It’s been tough getting into the groove, and even though this is a short leg, leaving home has made my departure harder than all the others. That last goodbye with my beautiful Wyatt and Tate felt like one that shouldn’t be happening; that we should have been waking up Sunday morning to pancakes and the newspaper. Strange that it seemed easier for the kids than for me – they have somehow surpassed me in strength and Meaghan has always been stronger than all of us. These past three weeks has been so amazing; just having “normal” time at home after so much time at sea has rejuvenated me, but of course I need to leave and I’m not sure any of us understand why sometimes.
Since I left, Le Pingouin and I have had thunderstorms coming in from every direction, with wind all over the place and a lot of lightning – something that’s always scary for sailors and especially so for the biggest mast in a hundred miles. My strategy to stay left of course has paid off, but Chris is a man on a mission and I have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t break away from me. The fleet scattered quickly with the unsettled weather, and for now, we’re all trucking along at great speed with France seeming just over the horizon. A big high pressure system could make that horizon stretch and stretch, but in the meantime, it’s full speed ahead.
Thanks for checking in.
Brad
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Slow Arrival
The light winds are making my approach home VERY slow. I'm trying to be patient, but it is highly frustrating! It looks like an afternoon arrival if I can keep up my meager 3 knots. I'll try and update all watching here on the blog and at http://www.facebook.comteamlazarus/. You can get text alerts to my ETA at the line and on the dock by emailing charleston@velux5oceans.com with your name and cell phone. Cheers!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Headed for Home
It’s the night before I finish ocean sprint 4 of the VELUX 5 Oceans race. This leg has been trying and unpredictable, with the wild thunderstorms and flying fish off Brazil and the unreliable weather reports which make for hard decision making in any scenario. The weather that came through Charleston Race Week on Saturday and canceled that day of racing, has since moved north up to North Carolina leaving a void of weird weather that the computer models can’t seem to figure out. It was very frustrating for a while, but I am finally in some breeze and truckin’ along.
As of right now it looks like I may cross the line at around 0900 local time on Tuesday. It will be so great to be home! I look forward to my kids, my wife, my bed, fresh food and a cold beverage. Thanks to all those sponsors and supporters… old and new that have kept us strong throughout this race. Welcome to the South Carolina Ports Authority as a new sponsor!
See you in Charleston soon. Cheers,
Brad
As of right now it looks like I may cross the line at around 0900 local time on Tuesday. It will be so great to be home! I look forward to my kids, my wife, my bed, fresh food and a cold beverage. Thanks to all those sponsors and supporters… old and new that have kept us strong throughout this race. Welcome to the South Carolina Ports Authority as a new sponsor!
See you in Charleston soon. Cheers,
Brad
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Investment Not Providing Rewards Right Now
I’ve spent a great deal of time the last two weeks comparing weather models and strategically investing in owning the left side of the course. Unfortunately, the reasons I wanted to own it are not panning out. It is frustrating as I would like to have greater lead right now and I fear the weather is going to get really light and inconsistent. The bottom line is I have less wind than was forecast and they have more. So Derek is kicking my butt. While Chris is kicking Derek’s butt. It should all get very interesting as we make our way north. I have been doing a huge amount of sail changes to keep Le Pingouin moving and the girl is holding up well. I have the big gennaker and the main up right now and it is a bit scary. I am powered up and need to be careful. As much as I REALLY want to win this leg 4 ocean sprint into my home town of Charleston, I can’t compromise my race by pushing so hard that I break the boat.
I do think you are looking at two lucky dogs to my right. They both wanted the speed gate points and pushed hard to get them, while I disregarded the speed gate and focused on my positioning to get the best possible weather to reach Charleston first. As it turns out Derek and Chris have instead had better wind patterns for the last 24 hours, and I believe will continue to have better weather for the next 24 as well. We will see what I get handed, but right now I am not very happy about it. I am hoping as we reach up by the Bahamas the weather is not as quirky as it can be.
Congrats to Derek on winning the speed gate and my heart goes out to Gutek with broken ribs and a broken forestay in Brazil. Thanks for checking in and I look forward to seeing everyone in Charleston soon!
Cheers,
Brad
I do think you are looking at two lucky dogs to my right. They both wanted the speed gate points and pushed hard to get them, while I disregarded the speed gate and focused on my positioning to get the best possible weather to reach Charleston first. As it turns out Derek and Chris have instead had better wind patterns for the last 24 hours, and I believe will continue to have better weather for the next 24 as well. We will see what I get handed, but right now I am not very happy about it. I am hoping as we reach up by the Bahamas the weather is not as quirky as it can be.
Congrats to Derek on winning the speed gate and my heart goes out to Gutek with broken ribs and a broken forestay in Brazil. Thanks for checking in and I look forward to seeing everyone in Charleston soon!
Cheers,
Brad
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Doldrums are Real
I am about 100 miles from the equator, trying to work my way north in very light conditions. There are lots of squalls, and I just wish I could hook onto one and get a good run for a few hours. I was hoping for a mild visit with the doldrums, but that does not seem to be the case. I’m nervous to see where I “pop-out” of stealth mode, and where Derek is when he comes out. I am not totally parked, but it is VERY slow and I am tired. I am hoping that at 2 degrees north or so I may be clear of the doldrums and be able to pick up the trade winds… if they exist. This leg is proving trickier than I anticipated and Derek is not letting up at all. My rival and friend obviously really wants to see me off his transom.
I do think the speed gate points may be important to Derek, considering the results of the last ocean sprint. I have sacrificed the speed gate and am completely focused on my routing to Charleston. I am pretty certain I will not win the speed gate this time around, because my mission is not looking at the next 1000 miles, but the next 3000 miles.
I love the fact that Derek is so engaged and competitive this leg. It is nice to be in a tight boat race. It is nice to be in a tight boat race with Derek. He is focused and I am doing the best I can, but I don’t even know where he is!!! Stealth mode is making this all very interesting. I do find it very hard to be in the lead. It feels like I am being hunted down. I’d rather be the predator than the prey, but here I am. The next 24 hours should prove to be interesting. Thanks for checking in.
Cheers,
Brad
I do think the speed gate points may be important to Derek, considering the results of the last ocean sprint. I have sacrificed the speed gate and am completely focused on my routing to Charleston. I am pretty certain I will not win the speed gate this time around, because my mission is not looking at the next 1000 miles, but the next 3000 miles.
I love the fact that Derek is so engaged and competitive this leg. It is nice to be in a tight boat race. It is nice to be in a tight boat race with Derek. He is focused and I am doing the best I can, but I don’t even know where he is!!! Stealth mode is making this all very interesting. I do find it very hard to be in the lead. It feels like I am being hunted down. I’d rather be the predator than the prey, but here I am. The next 24 hours should prove to be interesting. Thanks for checking in.
Cheers,
Brad
Friday, April 1, 2011
A Thorough Beating
I have just been through the worst sailing of my career. Seriously, I was almost ready to stop. The last eighteen hours has been back to back thunderstorms and squalls. It was like a bowling alley of them all night long. I’d have 40 knots from the east, then 40 knots from the west, then no wind at all. It was just constant and there was no way to keep up. Le Pingouin kept getting knocked down over and over. I tried hand steering through it dealing with all the sheets and lines as well, and I couldn’t keep up. I just simply could not change direction fast enough. The seas were coming from all directions and it felt like a washing machine. The storms rolled through 1-2-3 and on and on they kept coming in the pitch black night with no moon. In my exhausted state I was just waiting from something bad to happen, because the entire situation was so hard on me and the boat.
In my scurried state of trying to keep some semblance of order, I was standing at the back of the cockpit looking astern in an effort to inspect the rudders because the boat simply wouldn’t steer responsively (it turns out solely because of the incredibly confused sea state), when it felt like Mike Tyson slugged me directly in the back. Not just anywhere on my backside, but exactly where I had 2 extensive back surgeries many years ago to fix herniated discs and dural sack damage. I crumpled over into the cockpit floor in pain while grabbing a line, to then see that it was a massive flying fish (looked more like a flying trout with attitude – and quite an altitude as he hit me about 10 feet above the waterline). As I gathered my thoughts and stood up again, another one came hurdling at me and hit me on the shoulder. I have a nice bruise to prove it. This entire incident or series of incidents left me in pain and concerned about the boat, but also wishing this was all on tape because it was so unbelievable. I know this sounds like an April fools scam but the only one getting messed with was me at the hand of God or Neptune or something like that.
My whole body is sore from the endless winching and work to get through the 16 or so hours of chaos. I feel like I can hardly move. In a 10 hour period I probably tacked 30-40 times and was knocked down 6-8 times. The boat looked like a yard sale gone wrong, with lines and flags dragging behind the boat. There is diesel from the header tank that opened all over the floor down below, so it is like an ice skating rink down here. The heat combined with the diesel just stinks so bad I can hardly stand to go down below, so I did crash on deck for 30 minutes following the trauma and the feeling that I was dangerously close to hallucinating. It will take days to clean all of this up. I am now trying to work my way north and more to the west to remain clear of the huge clouds that create such fiascos and rest as much as the weather allows. From my childhood sailing to now, through dozens of runs in the Gulfstream and 2 ½ circumnavigations alone, I never expected what I experienced last night could happen. I am both stunned and pleased that Le Pingouin made it through without any major damage. I am also praying that the pain in my lower back is a knot of muscle and not something more. I wish I could have provided a picture of the flying trout but he flipped and flopped back into the water before I realized I really wanted to eat him or at least memorialize his back breaking girth. Sometimes facts are stranger than fiction and I swear this is not an April fool’s gag.
Thanks for checking in,
Brad
In my scurried state of trying to keep some semblance of order, I was standing at the back of the cockpit looking astern in an effort to inspect the rudders because the boat simply wouldn’t steer responsively (it turns out solely because of the incredibly confused sea state), when it felt like Mike Tyson slugged me directly in the back. Not just anywhere on my backside, but exactly where I had 2 extensive back surgeries many years ago to fix herniated discs and dural sack damage. I crumpled over into the cockpit floor in pain while grabbing a line, to then see that it was a massive flying fish (looked more like a flying trout with attitude – and quite an altitude as he hit me about 10 feet above the waterline). As I gathered my thoughts and stood up again, another one came hurdling at me and hit me on the shoulder. I have a nice bruise to prove it. This entire incident or series of incidents left me in pain and concerned about the boat, but also wishing this was all on tape because it was so unbelievable. I know this sounds like an April fools scam but the only one getting messed with was me at the hand of God or Neptune or something like that.
My whole body is sore from the endless winching and work to get through the 16 or so hours of chaos. I feel like I can hardly move. In a 10 hour period I probably tacked 30-40 times and was knocked down 6-8 times. The boat looked like a yard sale gone wrong, with lines and flags dragging behind the boat. There is diesel from the header tank that opened all over the floor down below, so it is like an ice skating rink down here. The heat combined with the diesel just stinks so bad I can hardly stand to go down below, so I did crash on deck for 30 minutes following the trauma and the feeling that I was dangerously close to hallucinating. It will take days to clean all of this up. I am now trying to work my way north and more to the west to remain clear of the huge clouds that create such fiascos and rest as much as the weather allows. From my childhood sailing to now, through dozens of runs in the Gulfstream and 2 ½ circumnavigations alone, I never expected what I experienced last night could happen. I am both stunned and pleased that Le Pingouin made it through without any major damage. I am also praying that the pain in my lower back is a knot of muscle and not something more. I wish I could have provided a picture of the flying trout but he flipped and flopped back into the water before I realized I really wanted to eat him or at least memorialize his back breaking girth. Sometimes facts are stranger than fiction and I swear this is not an April fool’s gag.
Thanks for checking in,
Brad
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Pushing Hard to Keep the Lead
I have been pushing really hard in pretty rough conditions. Right now I am tight reaching with 20-25 knots of wind with it gusting a bit higher. Le Pingouin and I are covered in water almost all the time on deck. She is handling it well – I must say better than I am for now.
Derek is a man on a mission and he is not letting up. It is a great to have a small lead, but I am definitely dancing on the edge of control. I have to believe he is as well. Derek is a tenacious bugger and his boat is fast. In fact our boats competed against each other in the 2002-3 Around Alone race (now the VELUX) with their previous owners onboard and his boat (then named Solidaires) beat my boat (then named Tiscali) by quite a margin. I think we are both anxious and excited to be sailing toward home in North America. I can almost smell the sweet reward of arriving in Charleston. But for now I need to deal with a low pressure system coming off of Rio, and trying to stay in front of the fleet. The introduction of stealth mode should prove to be a fun dynamic to the tactics of this leg, and I look forward to seeing who uses it and when. Thanks for checking in and stay tuned as we race up the coast.
Cheers,
Brad
Derek is a man on a mission and he is not letting up. It is a great to have a small lead, but I am definitely dancing on the edge of control. I have to believe he is as well. Derek is a tenacious bugger and his boat is fast. In fact our boats competed against each other in the 2002-3 Around Alone race (now the VELUX) with their previous owners onboard and his boat (then named Solidaires) beat my boat (then named Tiscali) by quite a margin. I think we are both anxious and excited to be sailing toward home in North America. I can almost smell the sweet reward of arriving in Charleston. But for now I need to deal with a low pressure system coming off of Rio, and trying to stay in front of the fleet. The introduction of stealth mode should prove to be a fun dynamic to the tactics of this leg, and I look forward to seeing who uses it and when. Thanks for checking in and stay tuned as we race up the coast.
Cheers,
Brad
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
On the Way
After an anxious start morning where I sorely missed the usual send off from my wife Meaghan and the kids, it was finally time to get on with the ocean sprint 4 from Punta del Este to my hometown of Charleston. The family had a great adventure following the race around the world but with budget, business and school hanging over the 'reality' portion of our world, it was time to pay a little attention to the need for the family to re-enter into a more normal life. Net result was that Meaghan and I had to process the necessity to be apart for the first time in my 13 year career of solo racing starts.
The weather was picture perfect for a nice send-off and the fleet delivered a textbook start from just a few yards off the jetty on the Punta Del Este waterfront. Big crowds turned out to watch us go under bright blue skies and it was a very special way to leave. It is wonderful to now have a few days of favorable conditions on the cards while we get in the groove and get some miles towards the north under our belt. The weather is forecast to get very tricky in a couple days time, so some time in good conditions while we readjust to life racing alone at sea is always appreciated.
As I write this in the early morning I am only a few miles from the location where I was violently dismasted in terrible weather while sailing this race in 1999. It is a nice milestone to be charging along in nice conditions this time as I process the emotions and memories of what was one of the more difficult things I have ever dealt with.
The current running of this leg from Punta to Charleston represents an entirely different set of mental challenges for me. The fact that Charleston is now home and my family and friends are the light at the end of this tunnel is going to make for a leg full of anticipation and a whole new set of incentives for a good performance. I have told myself over and over to relax , be careful and just sail smart but I wish I had a magic button to make the boat or at least the clock go faster. I am sure I will settle in as things proceed but for the moment it is hard to forget that Cape Horn is behind me and LP, and that Charleston is the next stop.
The stopover in Punta Del Este was as hospitable as could be and I recommend the beautiful city on the peninsula to anyone who is interested in a fantastic South American adventure. The people, food and beaches are a really cool mix of city and resort type atmosphere.
All the best from off the coast of Southern Brazil!
Brad
The weather was picture perfect for a nice send-off and the fleet delivered a textbook start from just a few yards off the jetty on the Punta Del Este waterfront. Big crowds turned out to watch us go under bright blue skies and it was a very special way to leave. It is wonderful to now have a few days of favorable conditions on the cards while we get in the groove and get some miles towards the north under our belt. The weather is forecast to get very tricky in a couple days time, so some time in good conditions while we readjust to life racing alone at sea is always appreciated.
As I write this in the early morning I am only a few miles from the location where I was violently dismasted in terrible weather while sailing this race in 1999. It is a nice milestone to be charging along in nice conditions this time as I process the emotions and memories of what was one of the more difficult things I have ever dealt with.
The current running of this leg from Punta to Charleston represents an entirely different set of mental challenges for me. The fact that Charleston is now home and my family and friends are the light at the end of this tunnel is going to make for a leg full of anticipation and a whole new set of incentives for a good performance. I have told myself over and over to relax , be careful and just sail smart but I wish I had a magic button to make the boat or at least the clock go faster. I am sure I will settle in as things proceed but for the moment it is hard to forget that Cape Horn is behind me and LP, and that Charleston is the next stop.
The stopover in Punta Del Este was as hospitable as could be and I recommend the beautiful city on the peninsula to anyone who is interested in a fantastic South American adventure. The people, food and beaches are a really cool mix of city and resort type atmosphere.
All the best from off the coast of Southern Brazil!
Brad
Thursday, March 24, 2011
South American Hospitality and Final Days on Land
I love Punta, but let’s get on with it, as I am ready to Rumble.
Yesterday we took Le Pingouin off the dock to test all the repairs and go for a sail during a beautiful Punta day, that proved perfect to do our final boat inspection. After yesterday’s outing it is official; LP is ready to roll and so am I.
I was sitting on deck at one point after calibrating the B & G autopilots and looking at all the Quantum Sails tugging LP along at 11 kts in 10 kts of breeze, and I quietly thought to myself, “boy it would be nice to just drop the team on that photo rib and hang a left and haul ass home”. However, I am sure the last few days in Punta will be a great chance to enjoy the wonderful hospitality and finish provisioning as we wait for a nasty front to come through with squalls and ugly winds from where we wish to go.
This stopover has been as wonderful as a ‘post Cape Horn’ stopover can be, and a perfect antidote to all the stress that has gone before. One of the activities laid on for us was a wonderful outing that presented a rare opportunity for all the skippers to spend a little bit of downtime together. We were hosted by Velux at a beautiful Uruguayan Estancia (a remote ranch with a restaurant and swimming pool etc) and were escorted around the working cattle ranch in some of Uruguay’s most stunning terrain via horseback and on foot. The four skippers on horseback was a bit of an odd assortment of fish out of water but a fun exercise as a group. We even had the true adventure experience of coming across a nasty venomous snake that spooked the horses on a tight section of our trail back to the ranch house.
A big thank you goes out from me and Team Lazarus to the Punta Del Este Yacht Club, Velux and Clipper Ventures for what has been a remarkable stopover but it is now time for LP and me to get focused on a real highlight for this race around the world. Getting stuck into the leg home to my hometown of Charleston.
Cheers,
Brad
Yesterday we took Le Pingouin off the dock to test all the repairs and go for a sail during a beautiful Punta day, that proved perfect to do our final boat inspection. After yesterday’s outing it is official; LP is ready to roll and so am I.
I was sitting on deck at one point after calibrating the B & G autopilots and looking at all the Quantum Sails tugging LP along at 11 kts in 10 kts of breeze, and I quietly thought to myself, “boy it would be nice to just drop the team on that photo rib and hang a left and haul ass home”. However, I am sure the last few days in Punta will be a great chance to enjoy the wonderful hospitality and finish provisioning as we wait for a nasty front to come through with squalls and ugly winds from where we wish to go.
This stopover has been as wonderful as a ‘post Cape Horn’ stopover can be, and a perfect antidote to all the stress that has gone before. One of the activities laid on for us was a wonderful outing that presented a rare opportunity for all the skippers to spend a little bit of downtime together. We were hosted by Velux at a beautiful Uruguayan Estancia (a remote ranch with a restaurant and swimming pool etc) and were escorted around the working cattle ranch in some of Uruguay’s most stunning terrain via horseback and on foot. The four skippers on horseback was a bit of an odd assortment of fish out of water but a fun exercise as a group. We even had the true adventure experience of coming across a nasty venomous snake that spooked the horses on a tight section of our trail back to the ranch house.
A big thank you goes out from me and Team Lazarus to the Punta Del Este Yacht Club, Velux and Clipper Ventures for what has been a remarkable stopover but it is now time for LP and me to get focused on a real highlight for this race around the world. Getting stuck into the leg home to my hometown of Charleston.
Cheers,
Brad
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Settling in South America
It feels fantastic to be here in Punta del Este. The last leg was emotional and full of stress, with the rounding of Cape Horn as the pivotal moment. My target has changed. It has been rounding Cape Horn and now it is the finish line in France. It really is a different feeling once you pass the Horn and start sailing in the Atlantic. A huge relief!
The yacht club here in Punta is fantastic and it is great to see so many familiar faces from my last visit in 1999. When I was dismasted about 24 hours after starting the race here, the entire community came together to offer their support. It was endearing and the same friends are here to welcome the Velux fleet. It is also very cool to see the healthy attitude and accessibility of sailing for kids. There are about 150 young sailors here getting ready for the Optimist Nationals, and the community is super supportive. It obviously does not matter what neighborhood you live in, and typical yacht club exclusivity doesn’t mean a thing. These kids want to sail… and the people around them are helping make it happen!
Thanks for checking in. Cheers,
Brad
The yacht club here in Punta is fantastic and it is great to see so many familiar faces from my last visit in 1999. When I was dismasted about 24 hours after starting the race here, the entire community came together to offer their support. It was endearing and the same friends are here to welcome the Velux fleet. It is also very cool to see the healthy attitude and accessibility of sailing for kids. There are about 150 young sailors here getting ready for the Optimist Nationals, and the community is super supportive. It obviously does not matter what neighborhood you live in, and typical yacht club exclusivity doesn’t mean a thing. These kids want to sail… and the people around them are helping make it happen!
Thanks for checking in. Cheers,
Brad
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