Elisa's Journey - Close Race to the Scoring Gate

A lull in the cold finds me writing my diary on deck today. I have taken off my winter gloves in hopes my fingers will stay warm. There have been no waves covering the deck since the start of watch, so I hope I’m in the clear. It’s a beautiful December day on the Southern Ocean, with even a touch of blue in the sky.

Day One of the Advent Calendar will be spent drag racing towards the scoring gate. Four Clippers are in close contention as we calculate our optimum times based on speed, course, and distance. Seventy miles to go. The extra points would really make a difference in our overall position, and placing for Leg 3.

After a week of upwind sailing, living life on a steep angle, the wind finally came aft yesterday. This allowed us to sail downwind and hoist the spinnaker, creating a more comfortable and civilized life below decks. It was the first time this week I wore less than 3 layers while in my bunk or just sitting in the saloon. Not to mention the downwind conditions boosted our speeds considerably – which is the primary objective.

It paid off to see Cape Breton Island back in second place on the last schedule. Only miles apart from our other contenders, and seven miles from Spirit of Australia in first, we push onward to keep up the boat speed.

Energy levels of the crew are much higher since our downwind transition. Personally, I had my first deep sleeps, since leaving Cape Town, in the past 24 hours. Even two hours of quality sleep makes a big difference.

We flew the medium weight spinnaker for most of the day yesterday, helping us surf back up to second place. At dusk, the winds were increasing, so we decided to drop the spinnaker and pole out the Yankee two overnight. Not only does it provide a fast, stable sail plan, it is able to withstand higher wind strengths than the spinnaker. The other benefit was a great course towards the scoring gate.

It was a good decision. We had steady gusts over 35 knots, with a maximum reported gust of 48 knots! The surfing conditions we expected of the Southern Ocean held steady all night. The fastest boat speed down a wave was 21.8 knots!

We anxiously await the next report to see how the other Clippers fared out – the race is on!

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As I continue to sit on deck, I am grateful my hands have remained warm long enough to continue writing this diary. I have not been drenched by a wave. And to top it off, there is blue sky and sun for the first time I can remember.

It is the small things like this that turn a day around. These seemingly unimportant details provide an enjoyment that seems out of proportion. How often do you get drenched by a wave in everyday life? I don’t remember walking down the streets of Sydney being thankful I was warm and dry. These small, positive details, like a couple hours of sun, make it easier to endure the contrasting harsh, cold conditions.

While we focus on racing in our small, yet vast, ocean world, reminders of my land life arrive on board via e-mail. I am amused to hear that more than one known individual has risen from their sleep in the middle of the night just to check on Cape Breton Island’s position.

Support at that level means a lot. It drives me to get out of my own warm bunk at 1:30am when I am craving more sleep and dreading the cold. To know there are people at home pulling for us to win this race has an immeasurable impact on crew morale. Thank you!

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Minute by minute the excitement builds. As I am writing, the new schedule has just come through. CAPE BRETON ISLAND IS BACK IN FIRST PLACE!!!

Scoring gate, here we come!     

Elisa's Journey - Racing Into the Roaring Forties

The Cape Breton Clipper is officially into the Roaring Forties – the notorious part of the Southern Ocean known for massive swells and strong winds. We’ve been holding our own in first place of the fleet, with only miles between us and the second/third place boats.

It’s a drag race to Geraldton, Western Australia. Our top competitors are the home team, Spirit of Australia, and defending champs, Team Finland. Every mile counts since all three of us have a strong motivation to win.

So far we’ve beaten into 40 knots of wind, ran before it in 48 knots, and seen up to 5m swells. In other words, the Roaring Forties have been good to us – this is nothing compared to what it is known to dish out. The first low pressure system is currently moving past, and is giving us great speeds on the rest of the fleet. Right now, we are in a small lull – only 20 knots of wind– towards the middle of the system.

Given we are heading to sunny Australia and the Southern Hemisphere summer, it has been freezing cold on deck. The wind seems to come straight from Antarctica and our boat is the first thing it reaches.

I finally broke down and dug out my helming mittens last night. At first I thought it was overkill, until I did a 45 minute stint on the helm in bare hands. When I came down below to thaw out, I held my hands above the stove. Although I could see the blue flame of the burner, my hands were too numb to feel the heat!

Getting ready to go on watch takes longer and longer. Sometimes I forget what I am wearing under all the layers. I’ve added a midlayer to my usual thermals and ocean foul weather gear. On my head is a fleece “buff”, or head wrap that covers everything but the face.

The feet are another story. I was sorry to discover the “cheaper” brand of racing boots, which were $160 CAN, are leaking. I’d been wearing wet, cold socks for 3 days until I discovered bags in the galley that perfectly fit over my feet! Worth about $0.10 CAN each; they seem to be doing a better job keeping my socks dry when layered in the boots.

Good thing, because tonight is going to be the coldest night yet. The wind has come around and we are going upwind again. This means we will feel the cold more than sailing downwind – the apparent wind is greater. Knowing we have worked hard to get in first place and stay there, defending the title is more important than being warm and comfortable. If that was the case, we could have stayed home in front of the fireplace – I know I’d rather be out here on the Southern Ocean!

Cape Breton Clipper leads the fleet amid exciting conditions in the Southern Ocean

Cape Breton Island currently leads a duel with Spirit of Australia, with Team Finland keeping pressure on their heals. The battle at the front of the fleet is proving to be edge of the seat viewing. One can only imagine the amount of focus and mental energy it takes for the crews to maintain the best boat speed - never mind the physical effort of racing across the Southern Ocean.

Cape Breton Island ~ Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece and Spirit of Australia have been almost neck and neck for the last two days - five miles separating them at most in terms of distance to finish and they're now getting a taste of what the Southern Ocean is really like. And, according to Jan Ridd, the skipper of Cape Breton Island, the crew are revelling in the conditions.

"The 'Fickle Forties' are now definitely the Roaring Forties! Yesterday afternoon we were running comfortably under spinnaker in a Force 4 and, as the sun set, I made the decision to drop and go with poled out number 2 which, at the time, seemed a conservative choice but I explained to the crew that a wrap could set us back hours. We carried on with poled out Yankee 2 and full main as the wind built to a steady Force 5 gusting Force 6 to 7. So, with another uneasy feeling I called for the first reef to be put in, which the crew did flawlessly, and soon after I told them we were going to change down to the Yankee 3, even though the wind had not built substantially and we were still well within the Yankee 2's range. Again the crew did a flawless evolution and managed to drop the Yankee 2 without damaging a hank. We then gybed with just the staysail flying and one reef in the main and, as we were going through the gybe, the wind jumped from 20 knots to more than 40 knots which made helming very difficult as the boat was very unbalanced. I quickly grabbed the helm and got the crew to go about setting up the boat.

“There was a lot to do with the pressure of having to work quickly, knowing I was struggling to keep the boat on course. First of all, we hoisted the Yankee 3 to help balance the power of the mainsail then we reduced the main to the second reef, which made the helm manageable. They then had to flake and pack the number 2 in over 40 knots. Once the sail was safely down below they had to drop the staysail and pole out the number 3 to balance the power of the mainsail and make the boat easier to helm. All this they achieved very professionally and quickly which would have been a credit to any team racing in the Solent and all the more impressive in the Southern Ocean. It was easily the busiest watch of the race so far and I cannot praise Rob and his team enough for their work last night.

"At watch change, it had calmed down a bit to Force 6 gusting 7, so I decided to grab some sleep, knowing if the wind built I would not be sleeping until this system passed! Well, I woke up three hours later and popped my head up through the hatch to be met by grinning faces and a four-metre swell rising behind the stern of the boat and the watch proudly telling me they had seen 48 knots on the instruments! It's another testament to Cape Breton Island's crew that after their South Atlantic experience in the last leg they feel comfortable handling the Big Blue Canoe in these conditions. They are all awesome!

“We are now nicely set up, holding a reasonable boat speed, the sun is shining and it looks like it is going to be a glorious day's sailing. All the crew are eager to get on the helm as the swells get larger making the surfs that much longer and faster!

“Everyone is in very good spirits onboard and loving the adrenaline rush and the Southern Ocean is delivering the experience they all expected. I am fairly relaxed. The way the crew are handling the boat is inspiring me with confidence, although I am very aware how quickly things could go wrong and am continuously running 'what if' scenarios through my mind! It occurs to me that for some of the crew on all the boats who have never sailed before joining the Clipper Race, and with only four weeks training, they are sailing across the Southern Ocean in a Force 9, which is truly awesome. I remember when I was training the first time I crossed the English Channel it was an enormous achievement! This truly brings into focus what an amazing challenge they have taken on."

Team Finland is piling the pressure on Cape Breton Island and Spirit of Australia, pulling back six miles in three hours to match the Aussie's distance to finish at the latest position report on the Race Viewer.

Photo by Clipper Ventures

Video Clip - Start of Leg 3 from Cape Town

Here's a clip of the start of the 3rd Leg of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Race from Cape Town. Includes interviews with Skipper Jan Ridd and Cape Breton's own Elisa Jenkins.

Elisa's Journey - Toward the Southern Ocean!

Cape Town provided the backdrop for one of our most exciting starts. With Table Mountain towering over the bay, there were 5 knots of breeze in one area, then 25 knots only a short distance away. We started out with one reef in the main sail in windy conditions, and progressed to a lightweight spinnaker as we went through the shadow of the mountain.

A line of wind was visible as we progressed along the Atlantic coast of South Africa. Amazingly enough, Finland caught the first edge of it from only a quarter mile away. We moved along slowly and waited to reach the line of wind – it looked so close yet so far away!

Once we got there we quickly progressed to one reef, two reefs, and finally three reefs to keep the boat under control (Note - a reef means to make the main sail smaller so it does not get overpowered in windy conditions, it keeps the boat from heeling over too far). We went from our biggest sails to our smallest in a matter of a couple hours.

We were beating into the windiest upwind weather of the race thus far, even more so than out of Rio. Wind speeds were upwards of 30 knots, with gusts to 40 knots. The seas were also bigger as we neared one of the world’s great capes – The Cape of Good Hope. Keeping good speeds, we worked our way up to second place with only a few miles from first. In fact, we could see Spirit of Australia, our first place competitor, for quite a while last night. Our course set us south of the fleet, hoping to catch the approaching weather system.

As the sun set on our first night at sea, we pushed straight into 35 knots of breeze. Helming through the waves carefully, even our smallest sails felt quite powerful. After a wonderful week relaxing in Cape Town, the change in environment was a shock for most, especially the first two days.

A few didn’t emerge from their bunks until day two. Others felt under the weather but dragged themselves up on deck. Even people who are usually not sick felt unwell for the first couple days.

My personal experience mostly involves “contracting” of the stomach and low energy levels. I am lucky to avoid seasickness, but have trouble eating more than small amounts of food for the first couple days of rough upwind sailing. I force myself to eat, but most of the time I feel like there is a rock in my stomach, leaving no room for food. When I lie down in my bunk and relax it settles down.

With the stomach muscles being so tightened up, the breathing becomes shallow, and energy levels drop. At the same time, high energy is required to move around the deck and complete sail changes. I suppose it is a form of survival mode until the body adapts to the conditions. Motivations from those around you help you carry on.

The other night, I was so tired and trying to drag myself up for watch. I had only slept maybe 4 hours out of the past 24. I hadn’t eaten much. Someone mentioned Spirit of Australia was in sight. I rolled out of my warm bunk and got into my already wet foul weather gear. It seemed to require a lot of energy just to get dressed. I wondered how I would last 4 hours on deck, especially if we had to do a sail change.

Once, I got on the helm, and started chasing them down, I seemed to recover my energy – the motivation to gain miles on them kept me going. Plus fellow crew Jim saying, “Whose boat is this anyway – go get’em!” A bit of cheering on never hurts!

Now heading into our third day at sea, I am starting to eat reasonably sized meals again and regaining energy. The other crew seem to be coming alive as well. Winds have lightened up to 20 knots or so, and we await the arrival of the first low pressure system of the trip. We are working hard to stay in front of the fleet and keep up the mileage.

So far, it has been more challenging than the last 2 Legs – just what I was hoping for.  Let’s keep this momentum going and prepare for the big seas of the Southern Ocean!

On a personal note, I’d like to congratulate my sister Alanna and her husband Dave on the birth of their second little girl! I wish I could be there, and can’t wait to phone and see pictures when I arrive in Australia. Miss you guys!

Cape Breton Island puts pressure on leaders after dramatic start to Leg 3 of Clipper 09-10

Cape Breton Island – Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece is racing towards Geraldton-Greenough, Western Australia, after a dramatic start to Race 4 of Clipper 09-10 in Cape Town which saw eight of the boats cross the start line for the 4,700-mile race, while a collision between Hull & Humber and Cork, Ireland resulted in the two teams returning to harbour. None of the crew were hurt and the Race Director and the shore team are now assessing the damage to Hull & Humber’s port aft quarter and Cork’s bow.

The crew of Cape Breton Island were among the first sailors to begin a tradition of saluting a bust of South Africa’s most famous yachtsman, Bertie Reed, as they passed by on the way out of the harbour at the V&A Waterfront. The statue was unveiled at a pre-departure ceremony in Cape Town this morning and the Canadian team paid their respects to the celebrated sailor.

Cape Breton Island is lying seventh overall in Clipper 09-10 and skipper, Jan Ridd, knows he and his crew have some work to do to bring themselves back into contention for the Clipper Trophy. Before he left the marina a confident Jan explained how he is hoping to play this next Leg.

He said, “The last race was fabulous - we just got unlucky with the weather. We got ourselves into a wind hole and got one system behind the rest of the fleet. The tactics for this one is to stay with the fleet. We’re not going to get parted from them, we’re not going to do any flyers, we’re going to stay in the middle of the fleet and stay with everyone else – and that’s our plan. We’re definitely looking for a podium – we need it. We’re looking for first place.

“The crew are feeling good, they’re feeling positive. We know that we can sail the big blue canoe faster than anyone else. In the last race when we actually got the weather we were pulling ten miles over the fleet every six hours, so put us on the same playing field and we will beat them!”

Round the world crew member, Elisa Jenkins, a physiotherapist from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, said at the end of Leg 2 that, despite the large waves and strong winds, she hadn’t been scared yet. So will this be the race to do it? “I’ll let you know in Australia!” she laughed. “This leg is known for having a lot bigger seas than the previous two legs so I’m really looking forward it – it should be some thrilling sailing. And to arrive in Australia, the place I first really learned to sail, it’s going to be a big moment for me as well.”

Elisa is using her experience to help raise money for Cape Breton Cancer Centre and hopes to raise $35,000 towards the expansion project. “I’m just amazed at all the support everyone back home has been giving and thank you to everyone for all of your messages and your support for our Mile for Mile campaign,” she said.


Out on the water as a South African Navy minesweeper fired the gun to signal the start of one of the toughest stages of Clipper 09-10, a race that will take the crews down into the howling wind and remote expanse of the Southern Ocean, California got off to a another cracking start in the stiff south easterly breeze in Table Bay. The team endorsed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was first across the line to massive cheers from the crew on board.

California was followed by Spirit of Australia, looking for a win on this race to their home port, and Team Finland. The skippers of both California and Team Finland live in Cape Town and they may have been able to call on a little local knowledge to press home their advantage as they led the fleet back into the South Atlantic. As they sailed into the lee of Table Mountain, which looked magnificent in the South African sunshine, the winds dropped slightly.

The Clipper Race is hard fought and, as in any sport, the adrenaline is pumping for the crews on the start line.

Race Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, was watching the action on the water and said, “This is a closely contested race and this kind of thing happens in fiercely competitive racing. The race is underway – eight boats are racing off towards Geraldton in Western Australia. For the two damaged boats, repairs will be effected as speedily as possible so they can catch up.”

The Clipper maintenance team, headed up by Justin Haller, has already begun assessing the damage and is in contact with local marine surveyors who will be called in to assist. Both yachts have been taken from the V&A Waterfront to Royal Cape Yacht Club for the work to be carried out.

Hearing of the incident, the Irish Ambassador to South Africa, who was in Cape Town today, has stayed in the city to support the team and is commiserating with them at the yacht club.

Cape Town has proved a huge hit with the crews who have enjoyed climbing Table Mountain – and abseiling down its sheer granite rock face – visiting Robben Island, the gardens at Kirstenbosch. And a few even had the chance to take an exclusive, behind the scenes tour of the brand new Cape Town Stadium which is being built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

As much as they love visiting the stopover cities and countries, the crews are here to race and this morning they were anxious to get back out on the water. As the eight teams who crossed the start line headed back out into the South Atlantic, the current overall race leader Team Finland was just ahead of California. Spirit of Australia was just behind them in third place, followed by the eagle-emblazoned Cape Breton Island, Uniquely Singapore and Qingdao. Jamaica Lightning Bolt and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital were not far behind.

The teams will round the Cape of Good Hope before heading down into the treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean where the first three boats to reach the scoring gate can gain some precious extra points. The fleet is expected to arrive in Geraldton-Greenough, Western Australia, between 14 and 18 December.

Elisa's Journey - Reflections on Legs 1 and 2

The Clipper experience has been fully absorbing – all of my thoughts and actions some how connect to the race, the boat, or the other 19 crew living several feet away.

People you speak with every day are crossing oceans and sailing around the world. It starts to feel like this is a regular thing to do, such as going to the supermarket! I have become so accustomed to the atmosphere and activities surrounding the race. It all feels like a natural sort of activity…until you reach a beautiful landfall like Cape Town and start telling people about it. Their reactions have renewed my perspective of the big picture.

Yesterday I decided to go away to the seaside town of Muizenberg for two whole days on my own. It is my first time off the boat in solitude since August – over 3 months ago!

I am staying at a beautiful guest house called Blue Canyon, and began to tell the owner about my trip. Her reaction brought me back to reality. She said, “I am 49 years old, and you are the first person I met who is sailing around the world!” I am reminded that this Clipper experience is truly unique.

I’ve got a handy set of brochures on Cape Breton, which makes it easier to describe where I’m from, and how I ended up sailing into Cape Town. People have shown so much enthusiasm and interest in the race. One woman stopped by and left me a message – she used to live in Sydney 30 years ago!

To step away from the Clipper environment has allowed me to reflect back on the progress to date. Eight thousand miles later, here I am in Cape Town!

One of the most common questions people ask is, “What was the difference between Legs 1 and 2?”

The biggest contrast was the weather. During Leg 1, we struggled to get every bit of speed in the light wind conditions. The temperature was so hot, we had to design a “wind sock” to funnel air through the living area. Night watches were a treat to sit out in the cool air. Helming required a very light touch, with only small adjustments to keep course. Minor trim changes gave us that extra 0.1 knots of boat speed.

Leg 2 started out with 20 knots sailing upwind – against the wind and waves. It was exhilarating to be out in the elements again. Foul weather gear was donned for the first time – although it wasn’t cold enough to break out the boots. Eventually I had to give in. Firstly, my (new) Teva sandals were falling apart at the seams and the other crew were getting cold just by looking at my bare feet!

Quite a number of crew were seasick for the first couple days, but it didn’t last long. Just when we thought we were lined up for a fast ride to Cape Town, we landed in another light wind patch. Not far enough south to catch the low pressure system, boat speed was down to three knots…the boats north and south of us pulled ahead. The only good part – it was my mother watch day, so I managed to prepare the crew’s dinner without destroying the galley.

Eventually, another weather system passed through, and we were on our way again. Some top speeds were marked surfing down waves. I describe it as spectacular sailing. Finally some decent size waves in the right direction.

We never did catch up with the fleet after the initial light wind patch. The other Clippers had good winds and speeds as well. However, it was a successful passage in every other respect. The crew did a great job sailing the boat, sails were all intact on arrival in Cape Town, and our manoeuvres ran safely. All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip.

Crew morale was very positive throughout the crossing. The impatience people seem to get during light wind conditions did not have a chance to creep in. We had good winds for most of the trip. Our three watch system also allowed for more time to interact with the other watches. We had a really interesting group of people. I particularly enjoyed hearing stories from Aleks – she grew up in Vanuatu, where I spent time sailing a few years ago. I’ve been fascinated by the place ever since, and can’t wait to return one day.

My personal goal for the journey was to spend more time following the weather systems and analyzing the changes. It was a really interesting leg for this, watching the weather systems pass below us, and trying to get the best position for favourable winds. Helming was another favourite aspect – finally some swells and waves!!

I’m looking forward to our departure on Sunday for Australia – home of my early sailing adventures, and one of my favourite places in the world. We’ll round the Cape of Good Hope, and set out on almost a month at sea. Leg 3 is expected to have some of the best (ie: the biggest) swells – can’t wait to do some sailing again!

Next report to follow will be from the ocean….