Donate Now to FindACure.org.uk!
(Tenerife, Grand Canary Islands)- The J/120 NUNATAK, skippered by the
United Kingdom double-handed duo of Elin Haf Davies and Chris Sharp, are
flying down the offshore trade-winds wave trains in the second edition
of the RORC Transatlantic Race.
As of Thursday, December 10th, NUNATAK was sitting on first in IRC 2
Class, first in IRC Double-handed class and fluctuating between 1st and
4th in IRC Overall depending on the latest predictions! They are
competing against world-class Class 40 teams in the double-handed
division.
Elin’s story is both remarkable and heart-warming. How she came to be on the J/120 NUNATAK and why she’s so passionate about
supporting the FIND-A-CURE FOUNDATION is a worthwhile read. Here were Elin’s comments:
“Escaping
to the sea!? Yes! On Saturday (Nov 28) I’ll be heading off across the
Atlantic as part of the RORC Transatlantic yacht race. Eight years
exactly since I last set off across the big pond in a little rowing
boat.
I can’t begin to explain what a journey the last eight years has been
for me, and how different my life is now compared to what it was then. I
was in a pretty dark place back then, going through a divorce and
deserted by a couple of people that I had thought were my friends. My
row across the Atlantic in 2007 gave me the opportunity to escape from
my troubles on land, and to re-boot my life. It gave me the chance to
start again.
During that adventure across the waves, and in my journey since then I
have discovered what my passions are, what true friendships are, and
most importantly, what I want (and don’t want!) from my life. Going to
sea this time, therefore, is very much about living my passion, which is
what makes me feel alive!”
You can
learn more about Elin’s personal voyage here at JUSTGIVING.COM.
J/120 NUNATAK Daily reports
Since last week, Davies and her co-conspirator, Sharp, have made it
their quest to do better than they’ve ever imagined. So far, so good.
They are sailing beyond expectations on their “cruiser”.
December 5th
“AWESOME!! Were did that week go?! A 1,000 miles down. We had saved
first packet of Haribos for that milestone which tasted great- although
Elin insisted on eating all the yellow and ginger men!! Its been a great
7 days; the only issues being with weather communications (gribs) on
first couple of days and some chaffing of sails (put right by a quick
trip up the rig). Other than that NUNATAK is holding up well.
Elin and I might not be the fastest two-handed co-skippers, but we do it
with a smile!! The speed in which Elin has learnt the skills of
two-handed sailing is incredible. However, her decision to experiment
with Spanish tinned meat has been less impressive and I never would have
believed that freeze dried food would seem so appealing! :0
A packet of Jelly Bellies awaits at the 1500 mile mark….”
December 7th
“Hi all. Hope all is well and that you’re partying hard in Grenada.
Hope all our blogs have been coming through, sorry about limited photos
but we don’t have the right software to compress.
What a contrasting 24 hours. We’ve barely had any wind and making very
slow progress as a result. Highlight of the day has been bilging the
water from the forepeak.
Not sure Chris will appreciate me sharing this with the world, but I
think it’s funny to share (the caring nursing instinct in me coming
out). You see, Chris has a little problem – ear wax! Which generally
means he whispers (thinking that he’s talking normally), so I can barely
hear him. In response, I have to talk at the top of my voice, which he
still barely hears. It makes for an amusing conversation when we’re
discussing which flavour noodles to have for lunch. Not so much when I’m
on the bow and he’s on the helm though. Makes for having to use a lot
of hand gestures! Not all of them suitable for day-time TV viewing!!
As a result, I spend most of my time plowing through the medical kit
wondering what I could use to attack his ears with. Chris, on the other
hand, seems more than happy to be only hearing only 50% of what I have
to say. I can’t possibly imagine why ...
Despite our minor on board inconveniences, we both feel extremely lucky
to be able to have the chance to do this race. Extremely lucky that our
health (minor temporary hearing loss aside!) allows us to do it. Luck
not granted to all.
As with all my adventures, I hope that my two-handed sail across the
Atlantic will raise awareness about the amazing charity that I
passionately support in my work – FIND-A-CURE. Findacure works to
support patients living with rare disorders. There are around 7,000
different rare disorders, affecting around 32 million patients in
Europe. 50% of them being children. Collectively, therefore, they are
not rare. Findacure works to promote patient empowerment and drug
repurposing– that is, research to the use of already available drugs for
different conditions, but because of the small number there is not
enough commercial incentive by big pharma!
In the pre-Christmas build up, if you could spare a couple of pounds and donate, I’d really appreciate it!
I have set a target of £3,000 (a £1 a mile), which would be enough to run three patient group workshops. More information her on www.findacure.org.uk
Off to make another scrumptious dinner of wax flavoured noodles.”
December 8th
“Well, it’s all happening here on NUNATAK as we finally crossed the halfway mark! HOORAY! But, boy it was a long time coming.
Yesterday morning was particularly hectic as we had two squalls hit us
in quick succession. Not sure if I’ve already mentioned, but we don’t
use snuffers, and drop our kites via the letter box. Which obviously
means completely repacking each one each time. On a good drop, I can
manage to get the kite down the companion way all by myself. On a bad
one, Chris has to jump from behind the helm (in Ninja-style!) to help me
out. The second squall resulted in a particularly bad drop which
required a major effort by us all...! Thankfully, with no damage to kite
or boat. But, my morning porridge did fly across the deck and land in
my already very smelly deck shoes. Yuck!
In other news, the nights are now becoming a little bit lighter, and
we’re able to see an amazing galaxy of stars. Including a lot of
shooting stars. I saw one spectacular one last night, and made an extra
special wish– that Chris would let me eat all the halfway celebratory
jelly beans to myself! Not all shooting stars make your wishes come true
it seems!!
My cooking skills have also reached new heights. For lunch today, we had
a tablespoon of Nutella and a handful of salted cashew nuts. I was able
to persuade Chris that it was the right combination of protein,
carbohydrates, sugar and salt to count as a nutritious meal for all
top-performing sailors...!
Wind is all over the place, in terms of direction, but grib files
promise that it should be better soon. Keeping everything crossed for a
faster second half.
P.S any Guardian readers out there – keep an eye out for Wednesday’s
edition, where my digital health start up “APARITO” is featured as one
of the Nominet Trust Top 100 Tech Social Enterprises!! Thrilled to hear
the news, if a bit disappointed to be missing out on the party!!”
December 9th
“Hmmm... I have been inundated with ideas on how to improve my hearing
from olive oil to offers of grand parents hearing aids. However, I have
chosen to ignore these suggestions so I can continue to enjoy a level of
peace and quiet on this trip. :)
As Elin has spent 155 days of her life aboard rowing boats living on
nothing other than freeze dried food, I had expected the level of
catering to improve once we moved onto our freeze dried rations.
However, I was sorely disappointed as I was presented with Chicken Korma
soup last evening. Not the standard of curry night I am used to!!
The highlight of the day was devising a new preventer system. I was very
excited, but surprised, by Elin’s comment- “you mad duck”. Apparently, a
preventer system is not something normal people get excited by...
Being pushed along today by a strong NE breeze. Getting very bored of
80 degrees TWD, mind you, and starting to wish we had a land-yacht that
would go down the 180 freeway! Must be getting delirious!
We sailed past a French yacht yesterday who chatted on VHF for a while
and said how grande NUNATAK looked. Have to say, she feels a little
petite compared to the other competitors in this race. Has everyone else
finished yet?
I really can’t get bored of the flying fish displays we see regularly.
Although, a couple of them have had the misfortune of landing on deck.
Elin’s not been so great at getting them back to sea in time to save
them. Off to do some sailing”
December 10th
“Yesterday was an amazing day surfing under the A4. I won fastest surf,
getting an 11.6 kts surf in while Chris only got an 11 kts surf in!
Yeah! #SmallThings
Chris’s Welsh lessons haven’t progressed much last few days as we
probably realised that it was more important to concentrate on my
sailing lessons. Having said that he’s very good at saying “Dwi yn hoffi
coffi.” Speaking of which, we’re getting close to having a critical
shortage of coffee on board, which really could be a major disaster as
both Chris and I are very grumpy without a constant supply of caffeine.
We’re eating down the miles and getting very ready for Grenada, some
rum, fun and beer (as promised by Louay). To be fair, my hair has been
ready for the Caribbean fun for days, with Afro dreadlocks well and
truly in place.
Chris is shouting for his lunch so I best go muster something. Ciao for now.”
RORC’s TransAtlantic Race Facebook page Here
is the RORC Yellowbrick fleet tracking For
more RORC Transatlantic Race sailing information and NUNATAK blogs
(Key Biscayne, FL)- Carlos Mandiola reports that he and his team on the J/30 SUDAKA
sailed the 49th Round the Island Regatta, hosted by Key Biscayne YC.
With a crew consisting of family and friends, Mandiola’s crew managed to
walk off with PHRF 2 Class honors! In fact, their J/30 stars at the end of a short video featuring boats that sailed the race- watch it here.
Started
in 1966, the race has been held in memory of past Commodore Ed Willman
of the Key Biscayne YC. The Round the Island Regatta is a fun,
competitive event that engages sailboats of all sizes in a race from the
waters of Biscayne Bay in front of the Key Biscayne Yacht Club, south
through the Stiltsville featherbeds and past Cape Florida, north along
the Atlantic coast of Key Biscayne, around a mark at the opening of Bear
Cut at the north end of the island, and back to the Key Biscayne Yacht
Club.
(Chiavari/ Genoa, Italy)- For four days over two weekends in February (6
& 7/ 27 & 28), the Blue Project Sailing program will be hosting
their J/80 Advanced Racing Clinic designed for experienced racers and
teams. The course will be taught aboard Blue Project’s matched
one-design J/80s with no more than four crew members per boat.
The
class covers advanced regatta skills, sail trim and boat handling,
attacking and defending on the start line, powering and de-powering the
sail plan, mark rounding, advanced asymmetric spinnaker trim, tactics
and strategy around the race course, practical application of the racing
rules and principles of an efficient team work (ashore and on board).
The
two-on-two format is exciting. “Last place loses.” 2x2 pits a team on
two boats from one club against a team on two boats from another club on
short match race style courses with no spinnakers. It’s not about
speed, but mastering tactics, techniques and team race rules to out-wit
one’s opponents, working as a team and not as an individual boat.
(San Diego, CA)- We love winters. The smell of coconut sunscreen. The
warm salty spray on our bare skin. Drinks served in pineapples. Our
sailing day bag packed with, well, nothing. This doesn't sound like your
winter sailing experience? We are truly sorry and ready to help. 
Feb 10-14- SCYA Midwinters Clinic and Regatta
Jan 29-31- J/70 Racing Clinics
Feb 5-7- J/105 Racing Clinic
(Montego Bay, Jamaica)- This annual regatta is an open invitation to the
global sailing community to bring a crew to Jamaica, race someone
else’s boat (with no rental fee), get home hosted (at no cost) and get
the ultimate high on a great race track for a very modest entry fee. The
perfect regatta for these tough economic times: something to look
forward to during the dark winter months of our northern neighbors!
Tracy
Snow and her Team Canada (to include our very own, Julia Magnuson-Ford)
held their own during Sunday’s races despite the high breeze. Opting
not to fly their spinnaker a few times was their course of action and
while it didn’t get them in the front of the fleet, they sailed strong!
It is always good to have Tracy with us, she always brings her ‘can-do’
attitude regardless of conditions (boat or weather).
Jammin
is a regatta of volunteers and amateurs getting together to do
something they love. Boats are loaned for the use of visitors, home
hosting is arranged for those that need and land based entertainment
sorted. The regatta first started in 1989 as the Jam-Am Invitational
when there were close ties with the US J/22 sailing fraternity. The
regatta was designed as an open invitation to the USA and designed with
the emphasis on fun. The regatta evolved into an international
invitational open to entries from the entire planet. Jammin’ is now held
at the beginning of December ever year for any sailors who are willing
to come and enjoy the warm tropical trade winds, sun and the blue waters
of the Caribbean. The whole event revolves around having fun on and off
the water. The winner of the event by extension is a J/22 Global
Champion and obviously a Living Legend as every year the entire world is
invited to come and play!
(Algarrobo, Chile)- In the first weekend of December, the Chilean J/105
class held their 4th National Championship on Algarrobo Bay. It was a
fantastic turnout for this rapidly growing fleet on the southwestern
coast of South America- 18 boats were on the starting line. During
Saturday’s racing, the light wind conditions allowed the fleet to sail 2
of the 3 races programmed for the day. On Sunday and Monday, wind
conditions were stronger and all eight races were completed for the
championship.
The
result is the Miami to Havana Race, starting on February 10, 2016, just
south of the Miami harbor entrance. Host Coral Reef Yacht Club and
Cuban sailors have a long history of association with the former SORC
“Southern Circuit” regatta and sailing to Havana. For example, Luis
Vidaña’s CRIOLLO was crowned the Overall Winner of the SORC Series in
1957. Havana played a big part of the Circuit, with the first St.
Petersburg to Havana Race in 1930 and last in 1959. We now renew our
ties with our sailing neighbors, first with the Miami to Havana Race,
the final race of the Islands in the Stream Series, and then on February
14, with a coastal race along the Malecón, with local junior sailors
assigned to each boat. An after race awards party will follow at the
Hemingway International YC of Cuba.
(Port Louis, Grenada)- Grenada is one of the most spectacular islands in
the Caribbean and is called the “Spice Island” for good reason;
cinnamon, cocoa, nutmeg, chili and cloves are very much part of the
economy. Grenada is just 21 miles long and 12 miles wide and has 40
beaches with sugar-like sand. Virtually half of the island is verdant
tropical forest, rising up to nearly 3,000ft with spectacular vistas and
enchanting waterfalls. The scenery both on land and at sea is
absolutely stunning.
(Tampa, Florida)- This past weekend marked the beginning of the Quantum
J/70 Winter Series on Tampa Bay, hosted by Davis Island YC. The fleet
of fifty-one entries was treated to some of the best sailing conditions
yet in the two-year history of the event. With good breezes on both
Saturday and Sunday, the DIYC PRO managed to run a total of seven races
for the enthusiastic fleet of sailors. The regatta produced a number of
pleasant surprises, including the first ever win in their first ever
regatta sailing a J/70- John & Molly Baxter’s VINEYARD VINES from
New York YC.
“We
flew to Tampa, FL this past weekend to compete in our first J/70
regatta since buying the boat a few weeks ago. This was the first of 3
events in the Quantum J/70 Winter Series,” said Molly Baxter, bow-girl
on #901 VINEYARD VINES. Molly continued to say, “We didn’t get any real
practice in before arriving to Florida and since this was the first
regatta in our new boat, we were not sure what to expect, but we knew we
had to learn fast since the entry list included numerous National and
World Champion competitors. There were 7 total races and the breeze
ranged from 5 to 15 knots in tricky conditions throughout the weekend.
We finished the first day in second overall after 4 races and were 19
points behind John Brim’s first place team “Rimette” and only 10 points
ahead of Jud Smith and Allan Terhune’s team’s, who were tied. Day two
brought more breeze overall with gusts averaging around 15 knots and we
were able to secure the top spot by finishing our races with an 8th, 1st
and 2nd place finish to win by 7 points.
We
could not have done it without our crew Willem Van Waay and Chad
Corning, and Collin Leon that did a great job of helping set up our boat
prior to the event. We are excited to race the remainder of the Quantum
series in January and February, and to keep racing our new boat as much
as we can in 2016!”
