Salvador to Durban SA

We left Salvador in very high spirits fully rested having spent a few days on a fabulous island which was truly idyllic in every sense. Salvador was a place with a very mixed population though a significant number were very poor, many, many children begging in the street. Crime was rife it was unsafe to be on the streets after dark, it was essential to take a cab from the marina if you were to travel at night.

We lined up for the start hoping for great things, unfortunately our start was poor, things didn’t really go well from then on, we headed along the rhumb thinking this was the best route given the weather conditions at that time, most other boats went South of us straight away, the remaining few followed soon after, we wondered why as we wallowed with no wind; soon we realised they went South for wind to fill their sails, they were making much better progress than us.

Hull and Humber unfortunately had a casualty on board; he was medivaced off in good time and is fit and well now. H&H were able to exploit the South that everyone else was making and set a course which allowed them to blast through the fleet with a mere 4 hour penalty as a consequence; very well done H&H. The sail through the South Atlantic was amazing, we went for a number of days and saw nothing at all, no wild life no flying fish, no other boats, no birds no … nothing; then we saw a ship!! then some birds, then some floating debris .. phew we are not alone after all. In the end as we approached the Cape of Good Hope we saw a lot more shipping a significant amount of wildlife including whales, many of these seemed to rise vertically from the water and then slam back down sideways creating a big splash, we saw an abundance of dolphins and seals swimming along with the boat, jelly fish by the score glowed in the phosphorescence of the sea, we even sighted a great white shark. There were maybe 6 or more different species of bird the most impressive by far were the albatross the largest we estimate had a 3 metre wing span!

I celebrated my 51st birthday whilst we were on this leg I woke to find the saloon decorated with candles, I was given a present and had a cake with candles I just could not blow out. That will always be a truly memorable birthday.

We unfortunately suffered many breakages on this race we broke two guys and had a spectacular breakage on the front of the mast when the spinnaker pole slider mount completely broke off along with a section of the slider track, ok there was 52 knots of apparent wind at the time! As if the pole mounting breaking wasn’t enough the pole swung back and sliced the mainsail completely in half from luff to leach just below reef two.
The seas in the southern Atlantic were nothing less than awesome the waves were high, the swell long leaving massive craters for us to surf in to and surf we did regularly at 15 knots, our maximum boat speed was in excessive of 18 knots, as you looked behind you as the swell came in from the South-West the wall of water towered over the stern of the boat, as the wave got nearer so it picked the boat up and off we went!! We all really enjoyed the speed, a definite taster of what the southern ocean will have in store for us. The weather was challenging we went from periods of no wind to very light winds to squalls and near broaches.

Our chances of our position in the race seemed to be improving, the whole boat had been working really hard with what seemed like continuous sail changes to get us from what was clearly the wrong position North to a more competitive position further South, New York were in front and had been from the start, those guys deserved it after all the bad luck they had experienced. Hull and Humber were storming through the fleet with the benefit of their restart after dropping off their casualty and seeing the best line to take, Qingdao were ahead also but taking what was seen as the wrong route East, we had our sights on Glasgow and Liverpool, we could move from sixth to probably third if we got everything right. As we headed up the East coast of South Africa around East London we were virtually alongside both Liverpool and Glasgow, Qingdao were now behind us with Singapore and Western Australia some distance back. Then a series of further wrong decisions, we were inside the main Aguhlas current stream as the wind died however Glasgow and Liverpool were well inside of us just off shore where the currents effect was obviously significantly less, with only a few knots of wind and less options of spinnakers than us both Liverpool and Glasgow pulled away and in no time it seemed were 20 miles ahead. Those guys sailed really well, in the end they both finished the 4,000 plus mile race less than 2 minutes apart from each other, 2nd and 3rd respectively, H & H losing out when their 4 hour penalty was invoked. We continued to make very slow progress, stubborn and resisting the seemingly better line to move closer inshore as Qingdao and Western Australia both sailed past us. We eventually limped over the line at 3 minutes to midnight GMT (almost 2am local). It was pouring with rain but we did receive a very warm welcome, the city of Durban welcomed their boat in and we took pride of place in a prominent position very close to the quay in the marina. We were greeted with a Zulu dance with the dancers in full costume after the normal pleasantries at around 4 am local we enjoyed a cooked break fast washed down with pints of beer and glasses of whisky compliments of the yacht club, that long awaited shower seemed less important than it had a few hours ago, we had made it and I have to say I think the majority of the crew were so pleased to be in Durban after what was a very frustrating and difficult race albeit there were loads of fun times, two birthdays and some amazing sailing when we had wind.

The boat was deep cleaned the following day and the list of maintenance and repair jobs started. I had booked along with 7 other crew members to go a 2 day safari later in the week, we learnt in Salavador you do need to get away from the boat for a few days if you possibly can. The Safari was a great experience and something I would love to spend more time doing in the future. Durban made the fleet feel really welcome and spoilt Durban crew with shirts and various other gestures within the two local yacht clubs.

Since before we left Liverpool I had been trying to set up a link with Daniels school in the UK and a similar school in Durban, I had been in contact with the school liaison person in Durban but progress was painfully slow; I decided whilst we were in Durban it would be great if we could get a live web cam link with HCC in the Uk and a Durban school. Daniels head of year and the head of the school in Durban were really enthusiastic and were really supportive, unfortunately despite a series of emails and phone calls, technical problems in the UK and matching free curriculum time scuppered the plans. I was really disappointed as I was prepared to cancel my Safari plans if we could pull it off. In the end I went on the Safari and my fellow crew mate Ericka went along with her husband and met the children in the school in Durban, they loved every moment apparently and were so enthusiastic asking loads and loads of questions, thanks to Hank Pike, the headmaster there.

We are now preparing for the next leg to Fremantle Australia, we leave the mooring at 10:00 am on Sunday, the race starts soon after midday local time. We have four new crew on board, five crew having got off in Durban. There is a change in watch leader, once again it was surprising how we all found out and the mix in the watches is intriguing, I am not particularly happy but we are learning communication on this boat is very poor; our skipper is a great and very competent guy but he is really a single handed sailor, he therefore keeps a lot to himself and carries out a lot of the work on deck himself, I’m not at all sure he is comfortable sailing with a crew, certainly the sharing of responsibilities and the involvement with running the boat is very little on our boat compared to many of the others, we will see as time goes on whether that’s the right or the wrong way, I am trying to keep an open mind but do have significant reservations just now.

Liverpool via La Rochelle to Salvador

We left Liverpool as the first boat over the line we stormed out the Mersey in strong winds to be hit by squalls as we entered the Irish Sea, the first few hours of my RTW race we emotional and eventful. Unfortunately we misjudged a mark as we went down the Mersey and very quickly lost positions to several other boats. The race down the Irish sea was fraught with nervous tension everyone on board keen to do well but a general awareness we needed to settle in and settle down to daily life on board. A decisive time was at the Scilly Isles many boats went the inside route, we went outside and lost some more time. We pushed hard down the Atlantic to the Bay of Biscay to be confronted by no wind; we were becalmed helpless to improve our position. We ended up in La Rochelle in 5th place. I found the first race quite hard, I had left Daniel waving frantically on the quayside in Liverpool, my angel had given up on me, I was feeling emotionally very low and physically very tired. The few days break in La Rochelle was welcomed and I tried to focus on the forthcoming race down to Salvador. There was a crew barbeque organised by Clipper however in true Clipper style it was a bit of a fiasco. Several off us left early walked back to the dock where we were moored up and got completely lost; spend something like 3 hours trying to find either a cab or a sign to direct us back, a frustrating end to a bad night! The start of race 2 was exciting we were well set up to once again cross the line first but a luff to long as we approached the line lost too much boat speed and we crossed in 3rd place. The race between the marks was tight with positions changing between all the boats as we set out in to the Bay of Biscay. As the race viewer would show there were two main strategies those who decided to go inside the Canaries (it worked at the Scillies) and those that went to west, we went west and made very good speed all the way to the doldrums. En route we were lucky enough to see many pods of dolphins as they swam very close alongside the boat, we also spotted what we believe was a shark close by its distinctive dorsal fin pointing up above the water line, we saw a small lone turtle swim past in the opposite direction and so many flying fish skimming across the surface with many flying high enough that they would land on the boat, we spent many amusing hours in fish patrol ready to scoop them back in to the water, top score I believe was 11 on the boat at one time. The doldrums was a frustrating time we were lucky with most rain clouds bar two where 35 knot winds came from nowhere and provided 20 minutes of craziness! We then had almost 2 days of no wind where we just wallowed going nowhere fast. We finally crossed the equator and all enjoyed the cold porridge ceremony to Neptune, a welcomed time of light relief. Then it was on down moving east maybe too far to get the best line in to Salvador. We could see Nova Scotia and Glasgow catching up fast and kept everything crossed that we would have to tack to the minimum and that the wind would turn favourable, the forecasts seemed to be slightly inaccurate with the winds filling in maybe 24 hours later than predicted, we were often there too early. With some astute helming keeping us on a course as close to the wind as possible without compromising too much speed we scraped past the peninsula off the east coast of South America and prepared to bear away for the run in. Almost inevitably the wind died and we made slow progress over the remaining miles to the finish line. We were all so happy and relieved to have won having led the fleet for so long. A shower and a beer were waiting for us. S we approached the marina we were met with such enthusiasm we felt like rock stars; we all had big smiles on our faces.

Life on board; We operate a three watch system unlike all the other boats who are running a two watch system, so we have three watches of 5 people per watch and a watch leader for each watch who it is planned will change for each leg to those that want the opportunity to take it on. All the boats seem to be doing fours on watch in the day and three hours at night, we however have 2 people on standby/mother watch following their on watch so the mothers are rotating throughout the day to. The other boats have mothers assigned to the whole day! One big benefit of the three watch system is that you get 8 hours sleep in rotation; I like the system although complicated once you get in to the rosta it seems to work well. The watch make will change each leg as will the watch leader in part to get different people sailing together and in part because some legers will leave the boat and others will be joining. We have agreed while we have been in Salvador that the RTW (round the worlders) should stay in the same bunk for the whole trip, this will be our space and somewhere we can permanently keep all out belongings. I’m in the centre on the top bunk starboard side, adjacent to the mast, I have my bunk fairly well organised with pictures of Daniel and my angel to remind me of home. We cook 3 meals a day, breakfast is generally porridge, lunch some thing quick and easy with dinner being something more substantial, pasta, rice and cuss cuss being the core ingredients to most meals. It I essential to take on lots of liquid, we drank gallons of juice and water. I am the engineer on board and have carried out a number of repairs to equipment plus installed several fans to help with the oppressive heat that builds up below decks especially when there is little wind. We run a generator for several hours a day to recharge the boats batteries and to assist large loads like the water maker, an absolutely essential piece of equipment on long races as the fresh water tanks empty very quickly. We have an onboard communication system which to say it has its problems would be an understatement, it’s as sophisticated as a can and a piece of string and less reliable and slower than a carrier pigeon! Who says we’ve been clippered again. It’s also very expensive I’ve managed to get contact with Corinne and A, Daniel decided to change is email address to something seen as spam so had some difficulty emailing him initially. I was getting really frustrated but was pleased when in desperation I called Daniel from the boat on the Satellite phone I only had a brief conversation with him but it was great to hear his voice, I really miss him not being around; he’s my boy. Things have settled a little with the email system now, I think the string is tighter and the pigeon has GPS, keeping my fingers crossed. Have sent some emails to Daniel school updating them on progress, Mrs Storey head of year for year 7 has been keeping everybody briefed I believe. Missed not having a decent curry since I left Heathfield; hello to Syed, Anthony and all the guys at the Curry Inn, Syed wish you a speedy and permanent recovery.
I’m sure there is far more people would like to know about like on board I will endeavour to fill in the gaps in future entries.
I understand the Durban supporters club is going strong, I understand Chris Wise from UHL went along to a meeting in Covent Garden, Yvonne and Corinne may be going to future meetings.
I am just back from a 2 day break on an island nearby, 9 of us from Durban went. To say the place was idyllic would be an understatement, better than the best Caribbean island. We got a catamaran over, a 2 hour journey followed by a walk with local porters, donkeys and wheelbarrows to beach number 2 where we took a1950s style open back truck on 20 minute journey down the worst road you could ever find to this most amazing paradise. On the second night they laid on music and entertainment definitely the highlight of the stopover, a place I would love to revisit. I could go on about this place for ages.

Race 2 is getting near, we have carried out all the repairs on the boat, the mainsail has been temporarily repaired with some old battens and nuts and bolts, the Yankees have some Dacron patches and several broken hanks have been replaced, these sails were brand new in Liverpool! The winches have been serviced, various lines replaced, the boat thoroughly cleaned below decks and an annoying water leak hopefully resolved. I need to go get a beer just now I will be back with something more …..

The eve of departure

Its 23:51 ... just said goodbye to Daniel, we were both very emotional, i am on the eve of the biggest adventure of my life.

I realise i haven't finished the update on the Part C training from my previous entry ... foregive m i will soon.

I am really grateful to Corinne and Dave, Blake and Joanna for bringing Daniel to Liverpool to see me off; they have all had a chance to look over the boat and see where i will live for the next 10 months, Daniel met up with some of my fellow crew mates, i am so proud of him, he's my boy.

This will be the longest i have ever been away from Daniel since he was born, before now i have never been apart from him for more than 3 days and even then we would normally speak on the phone every day. I love my Daniel so very much, he is my life and the most precious person to me.

Daniel made a short video with Dave on the boat which i hope he will show at school soon after he gets back.

To my son Daniel .....Daniel be proud of who you are, stand tall, be confident and always try your very best. So many people love you and are looking out for you while i am away ........... be assured i am coming back; the oceans are a big and sometimes dangerous place, i will be careful and come home safely.

This event is a major episode in both our lives, something we must both get the most from. I miss you already and have a tear in my eye as i type this ...... Daniel i dedicate all my efforts and achievements in the forthcoming race to you; should anything happen, you are my only son, i am so proud of you and love you with all my heart xx God Bless Daddy xxxx

Its been a few weeks since i have updated this site, my excuse is that i have been so busy with just about everything else!! So lets recap on whats been happening over the past 2 months, we had crew allocation in the Portsmouth Guildhall at the end of June, that was a fantastic day, albeit it rained and rained .... We sat in anticipation in the man hall waiting for our names to b called and allocated a particular boat. Some had preferences, i had decided i would be happy with whatever boat i was given, though i did have some preferences for skipper, the experience would be about getting along with the whole crew. The skippers were announced, the boats called and from a sealed envelope the crew for each boat announced. Up stood Ricky Chalmers, the skipper of Durban 2010 and beyond, first name out ... Keith Howard, that was it my home for the next year, a few other names called i had met before, most of my fellow crew however were new to me, i can recall feeling really excited inside this is it ...the boat and crew with whom i am going race around the world. We spent the remainder of the day getting to know each other, posing for pictures on the yacht and partying in the evening ..... something i know we are going to do long and hard at every stop-over, watch out the Clipper fleet are in town.

I have completed both of my part C training weeks, the first was a really tough time with fairly continuous force 9 peaking force 10 gale force winds. We left Gosport, sailed across the Channel then up to Rotterdam, we had two races with the fleet, we finished second on each occasion, an excellent effort on every ones part. We had a civic reception in Rotterdam which was fantastic, a taster we all thought of things to come, it made you feel very proud of what you are doing and excited that so many people are taking an interest in what you are doing. The main race from Rotterdam to Hull started off well, we were leading for some time only to have a spectra loop blow on our spinnaker clew, we lost time in recovering from that eventually finishing the race fourth. By the time we reached Hull marina we were minus a gearbox and being towed in to an industrial berth away from the main hive of activity ... I'll fill you in on that soon.

Part B

Wow .... back from my Part B week .... 29th April to the 6th May; it was fantastic! We were out on a 68, Liverpool Clipper from the last race. The skipper was Hannah, 1st mate Rob, my fellow crew members were .... Mike, Anne, Phil, Mandy, Quentin, Wendy, Jeremy and Tony. Hannah clearly had the week planned as unlike many other Part B courses we did not return to Gosport each evening, but out till late, one night at anchor, one night on a buoy (bring on the the angry harbour master from that popular harbour to the West of the Solent!)

The week was clearly a progression from Part A, as you would obviously expect. We initially re-capped procedure, safety etc. from part A before moving on and practicing similar evolutions but on the much bigger and more powerful 68. Below decks the 68 is more comfortable, the boat is much wider, providing good space and accommodation. It was quite inspiring to be learning on a boat that I may eventually be on or competing with. We went through many sail changes including the much heralded spinnaker hoists, drops, gybes and peel. Well done Mike - out on the end of that pole! We practised MOB everyday and experienced how easy it can be to lose sight of the marker/MOB in the water if there is a swell and strong winds and tide. These boats don't turn on a sixpence, especially if you are flying a spinnaker at the time. Once again these manoeuvres demonstrate the importance of team work.

We all had an opportunity to experience the different jobs on board and you begin to see the areas people excel in and the jobs they prefer to do.

We spent a lot of time on sail trim, which was invaluable. It taught me how a relatively small adjustment can make a significant change to the sail shape and the resultant boat speed.

One day whilst sailing in the Western Solent we were called up by the coast guard and asked to assist in a 'high line' exercise. We sailed a steady course on port tack while a coast guard helicopter hovered just off our port stern quarter and lowered a man followed by a stretcher on to the port quarter of the boat. The precision required by the helicopter crew was exceptional and was coupled with brilliant co-ordination by the boat crew as a line was hauled in to bring the winch man aboard. After a short de-brief the winch-man picked up his line from the waiting helicopter and was winched off the deck and back on to the helicopter.

There were two other 68's on the Part B course that week so we had the inevitable races, three in fact, including one as a night sail. Its not sportsmanlike to brag if you win ........ but i am pleased to report we didn't come 2nd or 3rd in any of the races ;) ........... a really great team effort.

At the end of the week we all had a debrief ... mine was with Rob the 1st mate and we developed a very positive action plan, one I intend to use to my best endeavors to take forward.

I am now very much looking forward to crew selection and am thinking about possibly requesting Durban or Qingdao. I will continue to ponder that over the next few weeks. Once you know your boat and meet your skipper and crew for the race, the final preparation can really begin .... i really can't wait!

CLIPPER - The Round The World Yacht Race 07-08 - New Site Coming Soon!

CLIPPER - The Round The World Yacht Race 07-08 - New Site Coming Soon!

If you would like to sponsor me, I have set up an account that will allow any contributions to be paid directly to my personal 07/08 round the world fund. The details of this account are;

Name: Mr K B Howard Sort Code: 070116

Account Number: 06380783

All contributions will be graciously received. Thank you to everyone who has offered me support in undertaking this adventure.

Sincerely .... Keith

The Clipper 07/08 RTW yacht race ..... My experiences

I applied to be accepted as crew for the Clipper 07/08 round the world yacht race at the end of 2006 and am delighted to have been offered a place. I am determined to make the most of what is billed as 'Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things'.

I know this will truly be the trip of a lifetime and I am committed to giving my all during each training session and throughout the entire race. I am working hard to ensure my physical fitness is as good as I can achieve and mentally I am fully focused for the challenges ahead.

I completed the Part A training between the 2nd and 23rd February 2007 on the 60 foot yacht, Aeriel Clipper.

The skipper for the week was Justin, the mate was Jan and my fellow crew were, Simon, Sean, Richie, Yasoo, Mandy, Steph, Camilla, Neris and Linda (who decided it wasn't for her).

We had a fantastic week with a mixed bag of weather. We carried out a variety of exercises and evolutions in and around the Solent and South Channel. We were having a rather uncomfortable trip one evening with a force 5 gusting 6 on a beam sea. It was the beam sea that led to a very uncomfortable motion which resulted in a number of the team being laid up sea sick. We retreated to Weymouth for the night and once tied up everybody recovered and recounted the experience.

We packed a lot into a week that involved competing with another Clipper Yacht that was also on Part A, including fastest headsail changes and a race round the cans ..... not saying who won :-)

I'm really looking forward to Part B training, 29th April to 6th May. I have purchased a range of equipment for the race, some from Henri Lloyd as recommended and am wondering if the Ocean Sleepwear sleeping bag is it worth the expense?

I have been busy reading up on all sorts of sailing techniques etc., however, there is no substitute for actually being on the water. There are a couple of sailing weekends coming up but unfortunately due to work commitments I have been unable to take part in any of the delivery trips so far.

As part of the requirement for the foundation degree, I have completed and submitted to Falmouth Marine School the first assignments following Part A training and am awaitng feedback and results.

I am also on the reserve list and hoping to get a place for the "Round The Island" race.

I have prepared a pack to hopefully attract some private sponsorship and have also registered with "Just Giving" for pledges to The Philip Green Memorial Tust ......www.justgiving.com/keithhoward . I would really appreciate any donations to either my personal campaign and/or The Philip Green Memorial Trust.

The Part C training dates are ..... 20th to 27th July (The Wilberforce Race), 13th to 18th August and 2nd - 8th September (delivery to Liverpool).

I am also looking forward to the crew allocation on 30th June, I don't mind which yacht I am on as long as it's the winner........