Log Entry No 5 - 20th April 08. (Discoverer)

FROM THE CAPTAINS CABIN

Position: Rio de Janeiro

Leg 7 - Skipper.

Dick Whithouse (after guard):

Well, we have arrived and are now giving the boat a thorough clean-up, ready for the next leg. Many apologies for the absence of a Wednesday log – I tried to get an internet connection several times without success. Looking back on the trip, the worst moment for me was ordering a sail change in rough sea, at night; watching a wave break over the watch on the foredeck and seeing them disappear under a wall of water. Jim and James were washed off their feet, Jim, with his life jacket inflated, up against the mast, and James against the guard rail. The best moment was watching Jim get up and calmly continue to lead his watch through the rest of the procedure, in the highest traditions of a British line regiment JNCO. The most amusing moment was Woody’s reaction to Sophie’s request to make her look good on a surfboard when we get to Rio - “we haven’t got ages.” It has been a privilege to sail with them all.

Ollie King (after guard):

Following a two week period of frantic work in the FI, the yacht (our home) Discoverer was ready for the 1860 nautical mile journey to Rio. The crew were very apprehensive as we left the safety of the pontoon, but as we went through lessons about sails, safety equipment and man over board drills the tension turned to enjoyment. The coastal sailing as we left was unfortunately very unpleasant, the water was relatively shallow so the seas were steep and confused this made a good number of the crew sea sick. Not the best way to begin all those miles at sea. The watches soon got into their routines, with people’s characters emerging. Everyone worked very well together; this is not always the case when putting 14 strangers on a boat together. But as a testament to the quality of the crew that everyone bonded together instantly. I don’t really have a worst part of the voyage as I choose this leg because it would be one of the hardest legs. But, whilst being fast asleep on the first Tue morning, to be woken to oversee getting the main sail down in 58 knots of wind, huge seas and lots of spray was certainly one of the highlights/ most emotional moments. The whole team worked well and looking back down on the decks from standing up on the winches to reach the top of the sail our beautiful yacht and her brave crew looked truly amazing.

Andy Stone (after guard):

After leaving the barren but idyllic bays of the Falklands Isles we’ve travelled on 030 degrees towards Brazil. The low point for me & most of the crew was the bout of sea sickness we picked up just north of the Falklands just before the waves changed to large rolling ones. I remember retching into a bucket clamped between James’ legs. He didn’t want to let go for some reason. Only a matter of days later we ran into our first F10 storm with massive waves helping us towards Rio. The Blue watch hold the trip speed record, so far, at 18 knots surfing down a vertical gigantic roller. Ryan had his eyes firmly fixed to the log reader whilst I had my hands even more so, on to the wheel. The most exhilarating point, so far. The wildlife during the storm seemed to embrace us more. At one stage a pod of about 20 dolphins swam along side whilst we held on. Just great!

Jim Smith (after guard):

The best part of this incredible journey was to see my bunch of young lads (red watch) turn from complete novices into a crew, taking charge of shaking out reefs, hoisting sails, cooking all as one team. The worst part was being hit by a wave on the foredeck and being slammed into the mast hitting my thigh on all the halliards pinned to the deck and as the numbness wore off I could feel pain. As we are only a few days away form Rio all thoughts are turning to what they want to do for the few days R&R. It’s been a pleasure sailing with them all.

THE VIEW FROM THE FOREDECK:

Leg 7 - Red watch.

The past two weeks have been a wave of emotions; we have experienced fear, loneliness and excitement. This week red watch were hit with fatigue; the strains of sailing in the South Atlantic had taken its toll and everyone was in desperate need of some serious head down time. We soon forgot that our bodies needed rest and were tasked with our first real leadership task. Jim briefed us on what needed doing and nominated a leader to take control of the group. James was appointed leader and his first job was to brief the men on what they had to do and who would play what role. We had to put a reef in the main sail. We went forward on to the bow and began work. With some guidance from Jim we managed to complete our task with relative success. Through out the watch and past days we have perfected the task.

Leg 7 - Sunny Day.

We hit a dull spell with the weather and found ourselves being powered along by the engine which gave us the chance to look forward to our arrival in Rio ready for some well deserved R&R. Snorkelling seems to be top of the list of things to do when we arrive, well perhaps second to a cold beer. During a further reef change a baton from the main sail popped out which meant we had to take the whole sail down and fix it on deck. This seemed to take a good couple of hours and was in blistering heat. Great opportunity to make a start on getting a tan! The whole journey has been without company from other vessels but last night Red watch were the first to spot a cargo ship. It was a reality check and reminded us all that actually there is human life still out there.

Two days remaining until we are due in Rio and we are all anxious to get there, yet there is a sense of achievement and belonging onboard the Discoverer and it feels as though people are truly going to miss not being on the boat and being a part of such a great team.

We shall all certainly hold great memories of our time at sea.