Race 7 - Day 13
Crew Diary - Race 7 Day 13
22 February

What is love, actually?

Both everything and nothing all at once has happened since our equator crossing. We are now round the Philippines, through the Luzon strait, and on the home stretch to Ha Long Bay across the South China sea. We’ve had storms, we’ve had wind holes, we’ve had almost every sail on deck within 24 hours and we’ve also had no changes for days too. There have been no tactics and there have been all the tactics. There has been riding it out and there’s been chancing our arm. There’s been no sight of other life and then there is the fishing vessel and buoy dodging and jellyfish glows. It’s been literally thousands of nautical miles worth of racing and over three weeks of living together on CV21. There have been birthdays, learning breakthroughs, lots of on-board quotes added to our quotes whiteboard (including several from yours truly – all entirely innocent of course), real-life games of Cluedo, and frustrations too. For example, I was unfortunate enough to be helming twice in a row when we carried out an unplanned kite drop. It’s difficult not to feel responsible in some way, despite repeated assurances that it was the conditions that required a change and not the person behind the wheel! It’s hard, regardless, to not want to be better. To try harder next time. To not have bad days. To not let the crew down. Though I did manage two Cluedo ‘kills’ by handing a specific individual a specific item in a specific area in the same stretch of time, so, you know, swings and roundabouts!

But amongst all of that, was February 14th, otherwise known as St. Valentine’s Day. Some crew don’t celebrate it. Others had scheduled deliveries to their loved ones back home and opened cards that had been given to them by partners when they left shore. Many sent and received emails that included acknowledgment and reiterations of their appreciation for the other. And stand-by watch dutifully baked currant buns with little notes containing nautical-themed pick-up lines. I enjoyed listening to stories about how individuals met their other halves and finding out about their supporters’ most endearing qualities. I was happy to listen to stories of their adventures together and the things that had brought them closer to each other. But my favourite part was listening to the crew talking about when and where they were next and seeing the friends and family they treasure. Without fail, their faces would light up, excitement was obvious in their tone, and it lifted the energy of the boat as a whole. It reminded me of the scene from a well-known Christmas film of the actual arrivals gate at Gatwick airport, played out to ‘All You Need is Love’.

The kindness of strangers is something that I have always found fascinating. I’ve had many encounters over the years where people have bent over backwards or gone out of their way to help me. To make sure I was alright. To show me that I’m not alone. And on reflection, there have also been many moments where I’ve offered my help, support, or just a few kind words to strangers too. The crew on Our Isles and Oceans started out as strangers to me. But after (almost) crossing two seas together, I think ‘stranger’ can probably be reframed to something more akin to ‘friendship in progress’. There is a lot of love on this boat. It may not be romantic love, but it’s there all the same. In the perfecting of the onion gravy with dinner, or the unprompted re-filling of someone else’s water bottle. The checking in if someone is unusually quiet or has a niggle, and the arm around the shoulder when homesickness rears its head. In remembering someone’s exact tea preferences, and the encouraging words I’ve received during spinnaker helming since my back-to-back drops.

My favourite part of the everyday on board, however, is not making the boat go fast, or problem-solving, or special occasions or even eating! My favourite part of the day is actually rousing the next watch from their slumber. I think it’s in these few moments between sleep and consciousness that I get a glimpse of the best of the crew of CV21. I’ve woken people with a start, with a stretch, and with a smile. I’ve had thumbs-ups, I’ve had blank stares, and I’ve had groans. And in return, I’ve been woken with a single word, with a shake, and mid-dream myself too. But it’s always done gently. With sympathy. With empathy. And where possible, we let people sleep in, too. Without fail, there’s always a ‘thank you’ at the end of it, and everybody does it in their own, unique way.

I suppose it turns out that love, actually, really is all around.