A day in the life of a Race skipper in the ARC Transatlantic Racing Class
Susan Glenny, @teamtigress.
There are some of us in the ARC who select to go in the Racing division. What does this mean? Well for starters we are not allowed to use our engines for propulsion at any stage during the crossing, charging in neutral is of course allowed though. What this means is that our specific routing becomes critical, sailing into just a patch of no wind can mean having to just sit for days waiting for the breeze to fill in causing issues with resources and provisioning on board. This year unlike the previous two years lack of wind hasn’t been a problem for the ARC fleet and other November crossers. This however doesn’t make it easy either. Selecting a path that keeps you in the wind range ideal for your specific boat is also “Tricky.” Many of us in the racing fleet are in 40 ft lightweight boats often less than 10 tonnes meaning that the bigger trade winds can be too much for us. This year we have selected a route on the very northern boundary of the well formed trade wind belt that you can see. Relying on nature’s forces alone to get us across means that at every stage we must be optimising the performance of our boats ensuring that we always have the biggest canvas (or carbon and kite up) for the conditions that prevail. Transitions and builds in the wind can be challenging, dropping a 155sq meter kite on a small boat in a big sea always brings healthy fear. Lots of us in the racing class are commercial boats that take sailors who want to experience life racing across the Atlantic, this can mean that we have a mixture of capabilities on the boat and it’s a steep learning curve for many.
This year on @teamtigress on Jua Kali we have a truly international mix, two Austrians, an Australian, a Quataree, four British and a Suisse. Even with nine people on board flying a kite day and night and maintaining a safe guard for trimming and dropping in all eventualities leaves little time for much else. Tiredness and exhaustion mean the sight of the bunk at the end of a shift is like having all your holidays at once. This year our team have gelled incredibly and I am so proud of them all. My first mate Louise has been amazing and all on board have taken huge responsibility for the functioning of the boat and because of this we are lying 2nd in our class. With a likely, lively crossing time of 13 days (with a long way to go yet.)
Many of us in the racing division are seasoned racers taking our boats to the Caribbean for the race circuit there, we are used to longer offshores like The Fastnet or deliveries etc but don’t be fooled because the Transatlantic is always a trip that presents the Everest of challenges in its relentlessness.
10 facts about ARC Transatlantic Race Skippers
1. You have a permanent state of healthy anxiety 24hrs a day from leaving the dock in Las Palmas to tying on lines in St Lucia.
2. Eating carrots is mandatory because driving down wind at regular speeds of 14 knts SOG with a big kite up in the dark can seem like you a just playing a computer game when you are focused on just instruments at night. The difference though is that you don’t get to restart the computer game if you spin out and the stakes are slightly higher with a 14 tone boat and 9 people under your care.
3. If it’s not going to the loo or downloading a Grib file then you need to be able to do it with one hand whilst driving, or whilst your asleep.
4. You need to possess an ability to go from asleep in a bunk to ondeck fully functioning in a life jacket in approximately 8nano seconds should it be necessary. Sleep is for whimps it can seem and you need to be able to sometimes deal with long periods without it.
5. Tea is an institution and is the answer to all things but decaffeinated versions are best.
6. Most of us are slightly on the spectrum.
7. Shining white head torches in our faces at night will put you on the naughty step.
8. A special love hate relationship with Iridium and it’s technical equipment is essential.
9. We love what we do.
10. Sailing 2,700 miles under sail power alone brings an exhilarating feeling when you see the outline of St Lucia.
Susan Glenny
Skipper and Team Captain
@teamtigress on Jua Kali
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