Hello to all supporters and loved ones following
HotelPlanner.com (CV23)
ANTICIPATION - New
Port of Call
Just a few days out of Cape Town and everyone is feeling the
anticipation of a new port, the excitement of a beer at dockside and, for many, the discovery of a new continent for the first time. Many of you may think that
it's all fun and games for the crew once in port, but that's the furthest from
the truth. The Clipper Race keeps everyone very busy on arrival and days after.
Today we received our schedule of activities while we are in
Cape Town and I'd like to give you an idea how we will be spending our next few
weeks with some specific activities.
First few days:
Clearing immigration – upon arrival we will all
be bussed to a facility for check in and entry into the country. Once cleared
all can then meet any family and friends that have come.Shower – favorite first activity for many,
usually at the marina shower facility.Deep Clean
(all hands) – as you all can imagine life on board a small boat with the
number of people we carry, things get a little dirty. The crew spends at least
a full day pressure washing floor boards, cleaning bilges, heads, galley, and
anti-bacting just about every area we lived the last three weeks. Keeping
everyone healthy is a top priority and cleanliness is essential.Safety equipment and rigging check. Everyone
needs to understand that the maintenance of the boat, it's care and feeding is
the responsibility of the skipper and crew. The Clipper Race has a small maintenance
staff but they cannot keep 12 seventy foot racing yachts 100% ready at all
times. These safety and rigging checks include things like safety equipment
operational checks to sending someone up the mast to check all cables and
lines. We had a pretty significant blow last night that snapped several of our
lines/sheets (rated to withstand tons of force) and they came apart like a
piece of string. All will be checked and replaced if required. You're probably
asking yourself how we get these replacement parts? We have a requisition
system on board that is run by Graham Hill (McGiver as we call him) and he
sends requests to Race HQ and they ship the parts in a container to the next
port. Pretty good system...Crew can then start heading out to hotels or
B&Bs they may have rented for some well deserved relaxation.
Next 7-10 days
Continue with any additional maintenance issues,
servicing the winches, replacing our gas bottles for the galley, fueling the
boat, etc.Prizegiving ceremony for the winning boats,
pretty good party for all.Activities with UNICEF, The Clipper Race's primary charity
– have a visit with a local family set up.Recruitment and corporate sails during the week.Open boats where the public can come about and
really see a Clipper 70 up close.Refresher sail for the new on coming crew. Re-supply – menu created, provision need to be
purchased, packed by day and stored around the boat (all this is done by one
of our youngest round the world sailor Roseanne). She has a tough job and makes
it look easy.Required pre-race crew brief from the race
director and safety meeting with skippers.Last minute updates, fixes, additions before
race start the next day.This is just scratching the surface of things that need to be
completed before we can be ready for our next race adventure.
We do have free time to enjoy the local sites and see new
things, and believe me we take advantage of everything that is offered. I've
personally got Table Mountain and Robben Island on my list of must do's...
That's about it. I'm on Mother duty today and need to get
back to the galley, steak and eggs for dinner tonight!
To my family and followers out there, all is well and I'm
doing great. Hard to believe that
between these last two race legs we have
covered over 10,000 sailing miles, about a quarter of our way around the world.
Last word to my beautiful wife Julie in Florida, miss you and
can't wait to see you in Seattle. Love you!
To all my fellow sailors and Navy alumni out there I wish you
all “Fair winds and following seas”.....
Greg Adams RTW
