3 weeks training then across the Pacific!

Day 11

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:37:17 +0800

Coming soon!

Day 10

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:47:36 +0800

Course starts at 1pm this afternoon. Can't wait to meet all the new people that will join us for this part of the course.
Next, part B training will turn us from a competent crew member into an efficient racing sailor and part C will be actual racing at sea for whole 5 days.

I hope I will make Qingdao Clipper proud and I do hope we will arrive first at the finish line although that doesn't seem to be so important anymore. I already feel like a winner for daring to leave my desk and take on the challenge. This is a life changing experience which is turning to be not only a great sailing lesson but also a lesson in life.

Day 8 & 9

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:46:13 +0800

We have almost 2 days off before the next part of the course. Some went back home longing for a warm and soft bed and some of us decided to stay on the boat and bond.

Day 5, 6 & 7

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:44:23 +0800

We set off on our first off shore trip. We were all quite excited and I don't think anyone of us expected how hard this would actually be. We sailed up wind for almost a whole day and the strong wind and choppy sea made us all realize sailing could be quite hard. We could hardly stand inside the boat. Everything was flying from one side to the other. We started our watch system. We split in 2 groups and took turns-3 hour sailing and 3 hours sleeping. It took our bodies quite a while to adjust to this rythem and we soon felt quite tired and week. All of us felt sea sick at some point which made the watch system even harder since we were a small group and we needed all hands we could get. We had few hours stop over at Dartforth and then we headed back. The way back was easier because there was almost no wind and we spent a lot of time sailing with the engine on. We covered 447nm, with 20 night hours and strongest wind of F9. I think during the course of this trip most people questioned weather they could actually do the legs they had signed up for. It was a big test for us as novices. But when we got back on shore I think all of us felt stronger and more confident for what we had been trough. It was a good initiation which deserved a good team dinner in the evening after we had clean Black Adder inside and out. The boat took good care of us and it was time to return the favour. After a debrief with the skipper we all received our RYA Competent Crew certificates.

Day 4

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:42:53 +0800

Another great day. We learnt a lot. In the morning everyone had to be pulled up to the top of the mast which is 75ft tall. It had to be a good team work and trust in your teammates was essential. Great views from the top of the mast. Once you I felt confident i could even have had a cup of tea up there! After that we had some theory up on the deck and Brandon our skipper gave us a brilliant lecture about wind direction gybing and reefing which were the new manuevers we were going to practice today. Sailing was great and I think we all did better than the day before and much more confident. The sailing was followed by a great dinner made by our mothers and then another lecture about safety and flares. Some of us went to the pub after that since that was our last day on land. In the morning we were going to head off south west and do our first off shore sailing.

Day 3

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 12:41:38 +0800

Woke up with a sense of satisfaction. A good nights sleep after a hard day's work and we were ready for another day on the water.

Day 2

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 12:39:48 +0800

Woke up at 5:30, still jet-lagged. I was on Mother watch duty with the only other girl in the group. This means we were going to cook for everyone that day, prepare coffees and teas. After breakfast we got introduced to everything on deck, quite a few sailing terms to remember. Quite confusing but I am sure it will all get easier with practice. After covering the basics and having some lunch we set sail. The weather was cold and cloudy. The wind was predicted to be strong but no one expected our first sea trial to be as demanding as it turned out to be. After practicing rigging of the boat, raising of the sails and tacking the wind was becoming quite strong. It started raining heavily and the wind hit F9. We had to quickly let the sails down, which was a challenge in those weather conditions for inexperienced sailors like ourselves. We did well and after we got the sails down we headed back to the marina tiered and soaking wet but with a sense of accomplishment. We had overcome hard weather conditions and worked as a team after knowing each other for just a day. The experience had brought us closer together. After "putting the boat to sleep", we had dinner and talked about our first sailing day. After that we all went to bed and sleeping on the bunks didn't seem so uncomfortable anymore.

Day 1

Wed, 7 Nov 2007 12:36:19 +0800

A few days later I arrived in the UK, Gosport. I was met by our skipper Brendan and taken to the Black Adder Clipper-my home for the next few weeks. The Black Adder-named after an old trading ship has been around the world about 4 times and was now a training boat. The rest of the group was waiting there. We were introduced to the interior of the boat by the skipper's assistant or the so called 1st mate and then we all went to the local pub where we practiced some of the important notes while having a drink and getting to know each other. It all happened so fast and only now I had time to think about what was actually happening. The anticipated raining had begun. I was going to live on a boat with several strangers and we were going to learn to sail and work as a team in the next several weeks. That first night was a bit difficult for most of us. We needed some time to get used to the small spaces, hard bunks and floors laid with different sails.

Birthday Surprise

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:00:11 +0800

I have wanted to learn to sail for quite some time now but I could never find the time to do it and wasn't sure what the right course for me would be. Living in China also doesn't give you that many options either. I also never thought I could take the time off work. Well, I was wrong. You just need to make the time. What helped me was a great birthday present I received for my 30th-3 week training course in the UK with the Clipper race and then racing on leg 5 on the Qingdao Clipper from Qingdao to Hawaii and Santa Cruz, California. For this who don't know about the Clipper Race-its a round the world race which takes place every 2 years. ......description of the Clipper race
This was a dream come true. I was not only going to learn to sail but I was also going to cross an ocean-the Pacific Ocean!

I hope I will make Qingdao Clipper proud and I do hope we will arrive first at the finish line although that doesn't seem to be so important anymore. I already feel like a winner for daring to leave my desk and take on the challenge. This is a life changing experience which is turning to be not only a great sailing lesson but also a lesson in life. I am looking forward to writing up my experience for REDSAIL magazine along the way.