Racing 101
I’m by no means an expert here, but I thought it might be helpful to pass on the few bits of knowledge that have helped me begin to understand what I’ve gotten myself into.
) Sails are like gears on a car: Different wind speeds require different sails. It’s a careful balance between pushing your sails as hard as you can, but not so hard that they tear. Ripped sails cost you time (i.e. you have to switch them) and potentially penalty points if the rip is too big to fix at sea (we have a sewing machine onboard and lots of special tape).
If you’re not trimming, you’re not racing: Trim is adjusting the sails to get the max speed out of the boat. Trimming each sail individually is the easier part, but making sure they are optimized together is what separates the leaders from the pack. I’m trying to learn as much as I can, but there is no better training than getting out on the water.
Winds vs. Currents: Each team gets a daily weather report and skippers have to make tactical decisions about whether to look for bigger winds or try to pick up stronger currents. Although the Clipper Fleet of 11 boats all leave together, it’s not long before you can’t see another boat. Each team has it’s own strategy.
On Leg 1, we also have to decide when to turn our motor on in the Doldrums. The Doldrums are coordinates near the equator that have very light winds. In order to make sure the fleet arrives in Punta del Este within a set window, race officials allow each boat to turn its motor on for a max of 48hrs. The trick is that once you turn it on, you can’t turn it off. So you better pick the right window or risk being stuck with no wind as other teams motor past you.
Stealth Mode: In addition to sailing as fast as you can, each team has the option of going into “Stealth” mode for 24hrs to hide their position from the rest of the fleet. You might choose to do this if things are going very well and you don’t want other teams to know you’ve found the fast lane, or if you’re stuck in an unexpected wind hole and are hoping others will follow you into it.
Scoring: Each race is scored from 1-11. The first boat to arrive gets 11 points, the second 10 points and so on. There are 8 legs in the Round the World Race, but each leg can have multiple races. I’m on Leg 1 which has a sprint race from London to Portugal and a marathon race from Portugal to Uruguay. In addition to races, there are extra scoring gates and other challenges set up along the course to gain extra points.
Joker Card: Each team can choose to use their Joker Card once during the full circumnavigation. The Joker Card must be played before the start of that race. Using your Joker doubles the amount of points you won in that race.
Grind! Grind! Grind!
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