shook up. Down below people had been thrown out if their bunks, kit had been spread across the yacht and all the washing up from lunch was now on the wall.
Disaster had struck, again. Now there are two ways to approach a situation like this. You quit and nurse yourself home, or you dig deep, don't give up and carry on. Luckily all the crew had the same mentality and we pushed on again.
As we approached the race finish we went through a series of islands off Malaysia which were absolutely stunning.
We had again been pushed to the limit, pushed on through and been treated with the amazing sailing we were all after.
"....Today we awoke to a marvellous sun rise, the water is perfectly still and we are motoring through a series of islands in the Basilian Straight by Malaysia.
Being close to land, we have phone signal so I was able to phone home to the UK and wish my father a happy birthday and the afternoon plan is to stop and meet up with all the boats in our convoy, so I should be able to see my girlfriend. We placed second in the race and now we are resting and recovering.
Today could be one of those days that all the pain I went through to save the money for the race pays back and makes it all worthwhile. I remember the sadness of selling my flat, trading in my nice car and buying a Rover; Not buying new shoes when they had holes in so all winter I had wet feet and making sure I went to the supermarket at 7:50pm to raid the fresh food counter to get discount meat before it went in the bin. These are just a handful of sacrifices I went through for the seat on the boat.
As we motor towards Singapore, now is a time for reflection and I look back on the previous series of races. I remember all the hard work we put in, all the times we were scared, sad, tired, hungry, sick and the way we battled through them to get to here. The team we have created and the bonds between people after going through them all together.
On board, in these quiet times like now, you can see people like I have done, taking moments on the bow, deep in their thoughts, thinking of the past or the future. You let them have their time to do what they need to do.
The more you speak to people the more you understand their stories, and the more you get a glimpse into what may be running through their heads at these times.
I believe everyone comes on Clipper Race to run away from something, or to have a break to clear the mind and figure out the next chapter of their lives.
For me this is certainly true, I have had a challenging leg but I've started to finalise plans for what I'm doing after the race. I came on the race to figure out the next few years, to get off the treadmill and take a year to figure out what this life has panned out for me. What choices I have and as a person what I want to be to make me happy.
One example is that I used to want to the top guy, the best in the crowd, the team leader, watch leader and coxswain. The race has taught me that yes, I have some qualities that I can use to do this, but actually I'm better and now I prefer to be the strong member of the team, taking direction from the leader. I'm happy at times to see how others approach a situation and watch to see the outcome, rather than fighting to get it done my way.
Another is the adventure we are all going through travelling was never on the radar before joining the race, but now it had opened my mind to the possibilities. Chay Blyth said, "You should never finish an adventure without having the next one in your mind" so I've started to plan the next adventure already. The next two years of my life are starting to take shape into an amazing time to look forwards to.
So I feel I'm set. I just hope the crew on the bow taking their moments, the times they come up on deck having read an e-mail and need a moment or the times they need a quiet moment, they figure it out too, whatever it may be.
The Clipper Race is sometimes criticised by people for being cheap, having poor equipment, poor organisation etc. But I think this is very unfair. You can't put a price tag on the challenge the race is, the moments where the individual is pushed to the limits to see how they respond.
The best sailor on board doesn't have a challenge with the sailing, they have the challenge with the heads cleaning, the hot conditions and the mother duties. They get pushed to the limit in these areas just as much as the elderly woman who can make bread at 30 degrees of heel but struggles keeping up with the racing.
These experiences shape you as a person and these are the experiences that help with those thoughts and decisions. Hopefully you then start to answer those questions in your mind until a clarity of thought appears.
So to all crew on board all yachts, past and present, I hope you join me in saluting the Clipper Race. I thank the staff for their hard work for putting me here, to be able to push me to the limit, to then be able to sort through it all in my mind and now have a plan for the future.
I'm grateful for Sir Robin’s vision. I now get what he means by his saying "This is the best thing I've done with my life...so far" because it is and I know, after this, I will keep going and I will say that phrase again and again and again.
Oh the best thing, we are only 50% done...."
So I'm changing as a person, learning a new craft and being pushed to the absolute limit. All the three items I wanted out of the race are all starting to be ticked off.
I guess the moral of the story is if you make a plan, work hard and go and do it, you too can accomplish your goals and find what you're looking for.
Ben Pate
