Saturday, December 25, 2010

Southern Ocean Sailing At Last

The weather has not been kind to us since the Leg 2 restart in Cape Town. It has been a very slow and arduous journey thus far. Sailing one of these boats upwind is difficult and uncomfortable. It puts a lot of strain on the boat and I know I was not the only competitor out here concerned about the conditions taking someone out of the race. I am happy to say that with Christmas here, the tides have changed. I am FINALLY sailing downwind in north-westerly winds. It is a welcome Christmas treat! I have about 20-25 knots and we are hootin’ along feeling like the boat is happy and well prepared for the conditions. With that happy news, I also realize that this is one of the most remote and dangerous areas of the race.


This week marks the most remote piece of Leg 2 from Cape Town to Wellington, New Zealand. It is daunting as there is no place to stop and no one to help should I run into trouble. Countless sailors have faced adversity in this area over the years, most recently Bernard Stamm who ended up running aground on a beach in the Kerguelen Islands during the Vendee Globe race and the young teen sailor Abby Sunderland, who was rescued earlier this year. The weather can be so violent, it is definitely a place to tread lightly. In saying that, this is also a race. My mission is to get through it safely without being too conservative. I don’t want to compromise the lead now that I have taken it back from Gutek! He made some very good tactical decisions early on, and dove south of me to take the lead. I don’t think he ended up being very comfortable at 45 South, when there have been recent iceberg sightings at 46 South.
The unusual warm weather of the first 5 days at sea has changed dramatically to a bitter cold. One of my compromises to save on weight aboard was to go without a heater. Bad call! I am cold, and I expect I will be cold for the remainder of Leg 2 until I see the promising sight of New Zealand’s summer coast. Thanks goodness I am fully outfitted with Gill apparel. The layers are great and closures are keeping me dry even in the extreme conditions on deck. If you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas, you should treat yourself at http://www.gillna.com/.
I realized after doing a bit of old school math, that I have spent 25% of the last 10 years at sea for Christmas. It never seemed this hard, and it is clearly more difficult now because I feel like I am missing precious time with my children. Christmas without children just simply sucks! I did get to chat with them via satellite phone and can’t wait to see them in New Zealand.
Merry Christmas to all and please keep the wind coming strong from the right direction!
Cheers,
Brad

9 comments:

  1. Brad(and all your fans out there):

    I am speechless! No Heater? In all due respect to Gill, weight considerations (hmmm), and your verility, when you get to NZ GET A HEATER!!

    To all you folks in cyber land that love and cherish Brad as I do, demand that your pal Brad get the heater. Those things ain.t cheep! Believe me, I know! So, send $ (it takes about US $5,000).

    In Brad's first Around Alone race (before the re-start in Cape Town) he tried to pull the same stunt! I was hearing none of it, and did not believe then for a minute weight was the issue! So I arranged to have one installed in Balance Bar! Then (twelve or so years ago) the thing cost about US $3,000 (in Cape Town).

    You can bet Gill will not foot the bill! Brad freezing his you know what's off suits them just fine! Well Gill in your face, my boy needs heat to dry out your dudds!! I'll start the ball rolling folks! I will send to the campaign (sending an email to Meaghan as soon as we stop cit-chatting to see how to get the $ to her ASAP)$1,000. I challenge all you Brad fans out there to do the same or better! You are aware I hope that you can take a tax deduction for your contribution - ask Meaghan how - its simple.

    If we over subcribe the cost of the heater HOO RAH!! The campaign needs all the gelt (that' German for $ folks) they can muster. So, loosen the purse strings folks and send $ (lots of it)! I know, we are all broke, the recession sucks, we just spent $ we don't have on Xmas, our cat needs to be spade, Blah, blah, blah!

    Brad is an inspiration to us all! He does not deserve to freez in the Southern Ocean! Yeh, yeh, yeh, he's tough, I know, but in spite of all that bravado, let's support Brad and his great family one more time!

    Go for it folks, contact Meaghan ASAP for instructions on how to send $ (lots of it)!

    Enjoyed our chat!

    Jeff Van Liew

    (Alias Grump)

    PS: Brad stay safe, stay warm in those Gill Duds, and keep heart man, your heater awaits you in NZ (can the weight routeen).

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  2. Brad:
    I sure hope the Gill duds keep you a little warm! No heater in the Southern ocean sounds mighty cold to me, particularly as I look out my window here in South Carolina with snow on the ground (not a common sight, as you know, in SC)...So I hope the weather is kind to you en route to NZ...and I'm sure glad that the winds have picked up & are in the right direction! We are cheering you on, bro, and I agree with your dad - you're an inspiration to all of us! So sail on! We're truly cheering you on! --Jackie (and Ed) B. in South Carolina a la snow.

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  3. Thanks to Jeff, Brad's dad, a fundraiser is getting underway to raise the bucks for a heater
    for Le Pingouin and Brad. Hopefully, Meaghan
    will advise within this blog as to how any donations should be handled. Super idea!
    Pete Rugheimer, Charleston

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  4. To Pete Rugheimer in Charleston - From Jeff Van Liew:

    Greetings Brrrrad fan:

    You can make your donations to the "heater fund" by going to the "Support Brad" section on the Home page of this Website. Meaghan will eventually send a more detailed blog to you explaining how it works (and thanking you all in person - Brrrrad too will eventually thank you as well), however she is trying to get the kids settled in Wellington NZ after a long drive from Aukland NZ, and Brrrrad is busy extending his lead as he and LP are charging through the "Speed Gate".

    The campaign has Pay Pal (PP) accounts so your CC will work to the tune of any amount of $ you folks (individually) wish to contribute (hopefully it is a bunch since PP takes it's pound of flesh in processing fees - so not all you give gets to the campaign). Once you click on "Support Brad" it becomes self-explanatory. As promised, My $1,000 is on it's way.

    On behalf of Brrrrrad, Meaghan, Tate & Wyatt I thank you folks!

    Cheers:

    Jeff Van Liew

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  5. Merry Christmas Brad. Enjoyed your last post. It reveals a lot about a dad who really loves and misses his children. We all appreciate your sacrifice and they will love and respect you even more as they mature. You have a great partner/friend/wife and it appears she does not leave a stone unturned. Your dad is right though. What were you thinking. You have enough to worry about without freezing your nards off. And hang in there.

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  6. Brad, I took your advice and ordered some protective clothing from Gills. I was on the fence for a long time, too many brands until I heard you were doing well in yours. I did order from the clearance section so that I could make another donation. It worked out well since most of what they had there is XL and I'm alittle broader in the shoulders than most sailors like you are!
    Hoping to see you guys in Charleston. Stay safe, warm and fast in that speed gate my friend. You and your competitors are an inspiration to guys like me just getting into the sport later in life at 46. Best of luck to you and hope that all stay safe.
    Roger Mann
    Taylors, SC.

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  7. It has been cold back home too. Glad to have a heater and wish that you had one too. Wishing you fair winds and following seas.

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  8. Thanks very much for all your well wishes and support. Brad "forgot" to mention that he had no heater onboard. I think eight years outside of the Southern Ocean may have melted his brain a bit:) We will work on the heater and thanks to all who have made comments here and contributed to the campaign. To avoid PayPal fees, direct contributions can be made to Van Liew Ventures, Inc., PO Box 1721, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29465. Thanks again for all your enthusiasm!
    Meaghan

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