DC supporters update from skipper 29th December
Like many boats, we’ve had our fair share of events that in Ocean racing shape the leader board but more important test who we are as people.
I read the book ‘Legacy’ about the culture of the New Zealand All Blacks. Their motto “Better people make better All Blacks” resonated with me as I believe the same is true at sea. Better people make better sailors. Hence part of our purpose is ‘bringing your best selves to the boat’. I know that at crew allocation some crew members questioned my emphasis on behaviours and values. But having raced with 2 very different teams on the last edition of this race, I know how much this matters. Skills can be taught but character shows up when things are hard. In 10 years time we won’t remember the leader board, we will remember the relationships formed, how we laughed and lived together in the most testing circumstances. I know that at least one crew member who doubted the empathsis at crew allocation has since said ‘ok, I get it now’.
One of the hardest aspects of this race is losing people along the way.
We know that leggers will get on and off. We prepare ourselves for it. We celebrate their contributions, say our goodbyes in port, and wish them well. And yet, there is often still a lump in the throat and a hope that they might carry on just a little longer.
Other departures are less expected. So far, four crew members have had to step off the boat due to injury; at least temporarily. These moments land differently. They are abrupt and often leave a sense of unfinished business.
In the last edition one of the most emotional testing moments for me was the helicopter evacuation of a crew member. She had been badly burnt by a pot of coffee, first aid was administered swiftly, but after sending photos of the blisters Medical Service Offshore (MSOS) advised immediate medivac. It wasn’t treating her burns that shook me. Nor was it witnessing her pain (both physical and emotional), nor was it coordinating the logistics alongside Skipper Hannah Brewis as the diver entered the water and swam to our boat. It was helping her into a dry suit, carefully navigating around her burns, and then standing with her as she courageously jumped off our boat and into the open ocean.
As she floated away, I felt a profound sense of betrayal; as though I was abandoning someone I was responsible for in the middle of the ocean. That goes against every fibre of you as a skipper. Man overboard is one of your deepest fears. I’m not embarrassed to say that moment brought me to tears.
This race Steve’s Medivac was another of these trials. Having a significant injury on land is tough, but out here you know you are often days and days away from outside assistance. It took a couple of days, but we rendezvoused with the coastguard and Steve was successfully transferred to their boat.
When these things happen, we don’t just lose a crew member. We lose, at least for a time, a part of our Clipper family.
As I said in my video update, I know this team is ready to do its best to claw back miles and momentum. They are resilient, and deeply committed to one another. They are good people: and better people really do make better sailors.
That sense of family extends beyond the boat. Being away from home for long periods means missing milestones, Christmases, and being with loved ones during illness. In Cape Town, during our stopover, my grandad was hospitalised after an accident. I was able to visit him before we left port, but he sadly died while we were in the Southern Ocean. It is in moments like these that our Clipper family step in and hold us steady.
This is why I believe so strongly that better people make better sailors. Skills matter, performance matters; but it is our humanity that sustains us when the race strips everything else away. I have seen this crew show kindness, patience, humour, and resilience in the hardest moments. And I know that whatever the leaderboard says, this team is something to be proud of, and is what will carry us forward, irrespective of what we encounter next.
Fair winds, Ella.
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