Race 1 - Day 30
Crew Diary - Race 1 Day 30: Liverpool to Punta del Este
19 September
I could tell you about the challenges of sailing in fickle winds, since I have just finished a 2 hour stint at the helm driving the Pink Panther in chase of Garmin, who is only 6km ahead, clearly visible on the horizon and in our cross hairs. However, this blog isn't about the racing.
I could also share the recent unusual case of the flying fish invasion or the Poopaloopa, but I sense a conspiracy theory is in play, so this blog won't be about the “heads”.
This blog is about people, the people on our team. As we move tantalisingly closer to Punta del Este, the reality that we will need to say farewell to seven of our Leg 1 crew mates has started to settle in and I would like to talk about them, especially since they've played a huge part in forming this team.
At crew allocation, we were all just a list of names. Then when the crew profiles were posted on the team page, we could faces to those names. Level 4 training and yacht delivery saw the crews' individual personalities emerging and now, for the first time we have been forming a consolidated race team having been at sea for 31 days, racing 24/7, side by side.
On Port Watch, we bid farewell to Pat and Chris. Pat has constantly had us in stitches with his quick wit, humorous observations and of course the inane banter with little P. With just the two of us on deck at dawn his morning, we were reduced to tears when Nano appeared out of the hatch and performed his 'Pat Kavanagh Rap' dance dedication. Chris the 'songmeister' who can converse on virtually any topic under the sun, will be sorely missed on our night watch being a core part of the Wozza, Sharky & Chris 'acapella trio'. He still hasn't managed to force me to learn the words to 'Amarillo' though.
On Starboard Watch, we lose five (5) crew mates. There is Pier-Francisco, our very own madcap Italian astrophysicist. Toby “The Tobinator”, my bunk buddy. He's part human, part airline pilot, but known to be a 100% efficient helming machine who can remotely tap into the navigation software. Finally, there's the three youngsters. Our very talented ghost-writer (Nick) Redman, and Jonny P and Dan, both of whom will return to join us for Leg 6, the daunting North Pacific crossing. Jonny P is now a global icon and needs no further introduction and Dan is affectionately revered as our favourite “Mother”, producing the best bread there is.
We look forward to seeing you off in style guys, as we attempt to drink the bars in Punta del Este dry. Thankfully, you will no longer have to face the dreaded wraps, whether they be Spinnaker wraps or the ubiquitous lunch wraps!
Only a few days to dry land...Sterkte Almal x x x
Steven “Sharky” Finn
PS. John “Wozza” Worral would like to wish his granddaughter Rosie a very happy first birthday, sent with lots of kisses of course !
Keep on supporting Team Liverpool 2018!