30th September
DC supporters: Update from the skipper
Before we set out on this race, I took time to reflect on my experiences on the last edition. I read, thought deeply and asked myself how I would bring those lessons into a campaign where I would be making the primary leadership decisions. That reflection became the true motivator for me to return, this time as skipper. I had a clear vision of how I wanted to lead a team.
It was relatively easy to unpick the values and behaviours that would bring us together as a high- functioning, compassionate team. But developing a shared purpose, something that could forge us together and hold us in the most challenging moments, took more work.
At crew allocation, I shared the purpose we would carry into this campaign:
“Striving to bring our best selves to the boat, acting with kindness and working in unity to give our best performance and reach for the podium.”
I spent time explaining why our why (our purpose) was so important and why I thought each element in it would be vital on our journey. Before playing this video for the team, I asked them to listen carefully to what the presenter says at the beginning and the end of the segment. He finishes by saying “when you know your why your what has more impact because you are walking in or towards your purpose”. That line has stayed with me.
Reaching not chasing
What resonates most right now is reach for the podium. I was deliberate when I introduced this at crew allocation, drawing on the words of Viktor E. Frankl in his book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’
“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication”
I understand that some of you will be glued to the race tracker. My mum says she tries to avoid it as each leaderboard change tugs at her emotions. On board DC we can’t afford to ride that same rollercoaster. We can’t pour our energy energies into chasing a win. Instead, we must focus on bringing our best performance, every single one of us.
We try to sail DC like the second version of Amazing Grace. If we give all in that spirit, then we can, as a secondary effect, reach for the podium.
Gratitude as balance
One of our values tempers this striving: practicing gratitude. I hope that practicing gratitude will bring a sense of balance to our emotions when the results don’t swing our way and that it will keep joy alive even in tough conditions.
Already we have celebrated 2 birthdays, embraced talk like a pirate day, started practicing our team song (rewriting the lyrics to make them our own) and made a video reinterpreting the original of The Cure’s ‘Just like Heaven’. If you’ve watched our video, you will probably have notice Sven’s dancing commitment to the original. Right now, as we approach the equator, excitement is growing for the Crossing the Line Ceremony, in which King Neptune will turn all those Pollywogs onboard into Shellbacks. We also take time to recognise that we are so enormously privileged to be places and see things that few humans ever will. At times we will be closer to the international space station than to land.
The last two weeks have brought many wonders, and we have had some visitors. Martin and Ieva had direct encounters with flying fish (with only minor flesh wounds), a bird hitched a ride (helped along with a snack from Charlie). We have had the joy of watching dolphins dancing in our bow wave and whales by day and at night the sea often comes alive as the phosphorescence sparkles around them. These are the joys that keep our emotions on an even keel as we remind ourselves to dwell in these moments so that they are indelible and will stay with us forever.
So, while we continue to strive for the podium, please don’t worry about us. Our journey is already so much more than that.
Fair winds, Ella.
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