Sadness for ocean racing friends

It's been a sad as well as an angry day for me.

I've been following Dee Caffari's blog about her experiences on Aviva in the Vendee Globe Race. Dee is currently in the Southern Ocean, and I hope, safe tonight.

However some of her fellow competitors have fallen victim to the heavy loads Southern Ocean sailing can put on even the best built modern racing yacht.

Mike Golding's yacht 'Ecover' has been dismasted, and Bernard Stamm's 'Cheminees Poujoulat' went onto rocks while trying to moor up in the Kerguelen Islands where he had gone to make other repairs. Another competitor, Dominique Wavre was helping him, having also gone into the Kerguelens for repair to 'Temenos'.

Mike Golding and Bernard Stamm became known to me in 2006/2007 when I was working for Clipper Ventures as a watchkeeper for the Velux 5 Oceans race. I spoke to them on satellite phone and exchanged emails with them on a daily basis.

Mike Golding also went out of that race with a dismasting, hours after going to the aid of another unfortunate competitor, Alex Thomson when his boat Hugo Boss lost its keel. Bernard was the eventual winner of that race, and was leading the Vendee Globe.

Mike is still out there in the Southern Ocean, working on a jury rig and making plans to head northeast for somewhere in Western Australia.

I'm asking the Goddess, to look after them all tonight.

Laughing, not angry today :-)

Just to show my lovely readers that I am not always a miserable old moaner, I'll share something that made me smile today.

International yachtswoman Dee Caffari is currently competing in the Vendee Globe round the world yacht race. Before she started, it seems her shore team planned some surprises for her to cheer her up.

According to a report I read in the Daily Mail today, they have hidden naked photos of themselves around the boat for her to find.

Sailing for me these days, mostly goes no further than a race around the cans in Chichester Harbour in my Laser dinghy. If I capsize or get wet and cold, I can look forward to a hot shower and a drink in the sailing club bar when I get back.

If I was a thousand miles from anywhere hospitable, being thrown around a boat in 30 foot or more waves and freezing cold, I'm not sure that even naked pics of Daniel Craig would make me feel better.

Fortunately, from what I am reading, Dee is now in warmer waters and shedding layers of oilskins for shorts and bikini top. Now I am envious!

I also spent a few months working as a watch team member for the last Velux 5 Oceans race and heard plenty about bad weather from the competitors including Robin Knox-Johnston, Mike Golding and Alex Thompson.

Well done Dee, go girl! I'll be watching you via your diary feeds and the Aviva website.

I had to look hard to find the right news item, but here it is!

http://www.avivaoceanracing.com/index.asp?pageid=45&newsid=181