Stage 1 – Geneva to Megeve

Greetings from Megeve, which is located in the French Alps.

I am going a crazy bicycle race called the “Haute Route”. It is from Geneva, Switzerland to Nice on the Mediterranean coast. It is 730 km over seven days. However, there is over 17,000mtrs of vertical ascent, which is largely divided amongst 15 fairly major mountain passes, or cols.
http://www.hauteroute.org/en/

I arrived in Geneva on Friday evening and spent all of saturday just taking care of all the details for entering the race, organising my food etc and some final bike tweaking.

Today was day one. I have added a link below from my little gps unit which details the route and other details. My aim was to take it quite easy today, as there are some heinous days coming up. I must say that I failed a little on that aim. I was feeling really good up the Columbiere (apprx 1200mtrs of climbing over approx 16km. This took me around 75 mins.. My heart rate was higher than I would have preferred, but it did feel ok. The views were incredible and the descent quite amazing. The next climb up the Aravis was tougher. It was a smaller climb. but seemed to drag on and the day was getting hotter. The descent from Aravis was reasonably tricky, but very enjoyable. From there it was approx 15km to the finish at Megeve over rolling terrain. It was tough going, as I was very short on fluids. But I got the finish line in reasonable shape after getting dragged along by three other riders for the final 5km. My time was apprx 4hrs, 38 mins.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/108207125

Weather-wise, it was a glamour. We started this morning on the banks of Lake Geneva as the sun was rising. Not a cloud in the sky and no wind for the entire ride. It was really hot at the finish. Did a lot of recovery at the finish with drinking, eating, massage and compression clothing.

The result page is below. Looks like I came 113th out of 300 or so riders. I have never raced before, so happy with whatever it says. I am part of a team of sailing people as well. Paul Larsen also comes from the Melbourne area and has been based in Cowes. He is involed in a project to set a new speed record for a sailing craft (see http://www.sailrocket.com/). Mark Turner is well known as running many sailing events through Offshore Challenges (now OC Third Pole – who run the Haute Route). Fraser Brown is a Kiwi sailor that is now Cowes based. Simon Morgan is a yachtie from Cowes, and we also have Jim Thomas.
http://www.sport-up.fr/resultats_dl/20110821112648-SCRATCH.pdf

Paul did the best in our team. He has spent the last three weeks in the Alps training and holidaying. It has made a big difference to his riding. Does not seem that long ago that I was dragging him up hills on the Isle of Wight. He finished 12 mins ahead of me today. Mark and I rode together for the whole climb of Columbiere. I finished a minute ahead of him. Fraser was another 20 mins or so back, which was a bloody good effort. Simon had bike dramas halfway up the Columbiere and actually swapped bikes with a guy that was already in the sag-wagon (having given up for the day). Simon and Jim had a big day after all that, finishing in just a tick over 6 hrs. We have just done some team-bonding fixing the gear shifter on Simon’s bike. He is all good to go tomorrow.

Tomorrow is tougher than today. Today we did 2200mtrs of climbing. Tomorrow is 3000mtrs over three climbs with a heinous uphill finish. I have attached the route profile. It will be imprtant to leave something in reserve tomorrow, as Day 3 is a shocker. But more about that in tomorrow’s report….

Also attached are some pics taken by Helena Darvelid, our Director Sportive.

Best,

Dog.

Stage 2 – Megeve to Les Arcs

Today was again pretty tough – 2200mtrs of climbing over three cols (passes). You try to pace yourself, but there is very fine balance between going easy and prolonging the suffereing, versus going just that bit harder to just get it done. I am learning there is a lot of psychology in cycling up big hills – and most of it has to do with overcoming pain… Today was (for me) 3.5hrs of climbing alone.

The descents are pretty full-on. No place for the faint hearted. Obviously it is a break from the physical pain of climbing, but the concentration and skill play a big part in being fast and not crashing. I believe there were four crashes today.

The last climb today up to Les Arcs was fairly tough. Mark led me most of the way up. His pace was right on the edge for me, which was perfect. Two things stand out from the climb. One was getting passed by the oldest guy in the fleet – a 70 year-old who is probably the most respected rider here. Another was seeing an old couple on steel bikes cruising up the hill after what I assume was a quick trip down for a loaf of bread and some milk. Dad was in the Bonds wife-beater and Mum had trakky-daks on (but at least I passed them). What a great place! (for non australians, i am too tired to explain the previous sentence… apologies). as I suspected, my mass of 98kg is doing very little for me on the climbs. I think the 70 year old bloke would weigh as much as my right leg – but I’m not making excuses!!

The views on the top of the second climb of the day (Col du Roselend) were amazing, as was the fast descent from the col. We were again lucky with the weather, although it got quite hot for the last ascent up to Les Arcs. Sun all day and no wind. One can only imagine how tough it gets to ride when there is wind whistling down the valleys and when it rains for the descents.

Anyway, my data for today is as per the link:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/108542814

Team-wise, we had a great day. Paul again topped the list, finishing at about 4hrs 10min. Mark Turner and I continued our bonding on the alps, by riding virtually every metre together uphill. We finished together, about ten minutes after Paul. Fraser again dug deep to be about an hour behind Paul. Simon’s bike hung in well after the Paul and I performed a bush-mechanic repair on her last night. Jim really toughed it out all day, but made the cut. Big effort there. Probably deserving of a Knight-hood. Sir James has a ring to it.

Well – it all leads us to day three. This is a ride that has frightened me all year. I have attached the route profile. Today we climbed 3000mtrs…. tomorrow is 4000!! Two of the hors categorie climbs in the Tour. the Col de La Madelaine and the Col Du Galibier (which takes in the Col Du Telegraph). The Col De La Madelaine will likely be two hours climbing. The Col Du Galibier will just be heinous. It gets stepper the further up you go. It finishes at high altitude (over 2600mtrs).

All in all it will be a large day. Alarm is set for 0445hrs. Try to wedge some breakfast in then we set off at 0600. You definitely have to be somewhat of a nut to do this. For those that have a minute, below is a link to the last ten minutes of Stage 18 of the Tour this year on the Col Du Galibier. These blokes make it look pretty easy, but my stomach went weak when I looked at this a couple of hours back.. But i still did yell “Go Cadel” as I watched it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVblA4XTh-U&feature=related

Might be a short report manana.

Thanks for the replies. kate and kids are going great thanks. They will be in Nice when (if) I finish. Thanks Tom Schnack for the performance analysis of my garmin data … I’ll work on it, mate!

Standing by in Les Arcs
1800mtrs.

Dog.

Stage 3 – Les arcs to Serre Chevalier – via Col du Galibier

Will be a quick report tonight. Very tired.

Today’s stage was the thing occupying my mind each time I have woken up in the wee hours and gone bike riding over the past eight months.

Today was the toughest thing I have ever done in my life. The difficulties are equal parts physical and mental. Today saw us climb for 26km up the Col du Madelaine. Then 13 odd km up the Col du Telegaphe. Then to finish off we climbed for 17km up the infamous Galibier, which is at 2650mtrs elevation. All of the climbs were tough. It was hot and we had headwinds in the 20km of valley road between the Madelaine and the Telegraphe. That part of the ride was nasty with traffic, dust, noise, headwind and heat. Then for the first 8km or so of the Galibier climb we had a nasty headwind on the climb. For me, most of today was about survival. I would not want to do it again. I am glad it’s over, but what a wonderful experience!

After the official finish, we had a 30km long descent to where we are lodged for the night.

Lots of things will stick in the memory from today, but I have not really the energy to go through too much of it.

My garmin file is here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/108879977
Heart rate is a lot lower than normal, which I think is attributable to the altitude. It was hard to breath deeply without coughing up near the top

Again, I rode with Mark all day – except for where he rode away from me in the last 5km. He did great work pacing me up the climbs, then he finished really strongly. Paul again was the best in our team, leading Mark in by some 20 mins. I was 5 mins behind Mark. The last 15km were for me very tough. Definitely paying a price for carting a 98kg body up all these ascents – but not complaining – I signed up for the torture!!

MVP today was Fraser Brown. He was very close to Mark and at the bottom of Galibier and finished 10 or so minutes back. Like all of us he was spent at the top, but it was a mighty ride by him today. Solid effort – particularly for a kiwi. Apparently now we move into second place in the teams competition.

Both Simon and Jim did not complete the ride today. Simon is suffering from a hornet sting he had yesterday. Jim found the going quite tough after two big days.

I have attached some pics of Paul, Mark, Fraser and myself at the Galibier finish. All quite emotional. Also there is a shot of the 70 year-old bloke. He was well placed again today – miles in front of me. Unreal! The scenery was amazing!

The results and videos etc are all at:
http://www.hauteroute.org/en/

I have attached the route profile for tomorrow. It is a time-trial, but it is a heinous 12km straight up a 9% incline. Who dreamt this stuff up?

Thanks for the supportive comments and I will report in after the TT tomorrow.

Stage 4 – time trial up Col du Granon

Well, today was the time-trial. 12km uphill at and average of 9%.

It was like a vacation today. Got to sleep in until 0700! Followed by big brekkie, then out to destroy myself for just over an hour.

The climb was really nice in terms of views and the history of the region. I got to the top fairly knackered, but was good five minutes later. Still trouble taking deep breaths at the top, as it was 2350mtrs altitude.

It was pretty cool being part of the whole Time-trial vibe. We set off at 20 sec intervals. You go into a cattle-shute set-up with about 3 mins to go. You eventually get to the front. The guy holds you upright as you clip both feet in, the announcer gives your details to the crowd in french, people cheer and Paul Larsen yells out “Go Dog!!”. The guy holds up his hand counting down from five with his fingers and you are off! Despite thoughts of going easy today, the adrenalin rush saw me get to max heart rate one minute into the climb….. Had to tell myself to steady down.

The ride today seemed to suit me well – most of my training is based on working at regattas etc and grabbing shorter rides here and there around the sailing schedule. So I normally get out for 90 or so minutes and try to destroy myself. That was the story today. I was about even par on being passed. about four really skinny french blokes passed me and I passed about four blokes who looked like they might expire at any moment.

Team-wise, Mark was similar to me. Paul said he did it a bit tough, but still set a really good time three minutes or so better than Mark and I. Fraser again dug really deep and got up there eight or nine minutes in arrears of Paul. Simon did not ride today. He is resting up after the hornet sting and will be back into it either tomorrow or the next day. Simon went in the van as support with Helena. As always it was simply awesome to be met at hte finish line with a handshake or a hug and to be handed a cold coke and a recovery drink. It seems also that our team of sailors have strengthened the grip on second place. The results are here:
http://www.sport-up.fr/resultats_dl/20110824121335-SCRATCH.pdf

Helena has been at every feed-stop with a smile, some food, drink and general info. It is really solid. I would say that without having a few mates here and the support of Helena, this would be a really, really tough gig. but having team-mates and someone to hear your lies over dinner each night has made it pretty special.

Today’s data is here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/109064389

After the climb, we waited until the rest of the riders finished and then cruised back down in convoy with the motorcycle escorts. This afternoon has been mostly about recovery and getting ready for tomorrow.

The nightmare continues tomorrow. It is the second hardest stage. We do three climbs. Two of them – the Iozard and the Col du Vars – are really difficult and we finish uphill at Pra Loup. The profile is attached. We set off at 0730, so it will be an early start trying to cram some food in. This is tough when you have no desire to eat. It is solely the promise of pain that makes you eat.

Finally, have a look at the video link here. It is Mark Turner on the second climb of yesterday. I am the guy in blue next to him toughing it out. The funny thing is that I don’t remember this interview happening – but I remember the old bloke in the van giving us some water and actually giving me a push start again up the hill!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOHO4gLkMwU&feature=youtu.be

Some pics attached to sense the flavour of today’s ride. There is one in there of Saint Helena as well.

Thanks for the messages – really appreciate those.

Warm regards from Serre Chavallier,

Stage 5 – Serre Chevallier to Pra Loup

I can only find one word for today – bloody tough!

We rode for 117km and ascented for approx 50 km and 2800mtrs.

Glamour weather again – a little nippy at 10 degrees for the 0715hrs start this morning, but that made the big climb of the Iozard that bit “easier”. Then it was a hair-raising descent for 40 or so minutes, which started in moonscape at the top of Iozard. I clocked 82.8kmh on a long straight – but it did not feel dangerous.

Then it was another big climb up Col du Vars, which included ramps of 11% gradient. Then another fast descent. There was a valley ride for 20 or so km, which quite tough, but I was in a really good little squad of four riders where we shared the work and looked after each other.

The final climb up to the finish at Pra Loup was really hard for me.

Team-wise we were really strong today. Mark and I again rode the ascents together. It is just as well for me that Mark rides the descents like my daughter, as he is a weapon on the climbs. He generally catches me up 3 or 4km into the climbs and then I hang onto his wheel. Fraser had another great day. He was either with Mark and I, or front of us for most of the ride. With 3km to go, Mark rode away from me and up to Fraser. they rode away in the distance, which was tough to watch. They caught Paul near the finish and Mark took the honors today. Than Paul, Fraser and me. All within two and a half minutes. Good effort after 5 hours! Simon was back into it today, which was great to see. He and Jim rode together and finished 45 mins or so after us.

Today there were some crashes. I came down a hill toward a roundabout and there was a rider on the deck, having gone down after hitting loose stones. He was face down and there was some claret on the road. Apparently he was out cold. Quite shocking to see. He was being attended to by police. He is ok. Francois (who works at OC Thirdpole with Mark) also had a crash and was very lucky to not get seriously hurt. He finished.

I am finding pain interesting. It seems you can only fell one bit of your body at a time. I have developed some nasty saddle sores, which are fairly intense bruises on your backside. I have the magic cream prescribed by Dr Olaf, which helps a lot. When I go uphills, i dont feel my butt as my legs and back hurt too much. And when I go downhill, my neck is agony – so again – no butt pain. So there is an equilibrium of discomfort there. It also seems that how you feel comes and goes in waves. It is very weird. You can be just going along and it is like some little spark inside you fires up and you feel great for a few minutes. At other times, you simply want to get off the bike and post it on e-bay.

Here is the Garmin file for today:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/109283034

Some great pics attached from Helena’s lense.

Tomorrow is shorter, but one monster climb. We pass over Cime de la Bomnnette, which at 2802mtrs is the highest paved road in europe. So it will be pretty special. It involves a 26km climb at an average of 6%. Yep – it’ll be heinous! I hope Helena gets some good photos, as I am sure I won’t appreciate it until afterwards.

Stage 6 – Pra Loup top Auron

The one word to describe today was – Bloody Amazing.

It was a short day by comparison at 80 km. We rode together as a secured peleton for 20 km and then we went straight into the climb of the Cime de la Bonnette. It was 24km of climbing for 1600mtrs, which culminated in reaching the highest asphalted road in Europe at 2802mtrs!

It was a tough climb, but I was really happy with how it went. Mark and I got into a decent group after things settled down and we all stayed together until about 4km to the summit. The pace was tough going. We had periods of quite severe drainage-wind falling out of the summits and right in our face, so it was important to be in a group to share the load on the front.

There is a young pommy lad named Charlie, that we have ridden with a lot this week. He is very athletic, 6′4″, weighs 88kg and is 24yrs old. You would describe him as “strapping”. He did a ton of work on the front, which I respected very much. There were also a few lurkers. This resulted in my first verbal altercation of the week (it is amazing it’s taken this long…;-)). Two little French blokes were doing zero work, as they have done every time I have climbed with them this week. Mark suggested to them in french that they ought to grunt up. Nothing heard… A couple of km later, we were down to only four riders, as Charlie and I had put a spurt on in some tail winds. So, we were down to Charlie, Mark, myself and one of the little french blokes. I suggested to him with as much tact as I could manage (which was not much) after climbing for 90 mins, that he start earning a little respect by doing some time on the front. Nothing heard again. I then let rip in my finest Australian dialect. I may have questioned his parentage…. He let me have both barrels back in French. Quite comical really. Mark just shaking his head… Anyway, i felt at home, as it was just like racing Olympic class boats – you are there just battling away, doing your best and getting yelled at by Europeans in strange languages .

Anyway, it was a wonderful feeling having crossed the summit, having had a strong climb and knowing the worst is now well behind us in the this race. This is my first ever bike race. I sure picked a tough place to start. But the rewards are impossible to put into words.

After a quick pitstop at Helena’s van on the summit for food and fluids, it was off on the descent. Really enjoyable. 30km of downhill riding. Helena’s parting command was “Take it easy – remember the big picture!!”. Very good advice at the perfect time. My little french mate passed my doing twice my speed, as I crammed a sandwich in my mouth. It was really cold at the top, at only 11 degrees, combined with 20kts of wind-chill. The wind was quite cold, even on the last part of the climb when I was working hard. A lot of people put on warm tops for the descent. I just took a Chopper Read pill and set off downhill. It was the right call, as it got warm 10 minutes later.

Immediately following the long descent (where I passed the 70 year-old!!), we had an 8km climb which covered 400mtrs elevation. It was a matter again of just digging deep for everything and anything you had left. It hurt, but it was satisfying to only lose a few riders (after having gained 20 or so on the descent (that 98kg is pretty good going downhill – but the brakes must be getting warm!).

The Garmin data is here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/109506524

Paul was very lucky today. He is a demon descender. He was passed downhill for the very first time this week. So he wanted to stay with the guy, but came off his bike at the very next hairpin turn. Just some scrapes and no damage to the bike, so he was straight back on and into the race – very lucky. See the pics… he obviously did not take heed of Helena’s advice at the top.

Team-wise, it was another great day. Paul finished strongly after the fall to lead our team home. I was next some seven minutes back. Mark was another 3 or so minutes back, having lost time on the descent. Fraser was another 4 or 5 minutes back. Simon and Jim again rode together and had a great day. There is a full team photo in the pics today – together with Saint Helena, our Directuer Sportive. We are in second place in the Team classification and barring any problems tomorrow, we ought to hold that.

Todays results:
http://www.sport-up.fr/resultats_dl/20110826121734-SCRATCH.pdf
And the overall:
http://www.sport-up.fr/resultats_dl/20110826121734-TOTAL_SCRATCH.pdf

So – we have one more day to ride! I have attached the stage profile. It is basically one more solid climb of 1100mtrs, but no longer at high altitude (St Martin at 1600mtrs). Then a long slow descent into Vence where the timing stops. We reconvene, eat some food and ride the last 20km or so into Nice to the official finish line. It will be great to reach Nice. Kate and the kids will be there at the finish line. That dip into the Mediterranean sea very soon after the finish will be very, very rewarding. But, we are not there yet! More pasta tonight and take it easy on the descent tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the e-mails. Great stuff and very much appreciated.

Final stage – Stage 7 – Auron to Nice

Sitting here in Nice, with the epic Haute Route having finished yesterday. I am staying here in a rented house for the next few days with Kate and the kids.

Yesterday’s final stage was again another real highlight in this amazing experience.

The previous days were pure exertion for hours and then “surviving” to an uphill finish where I was really hanging out to see the “1km to Finish” signs.

Yesterday was the first time I actually “raced” a bicycle – ever in my life.

It started at 0800 with 30km in a secured convoy from the previous night’s stopover at Auron. This was really cold, as it was all downhill al the way and in the shade of a valley. Many people were shivering on their bike. The timing started right at the beginning of a 13km climb of Col St Martin. It was a steep start for the first couple of km, but there was a frenzied pace as the 300 riders jockeyed for position in what was to be the only climb for the day and the 15th and final Col of the week.

After having to suck in some big breaths after a big effort, I settled into a good rhythm and was pushing a much bigger gear than previous days – knowing we had a long downhill (53 km) to the finish. I was climbing together with Paul, Francois and the nipper Charlie. Paul waved me through at the top to let me have my only climb “victory” over him for the trip. Nice to finally match him – he has come a long way after our first rides to the Needles back in April! It was really quick stop for re-filling the bottles and filling my cheeks and pockets with bananas and cakes.

Straight into the descent, I heard un-mistable kiwi accented voice of Fraser yelling out “I’m here Dog – go, go!!”. He had a great climb and did not stop at the refreshment point. Paul was on his wheel as well. Mark had a tougher climb, as was usual for him on the first climb of the day (he always got better the longer the ride went) and was not seen. We “sent it” down the hill, passing 15 or so riders, with some of them hanging with us. By the time it started to flatten out onto 2% grades downhill, we worked together, sharing time on the front and pushing speeds of 55-60kmh for km after km. Young Charlie was the strongest in the group, but there were also some little french blokes along for the ride. When I was on the tail of the group resting after a turn at the front, I counted 13 riders. Just amazing riding! Through valleys, tunnels, past gorges, pretty villages and all the while the signs counting down the km to Nice very quickly.

One thing that was happening in the group has turned out to be a real highlight of the trip. For the final stage, the peleton was joined by a celebrity guest, Stephen Roche from Ireland. His career as a cyclist was long, but it was really capped in 1987, when he was not only the winner of the Tour de France, but also the World Champion and the winner of the Giro d’ Italia. Bloody impressive. He is now 58 years old and by the look of him, has enjoyed the odd croissant and pint of Guinness since those days – and good on him!

Anyway… we had this somewhat rotund gentleman wearing number 87 in our group. I had completely forgotten the Stephen Roche was in the race and to be honest, I did not know who he was, having only started following cycling in the days when Lance started winning the tour. I can remember being behind number 87, thinking “i had better be careful here – this fat bloke might drop off the back here and will take some work to get back on!!”. I know I was giving him encouragement after his quick turns on the front…. How embarrassing!

As we closed the 10km to go sign, it was totally flat riding. Charlie and I rode off the front and we were quickly 400mtrs in front of the group, then unbelievably, Charlie kicked it up another gear and went away! I decided to leave him with it and waited for the group (whilst still doing 43kmhr!!). They passed me doing 50 and I had to really work hard for a couple of km to hang on – it’s hard when you have to change rythym.

At 3km to go, it started getting interesting. A small group splintered off the front, but Paul and Christof put in a huge dig to get them back. With 1km to go, Paul went for it. “Too early” I can remember thinking. Fraser went after him and I had Fraser’s wheel and the rest were all lined behind me. A tight right then left turn broke Paul’s rythym and I overtook Fraser and just put my head down with 400mtrs to go. I passed Paul with 50 mtrs to go and kept my head down to pip he and fraser by a second. Another second back was Stephen Roche!! What a privilege to ride with a man like that! The sailing equivalent of sailing with John Bertrand and Iain Murray.

We then cruised 14km to Vence where we had a great lunch in a restaurant. Paul popped a bottle of 2003 Moet, which was actually a 40th birthday present (more than a year ago)!! the day was just getting better. As the whole peleton convened, we then rode down into Nice in a secured convoy. What an amazing ride that was. Sunshine, tail-wind and our first glimpses of the Mediterranean turn into riding along it’s shores on the coast road, which was totally closed off for us.

As we passed the finish point, I was greeted by Kate and kids and several other friends. It was an emotional minute or two, as I remembered all the pain and feelings of achievement over previous days.

Team-wise – well we had a great day. Paul, Fraser and I all rode, worked and finished together. Mark was back a bit, but still had a great ride. Simon and Jim finished the week in style after both having “grunted up” after tough starts to the adventure.
Stage 7 Results are here:
http://www.sport-up.fr/resultats_dl/20110827122059-SCRATCH.pdf
Overall results are here:
http://www.sport-up.fr/resultats_dl/20110827122059-TOTAL_SCRATCH.pdf

My Garmin Data and map of the race part of the ride is here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/109913332

Our little Team of cyclo-sailors made it to the front page the Daily Sail as well:
http://www.thedailysail.com/inshore/11/59595/0/sailors-on-the-haute-route

The entire team (minus Mark) stayed here with us last night. It was wonderful to have my family and my cycling-family from the previous week all together. The guys and Helena drove off in the van an hour ago. The bonds forged on this ride will be life-long.

OK – time to be a Dad! Thanks so much for the kind e-mails over previous days to you all. It was great to read all of them. Wonderful also to re-establish contact with friends back in Oz and beyond!!

Signing off in Nice,

Dog

It seemed to me to be a very similar regatta to the Etchells Worlds in Ireland a fortnight earlier. We had very nice speed and height, so we elected not to push the starts very hard. Our speed upwind and downwind got us out of trouble here and there, but we were consistently able to place the boat on the race course to capitalise on the lake’s fickle breezes better than our closest competitors. In fact the two boats (Artemis XIV and Odlo) we identified at the start of the event as being the guys to beat never once finished in front of us. we did not every race, but we generally won our side on the first upwind and chipped away from there if behind other boats. So, in summary a very solid week.

Flavio sails the boat extremely well. This win is his fourth in the class. His first win was as a crew for his father, Bruno. The other three were as helm. Similar to the Star class, most of the controls are led back to the helmsman and Flavio has a great feel for what the boat needs to best find the mode required. Christof is the best builder in the class and knows the 5.5 back to front. You could not get a better guy on the bow. This was my first ever event in the class. i am very impressed with the boats. A joy to sail.

We saw all of the weather faces of Lake Garda. The first day was an overcast southerly of 20 knots. Days 2 and 3 saw only one race in very light wind. Lots of time onshore waiting for wind. Days 4 and 5 saw us race two races on each morning under sunny skies in the northerly drainage wind that comes funneling down the mountains. All week we enjoyed great food and plenty of decent coffee. Did not get up to too much, other than sailing, eating and talking it up. Visited Freddy Loof, up at his resort above Malcesine. Also ate at Luca Modena’s retaurant in Castaletto one night. As usual, we had to be rolled out of our seats after such wonderful food and hospitality. On the final night after the prize giving, i had to make absolutely sure (again) that rum gives me a nasty hangover. It still does, but one has to be sure about these things….

So, a great couple of weeks sailing that saw two world championship victories – both without having to sail the final race. The only other event that I have sailed this year was the Etchells Nationals back home in AUS and we won that one too!

Back into coach mode soon enough, with round 5 of the Audi MedCup getting underway at Cagliari in a week. In the meantime, really looking forward to a nice family week in Cowes!

Family-wise, it has been a great summer on the Isle of Wight. Nice, mild weather with some long periods of sunny days and nice breezes. Since arriving to Cowes in April, we have had little to complain about.

The original plan for Kate to home-school the older two kids only lasted for a couple of weeks. Just too hard, particularly with the young fella, Charlie in the background demanding his piece of the action. So they were enrolled to school and saw out the final term of the English school year. Today is a big day, as it is the first day back from school holidays after a lonnnggg seven weeks for Kate. It is the first ever day of school for Charlie. Unfotunatey, I am not at home to be a part of it, but did have a skype with them earlier and saw him in his uniform. Pretty weird to see our little baby in uniform! Where does it go?

So, the kids are great. Enjoying the Cowes waterfront and all it’s goings-on. Also spending time with their little cousins etc.. It’s all good stuff. Kate is also having a great time. Lots of family around, as well as old childhood friends. Can’t go wrong, really. However, the big test of an English winter ominously approaches….. In other family news, my mum arrives this weekend from Melbourne. By far the biggest trip of her life. Will be great to see her.

Sailing / work-wise it has been flat-out. The main activities have been related to my role as coach with Team Artemis in the RC44, TP52 and Louis Vuitton circuits. I have also done three trips as coach with the Kiwi Star team of Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk and two ‘holidays” to do World Championships as a sailor myself. Since arriving to Europe in April, I have done fourteen events. There are seven more events planned between the end of September and Christmas, so that will make twenty-six events for the year. This would be twice as many events in any year that I have done previously. But in Europe, there is plenty happening all over the place, so it’s not too surprising. I have not been “home” in Cowes a whole lot, but sneak a few days here and there. I love it when I am there.

It is a fairly unique year sailing-wise, in that the America’s Cup has been far from having a solid direction. Teams such as Artemis, Team New Zealand and Britain’s Team Origin have sought to keep the guys together and busy with a range of other events. It has made for busy schedules.

So, in summary, the move to the northern hemisphere has been very positive for the Palfrey family. We’ll see how we survive the autumn and winter (did I mention winter was coming already?).

Just recently, I competed in the Etchells Worlds in Howth, Ireland with John Bertrand and Tom Slingsby. we ended up winning with a race to spare, which was very satisfying. Hanging out with and sailing with both JB and Tom is a privilege. Sailing with Tommy is to witness first-hand one of sailing’s emerging greats at work. I drafted a piece for the Etchells newsletter which details the campaign. It was a wonderful week. The local hospitality was awesome. The fleet was not huge. Hopefully the numbers in the class will improve with the economies of the US and Europe.

Right now I am sitting in the Yacht Club at Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy, where I am competing in the International 5.5mtr Class World Championship. I am sailing with Flavio Marazzi and Christof Wilke of Switzerland. Flavio is a friend from the Star Class. He has competed in three Olympics and was placed 4th in Athens 04, as well as winning the Europeans in 2007 and being second in this year’s Star worlds. He usually sails with Enrico De Maria, but Enrico could not make this week, so here I am. Chrostof is a boat-builder of great distinction. He is the best builder of carbon Finn class masts in the world. He builds the best 5.5’s and also build’s very nice Star boats. He recently built a new Finn for Ben Ainslie as well. The quality is the best I have ever seen. On top of all this, he is a nice bloke.

The 5.5’s are beautiful boats. Very developed when compared to the Etchells. Carbon masts, 3DL sails, modern foil shapes and a trim tab on the keel. Lots to fiddle with and quite comfortable with a hiking harness (the back and hands are still recovering from the Etchells!). After a very promising first day, when we had 15-18kts of wind (for which this lake is famous for), yesterday and today see the Alps to the north shrouded in cloud and rain. Mo racing yesterday and today is looking a little as sad as well. Good cafe weather. We got off to a nice start, winning the first two races. Long way to go, but I am enjoying it regardless of the result.

Prior to this previous fortnight, the last sailing I had done was the Etchells Aussie Nationals back in January. I enjoy the coaching, but it is great to sail again. Good for the mind and nice to stay reasonably current.

From here, things are a little uncertain. the world finds out in five days the decision on whether the next America’s cup is to be sailed in catamarans or the more traditional monohull. Also, we find out in which year the Cup is to be staged. The venue will not be announced for another few months. Whilst these announcements will barely cause a ripple in the real world, they are fundamental to my work, so we will be following this with great interest. Either way, there will be a lot to learn and lots of effort expended over the coming couple of years within Team Artemis.

Our little family has commiited to the UK as a base until the end of next northern summer. From there, we will re-assess as to where the work is for me and what is best for the kids. It is hard to imagine that we won’t be back at Pittwater at some point in the medium-term future. We’ll see.

The planning behind John Bertrand, Tom Slingsby and myself winning the 2010 Etchells Worlds in Howth, Ireland had it’s beginnings during the campaign for the previous year’s Worlds in Melbourne. In that campaign John and I were joined by Ben Ainslie. Ben’s sailing pedigree is un-matched and to sail next to him on the etchells and hang out with him ashore was a very positive and memorable experience.

copyright Ingrid Abery

Part of that campaign took in the Victorian State titles, held in Metung on the Gippsland Lakes, for which Ben could not join us. We asked Tom Slingsby, the two-wime Laser World Champion to join us. I had been team-mates with Tom in the 2008 Olympic team and really liked what I saw in terms of the way he operated. We won that event in a tight contest with Rob Brown’s team. Both John and I were taken by how similar Tom and Ben were to sail with – and this is a huge compliment to Tom. We figured we covered three generations of Australian sailing, with JB at 63, me at 43 and Tom at 23. Something that sticks in my mind about that regatta was Tom mentioning to me quietly that John was over-steering the boat out of the starts and out of tacks in the flat water (when if he held the tiller straighter, we would accelerate faster). He was a little too shy to give John Bertrand some steering tips!

We finished 3rd in those worlds, which without wanting to take anything away from our competitors was a disappointment for us. It was tight regatta, sailed lighter winds for the most part. We had a black-flag DSQ early in the series, which ultimately cost us. However two things came out of the that result that I recall clearly. Firstly, to see how gracious and sporting JB was in “defeat” was an inspiration. I have sailed with, competed against and coached many of the world’s best sailors. They generally get pretty narky when they perform below expectation. The way JB held himself that evening in Melbourne taught me a lot. Secondly, over a few cold ones at the presentation, we agreed to work towards the next Worlds in Ireland.

John and I sailing with Ben Ainslie in the 2009 Nationals in Adelaide

It quickly became apparent that as the skipper of Team Origin – the British challenge for the America’s Cup, Ben’s commitments would not allow him to compete at the 2010 Worlds. Tom was keen to get involved with us again, so we planned to do some sailing in Lake Macquarie late in 2009, as a lead-in the Aussie Nationals there in Jan 2010.

We won the Nationals with a race to spare in what was a great week of sailing for us. By far our biggest strength was our ability to divide up the on-board tasks and stick with those roles. John steered, Tom did tactics and trimmed the main and I trimmed the front sails and set-up the rig. It was very quiet and calm on-board, with concise observations and very clear strategy from Tom and close tactics from John. Midway through the event, Adam Beashel’s team got a roll on, winning three races and threatening our lead. The following day was light and fickle. Tom did an incredible job of seeing the wind that day and placing the boat to perfection. We won both races by big margins. It was amazing to be a part of Tom sailing at the top of his game.

When looking forward to the Worlds, it was obvious that our biggest challenge was going to be overcoming the lack of time sailing and racing together as a team. There would be no racing for us between the Nationals and the Worlds, which was more than seven months. With that in mind we all made an effort to analyze the performance at the Nationals by e-mailing notes to each other and using those thoughts as a foundation for the way we would approach the worlds. The big thing to come out of the Nationals was our lack of speed in the heavier airs. We looked to address this in two ways. One was to put on weight (we were 12kgs under the weight limit at Lake Macquarie) and for JB to look at some development of the jibs for the heavy airs and chop we expected to encounter at Howth in Ireland.

In May, all three of us were in the northern hemisphere with a weekend off, so we travelled to Howth for a “reccie”. Dan and Emer O’Grady kindly loaned us their house and their Etchells for the weekend, which was an indicator of the fine irish hospitality that we would enjoy so much at the Worlds. We got a lot out of that weekend. We had a small squad of boats and generally tuned and did some short course races. It was low-key stuff, but it was invaluable to experience first-hand the conditions and the town.

Between May and August, Tom was winning Laser events all over Europe. I was busily coaching Artemis in the TP52’s, RC44’s and the Louis Vuitton events and John was either in London or Melbourne and working away on the refinement of our sails for the worlds (in collaboration with Andrew Lechte, Ched Proctor and Vince Brun of North Sails) and dealing with the logistics of shipping Triad from Melbourne to Dublin. Weight-wise, I was rapidly gaining the kilo’s. I would like to say that it was due to the gym-work, but the reality of too much travel and many long days in a coach-boat saw to it that the weight was mainly fat around the lower torso. JB was getting into the Collingwood Football Club gym regularly.

A week prior to the Worlds, John competed in the Irish Nationals with a fill-in crew of Wade Morgan and Kelvin Harrap. Tom and I were both finishing the Sail for Gold event in Weymouth, which Tom won in fine style in his Laser. I was there coaching the Kiwi boys, Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk in the Star class. Wade and Kelvin contributed to our Worlds effort in a huge way. Not only did they sail with John, but both of them made comprehensive notes. These notes formed the basis of where we would concentrate our efforts in the limited time we had before the worlds.

I arrived five days before the first race. Tommy would arrive two days later. He was preparing for the Laser Worlds, which would start the day after the Etchells finished at Hayling Island in the UK. On my first day, John and I were lucky enough to have Noel Drennan sail with us. Noel is an America’s Cup winner with BMW Oracle and a team-mate of mine in the Artemis program. He is also a long-time Etchells sailor from Melbourne. Having him sail with us on my first day back in an Etchells was invaluable. The following day we were joined by David Cagney, a local Etchells sailor. He was a great help in explaining the currents and the local “rules”. On these two days we tuned extensively with Jake Gunther of the Melbourne fleet and his crew of John Collingwood and Ben Morrison-Jack. We got comfortable with our choice of sails, even though Jake was consistently faster in our testing when there was less wind. That was fine. We knew that if we could match Jake for speed, then we must be close to where we needed to be.

When Tom arrived, we concentrated more on our boat handling, with a long day on the water. We were very keen to do some practice starting and racing, but we were unable to get this properly organised. Our “standard” regatta prep is to take the day before the first race off (which is generally the practice race), but on this occasion we opted to sail the practice race to get some race-training. So we took the day prior off instead. Etchells Worlds are long events, so it pays to re-charge the batteries for what lays ahead. The fact is that if you feel the need to cram in the training close to the event, then you are simply under-prepared – and the extra day probably won’t help.

So, we felt we were ready. We weighed in only a couple of kilo’s under-weight, but that was after breakfast. We were still giving valuable kilo’s away to the guys that had to “dip” to make weight and the four-up crews with their extra 10kg of sailing gear allowance. That said, we were at a weight where we did not have to watch what we ate, which is important at a regatta. The more food the better for a long week of hiking on an etchells.

A highlight of these early days in Howth was getting to know our hosts, the Burrows family. Richard and Sherill opened their home and their hearts to us. Richard was sailing in the event with his son David and daughter Samantha as crew. We had many wonderful dinner around the Burrows’ table. The positive environment at “home” contributed in a huge way to our ultimate success in the event.

On day one of the regatta, we had a 5th and a 1st, which was a reasonable start. Ante Razmilovic’s team won the first race by a mile and placed 4th in the second race. In the second race, the wind was recorded at 42 knots! Not sure about that, but we were getting blown over upwind with both sails flapping… I asked Samantha Burrows how she went in the big breeze. She commented that she was “..just happy to be alive!!”

The following three days saw us stay fairly consistent. Our approach was very conservative. We knew our all-round speed was fine and that we could beat anyone in close boat-on-boat tactics, so we did not feel the need to push the starts too hard. we were generally in good shape at the first windward mark in each race and built on that foundation. We were leading with a couple of days to go, but had Ante and Nils Razmilovic nipping at out heals. Also in strong contention was our training partner, Jake, as well Team Barry from Melbourne, who had placed 2nd in the 2009 Worlds.

Day 5 saw very light winds. In the first race we were 4th, but Ante was second. In the second race we were in a spot of bother when Ante and his team of Chris Larson and Mikey Wolfs did a number on us in the start and we were forced to tack away into a big wind hole. Ante was first to the mark and we were 30th. As the wind died down the run, we moved up to 6th, but Ante was leading by a long way. however the race committee abandoned the race, as it had turned into a drift-off with most of the fleet being taken off the course in the current.

On Day 6 we were back to strong westerly winds. In the first race of that day, we stuck to our conservative playbook. We had the best speed of the event in this race, which was testament to JB’s work on the heavy-airs jib. We rounded the first mark 2nd behind Julia Bailey (who was having a great series). We moved to first at the gate and then sailed away from the fleet up the final beat. By winning this race (which was our 5th win in eight races), we had won the event with a race to spare. Happy? You bet!

The last race in Howth, Ireland

In some interviews following the racing, a lot was made about the fact that it had taken John twenty years to win an Etchells Worlds and whether he was releived he was to have finally broken through. His answers were along the lines that the results don’t worry him. It is all about sailing with good people and enjoying the process. I think this sums up our entire campaign. There were no nerves on the first morning or the final morning. There was simply a confidence in each other that everything would be done well and that we would control everything that we had the power to. The rest was up to our competitors and mother nature. Whilst we were never blindingly fast, our key strength was to be switched onto changing gears and tactical opportunities most of the time.

John has sailed with many great sailors and good people in his 20 years in the Etchells class. To be the first crew to win the Etchells with him is special for Tom and I. Whilst both Tom and i sail boats for a living, neither of us is paid by John. We are onboard Triad for the love of the sport and for opportunity to sail the JB. Indeed, I think all three of us see it as a privilege to be there! One moment that remains strong in the memory for me was early in the series when we rounded the gate marker in some traffic and John had not done the perfect turn around the mark. Tom remarked “You need to better than that John!”. The shy young fella has come quite a way since the day 18 months earlier at Metung!

As a post-script, Tom went on to win the Laser Worlds – his third Laser world title! A legend in the making!!

Andrew Palfrey
3rd Sept 2010

2010 so far has been very hectic. In Feb I spent almost three weeks in Dubai with Team Artemis in the RC44 class. Then straight to Auckland for the first three weeks of March. Again with Team Artemis, but this time in America’s Cup class boats at the Louis Vuitton regatta. Then home for a week spent preparing to rent out our house for 12 months and for us to move to the UK.

Whilst I love what I do (and it is always nice to be busy with work), April has been a challenge……

March 31st:
Moved out of house, after a week long process of packing stuff into shed and also sending 300kg of stuff to the UK. Move into Star City Casino appartments for three nights. Kids have a ball living the inner-city life. Getting on transport, eating out each night etc etc… Fun times.

April 2nd:
Send family to UK. drop them at Syd airport at 0400 in morning for 0600 Emirates flight to LHR.

Apr 3rd:
Fly to AKL for Star training camp – until 8th. Good week in light airs with boys. Family advise they land safely in LHR and get safely down to Cowes with Kate’s dad.

Apr 9th (Fri):
Fly AKL to Melbourne. See Fri night footy game at Docklands to get footy-fix for year. Sail Etchells with JB on Saturday. Dep for Europe via USA on Sunday.

Apr 11th:
Begin the mammoth RTW journey with United. Need to jump thru hoops for them in order to keep status…. Being an “ordinary” passenger these days sucks, so unfortunately need to dance to the airline’s tune….
Arrive Palma 5pm on 13th Apr. Taxi to Hotel Saratoga. Check in. Meet roomie Chad Turner. Go to team dinner. In bed and asleep by 2130. Full coma, but wake up at midnight ready to go…..
In all, I travelled for 67 hours. In air for 38 hrs. Mental note: Do not ever do this ever, ever again………
Spend six days in Palma for Palma Vela regatta with Team Artemis TP52 squad. Light air regatta. Team wins. All positive. Whilst in the early stages of the Palma event, Kate makes vague reference of hearing on BBC radio about some volcanic eruption in Iceland and flights to Scotland being cancelled – weird hey?……. Won’t affect us…….Will it?…..

Sunday 18th April:
Obviously the volcanic ash thing grows into a massive disruption to flights. Becomes main topic of conversation at the regatta in terms of how everyone is going to get home, or to their next event. Boat designer Tobias Kohl from Judel Vrolik office in Bremen, Germany, is stuck in Palma for the last two days of the event, as German airspace is closed. Our skipper, Paul Cayard bails a day early, as he can see writing on wall and has some meetings and stuff to do in the US in the days following the event. Below is a tweet from him regarding the first part of his journey.
I also bail on the last day of the regatta after seeing the team off the dock. Very keen to get to the UK, as I have only six days there before I start a trip that takes in seven regattas over eight weeks without a day’s break at all. Every day with family is really precious, so I make a lot of effort to get on a flight. Unfortunately the Palma airport is now shut… My plan was to fly to madrid and then wing-it somehow on trains and ferries to the UK (where airports have now been closed for five days). But the volcanic ash model now has Spain airspace being affected, so both Palma and Madrid airports are shut. I wait for a couple of hours, but nothing new and nobody knows anything. I leave the airport and head back to the hotel to dump bags and start looking at other options.

I go to ferry terminal in Palma. the queue is 200 mtrs (and approx 8hrs long….). This is for the tickets the FOLLOWING day…… Not an option for an impatient prick like me. Go back to dock and work on three or four options hitching a ride with yachts being delivered back to Valencia on Spanish mainland. These all dry up, as people start to realise how bad things and are all scrambling for rides. Boats get filled with their own people. The Jigs on the boats have never had so much help! Sarah tells me of ferry option on North side of island going to Barcelona the next morning. I hesitate, as there are rumours that Palma airport will re-open. I call Iberia airlines. They tell me my flight is now officially cancelled, even though airport will open. Another flight re-scheduled for 1130 the next morning – but good luck getting on it – the last 40 flights to mainland Spain have been cancelled, so there is a bit of a back-log of people……. They give me number to re-book. I call it and wait on hold for 15 minutes. I give up on flying. I call my wife Kate (who is middle of hosting a family lunch back on the Isle of Wight). Ask her to find the ferry option Sarah was talking about. She does and books me on it – 130 euro. Need to be there at 0700 the next morning. Organise taxi with help from people at hotel – 6am pick up. Enjoy a few beers with guys that night – somewhat liberating not to be worrying about when airports might open and when I might be able to re-book tickets. Lots of laughs. Series of our guys cominhg back from airport after un-successfully trying to get on thier flights. Three guys flying to Valencia get out (Clarkie, Fongo and Chad). Anyway, the rest of us enjoy a Good night at the San Lorenzo Hotel. Feels like our little bunker.

Up at 0500 on Mon morning the 19th April. Get ready for epic journey (another one……). Read on internet that British air space shut until at least 7pm that night. I am sure I am doing right thing making my own plans, as the back-log is likely to be long once the planes are flying again.
Hour long taxi ride as the sun comes up over Mallorca. 80 euros. Check in for ferry and wait as the morning brightens. Ferry leaves on time at 0830. I have heaps of bags. Have to wrestle them up stairs etc and get a window seat with power outlet for the laptop. For a brief time the world is at peace as I feel like I am making good progress. Ferry is a nice 5 hour journey, but chock-a-block with poms and germans. Kate informs me she has booked train out of Barcelona, but it does not depart until until the following night, meaning spending 30 or so hours in Barcelona. Normally would be nice, but keen to get to family, so we talk about me trying to get to France border somehow and getting a fast TGV train to the Chanel coast (to try to get on a ferry to the UK).

1500hrs Monday 19th:
Arrive Barcelona. High-tail it off the ferry with my four bags in tow. Knock over about 15 little spanish folk in process. You get that on the big jobs…..
Another hurdle – Get a lift with friendly cab driver to the train stazione. Aiming for train to somewhere over the Spanish / French border. Perpignan would be nice I think. I am infomed that all of the south-east French train system is on strike. Nice one guys! just to make things a little tougher for european travellers……. I would normally swear, but it seems I am getting calmly resigned to the fact that this adventure is far from over and there will be bigger humps in the road ahead. Maybe also getting mellower in my advancing years. Maybe I’m just just plain fucking over it……
Switch plan: Our trusty yacht designer, Tobias Kohl hitched a ride with the German mini-maxi yacht Container from Palma to Valencia. It took them approx 20hrs – it’s about 160 miles by water. They had a good night weather-wise, but the engine shat itself about 20 miles from Valencia. They had to get towed into dock. As it is full of German crew, they made a contingency plan a couple of days ago to get a bus from Germany to come down and pick them up from Valencia. Spoke to Tobias. They have just got on bus and are heading north towards France and Germany. Barcelona is en-route for them. So, I decide to forget about tomorrow’s night’s train booking (is it any use if the French remain on strike – how would you know?). Drag my friendly taxi driver into the train station, so we can use the english-speaking train official to interpret for us. I convince him to take me up to the main highway between Valencia and the french border and drop me at a service station. Let Tobias know where I am and sit it out for 3hrs, waiting for them to get northwards on the E15 auto-pista. In meantime, i set up my own little office suite in the road-house restaurant and get some video editing work done from the event footage I have. Ingest a few more coffees. Charge both phones. Charge up the laptop. Basically re-charge everything (inclusive of myself) for the journey ahead. Options from here include going all the way to Hamburg with the Germans (approx 2000km – about 24 hours) and trying for a ferry from there to the UK. Sort of depends when the French train dudes go back to work and whether I can get on a train when they do…. Kate is on-line for me back in Cowes trying to figure that part out. At the road-house, there is coach-load after coach-load of northern european and british people all getting rides back toward their homes. These coaches are put on by the airlines to help get people back home. I ask a couple of the English bus drivers for a ride. No dice….

1930hrs:
The Germans arrive…. Unbelievable set up. A full-size coach with three drivers that are rotating, so the bus continues non-stop. Only twelve or so sailors on board, so everyone has a full row to themselves. the aisle sets can move outwards toward the middle, so that you can lie flat if you wish. The boys look a little fatigued from last nights delivery trip on the yacht, but as I board, the red wine is opened, the cheese and salami is aid out and we all have a little drink and talk about how each others journey’s have gone so far. What a great sport we are in! Meanwhile Kate is slaving away in front of the computer, whilst trying to bathe and feed the feral kids in Cowes. She has now booked me on the TGV train from Lyon to Caen (on the english channel coastline – south west of Calais). I leave Lyon at 0600 tomorrow morning. Change trains at Paris and arrive to Caen at about 1400. Once she gets the kids to bed, she is moving onto Ferry bookings….. That might be entering a new world of pain….. But if anyone can do it, Kate can.

0245hrs – Tues 20th Apr:
Woken from a deep slumber on the bus by brusque german accented men. “Where the fk am I?” is first thought that comes to mind. The bus driver has pulled up on the verge of the six-lane freeway and this is my “stop”. A few handshakes and I am out into the cold morning on the outskirts of Lyon. I pull my bags along the stopping lane of the motorway and off an exit ramp for 1km or so. At least this warms me up. Probably 5 or 6 degrees, but a still night. A couple of very random dudes walk past me. Little scary. Similar level of feral factor as the central coast of New South Wales at midnight, but then again, they speak better english here than on the coast. This is something I will remember for some time………
I have no clue at all where I am heading, but I hit a suburban road with a bus stop. It has a map. I get my bearings. It is about 4km to the train station and I have three hours to kill. No prob. “Harden up Australia” and start walking. About a km into the journey, a cab turns up out of nowhere. There is absolutely nobody around and this is the first car I have seen in close to an hour. I think the cabbie is more surprised than me. Get to train station. 20 euro for a 5 minute ride. Not complaining. The bags were getting heavy.
At the station plaza, there are three people in same circumstances as me with all sorts of baggage, having come from egypt and the south of France. They are french and two of them are elderly women. The other is a bloke in his 50’s who is a mathematics professor from Lille. All trying to get home from holidays. We have to wait 90 mins for the station to open. We are talking, when a drunken beggar is quite aggressive toward us demanding money. Then two young guys of Algerian extraction turn up, looking pretty desperate. If things get ugly, I figure the old ladies and the maths teacher will not be much help to me. This is not going well…….
We move as a group away from them and toward some shops that are all closed. I am thinking this could develop into anything from just plain theft to something more. A security guy pops out of a Subway sandwhich shop and the desperado’s scatter, yelling abuse. A white knight! The security guy is friendly. His mate owns the Subway sandwich shop and the roller door is buggered, so his job is to watch over the shop all night. We are very lucky he is around….. Did not see the police the whole time we were there. The security guy is only about five feet tall, but stocky and a little menacing looking. He tells me that he studied a particular form of martial art and he is a black-belt. I ask him if it was derived from China. He says he can’t remember that part of the study – but he remembers the bit about how to kill people…. re-assuring at this point of the journey. We look at pictures of each others kids on our phones. I show him pictures of boats. He shows me pictures of souped-up rice-burning hatch-backs. We part when the station opens. we might keep in touch on facebook he tells me….. I get my tickets like clockwork (thanks kate). I get onboard the TGV. iI’s packed. I sleep all the way to Paris.

0830 – Gare Pairs de Lyon train station:
Peak hour. This place is chockers with either stressed looking travelers or busy french people on their way to work. I need to get a underground metro train for a few stops, as my train to Caen departs from St Lazare. It’s a very hectic 30 mins up and down escalators and thru ticket turnstiles with my baggage. Finally I get to where the Cherbourg train leaves from. Lots of people with big bags and pommy accents. Get on train. Quite crowded, but ok. Two hour journey. my ferry booking is confirmed as 11pm tonight, but there i a ferry leaving at 4pm. It showed full on the internet when kate was booking. I hope to get on it. Do not fancy waiting 11hours…… Pretty weary.

MIDDAY – CAEN Railway Station:
Most of the train’s 1000 or so passengers seem to disembark here. Bit of a scramble but, after seeing there were no cabs, I manage to get on first bus to ferry port, which is about a half hour journey. Only knock over some elderly people in the process. No probs (kidding).
Ferry port is chaos. Chockers with people and vehicles of all shapes. I get to booking desk at approx 1300. Earlier ferry leaves at 1515hrs, but bloke tells me no chance, as it is oversold. I have to wait until 11pm. There is free fast internet in the port building (must be the last place in the world that has this), so I sit and try to catch up with the world and upload some TP52 video for the team….. i return to my bloke at the desk every half hour or so, just to see if there is any likelihood. He says no every time, but we are getting on well….. Doing some heavy-duty grovelling there. With 30 mins to go, most people have boarded. I go back to desk and he says there are two coaches running late, but after they have checked in will be the final, final answer. The coaches arrive with 20 mins to spare. Bedlam for ten minutes. Passports flying all over the place. Officials and the Gendarmerie yelling. kids screaming. Sort of like my house at dinner time. Anyway the dust clears and my man gives me a wink. Within 5 seconds my passport is in front of him. I have my boarding pass. ALL GOOD. I am on ferry to England! As Churchill said – never, ever give in……. Never in my life thought I would be so happy to be heading to the UK. Due to land Portsmouth at 2130hrs, which is a heap better than departing at 11pm and arriving at 6am without even an assigned seat…. I type this with a view of the English Chanel and a cold beer by my side. Will need to transfer over to another ferry to the Isle of Wight, but that oughta be easy after what I have been through to get here…… In saying all of that, i guess it is like what travelling used to be like before everything was so programmed with airlines and having the world of internet in your pocket on a mobile phone. Great experience, but I would want to go through it again anytime soon.
Just read that the eruption has cranked up again…. we could be living through this for a while yet…

PAUL’S TWEET:
April 18, 2010

I could never explain well enough what the situation is like over here in Europe for anyone who wants to travel somewhere or get a hotel room.

Since making the decision to try to escape one day early, here is what I have encountered:

1. Got to my hotel in Barcelona and had them tell me that the hotel was oversold, but that had covered me in another hotel.

2. Was boarding the flight to Atlanta this morning when the airport authority ordered the airport closed.

3. Waited there as told by Delta, and lived through all the “we’re going”, “no, we’re boarding in 20 minutes”, no it’s canceled”, “wait, we’re going at 12:00”. During these three hours I was asking Torbjorn’s pilot, Henry, who was in Palma with Torbjorn’s plane, about the likelihood that Barcelona would reopen, as well as about Madrid and Lisbon. Finally, Delta pulled the plug at 1300.

4. Onto plan C. Get a car or train to Lisbon for tomorrow’s flight to Newark which my travel agent Elin had booked before Plan B. (Plan A was flying through Frankfurt on Monday in Business Class arriving into SFO at 1200, nice and fresh. That plan got nixed on Friday).

5. No cars available in BCN.

6. Called Russell Coutts’ PA Alex who is Spanish. She had been stranded in Paris and was on a 13 hour bus ride to Barcelona. All the while, she had been working on getting Russ out of London where he had been stranded since Friday. He eventually took a train to Paris this morning and is now driving from Paris to Madrid…18 hours.

7. Alex had a network modem and got me a train to Madrid and a car to rent there to drive to Lisbon, all from the bus.

8. I then went to the same train station in Barcelona where she was arriving by bus to then take a train to Valencia where she lives.

9. When I got to the train station it was total chaos. The line to buy a ticket was out the door. Thank God she had sorted it all for me and bought the tickets on line.

10. I then started to think that driving 8 hours tonight from Madrid to Lisbon might not be a good idea. So I asked her about a train. At first, nothing. Then she did something else magical and found one that leaves at 1030 tonight and get to Lisbon at 8am tomorrow. “Perfect…let’s buy it”

11. What about Lisbon airport? Is it still open? Called Torbjorn’s pilot Henry again. Yes, still open but Palma and Madrid closing. The cloud is still creeping South! Lisbon expected to stay open. Better start moving Southwest!

12. Called United to reconfirm the flight. With all the hecticness, that reservation had been voided somehow. My heart was in my throat as the agent told me this very calmly. I knew this flight was my last chance.

13. I resurrected the reservation. Thank goodness.

14. Then my credit card would not work. Unbelievable! If he could not issue the ticket I would not have a reservation and the flights for the rest of the week are oversold. All the people in Europe who want to go to the USA are running like rats down into the Southwest corner.

15. I had one more credit card…one I never use it…. it is for my kids. I used it!! And it worked!

So, I am now on the train. Surely, I am not done jumping through hoops. Going to try to sleep a bit as I am pretty fried and I will need energy tonight for sure. If I get on the plane, I can sleep all I want.
Obviously in cases like this you don’t ask what it costs or if you can get an upgrade. All that is out the window.

Fortunately, Artemis won the regatta so I feel a little less badly for leaving them. But my poor teammates are stuck in Palma I am afraid. Maybe they will take the Artemis RIB or a ferry to Valencia and drive to Lisbon.
I am sure by now you are seeing it on the news in the States or wherever you live.

In summary; We have a situation over here! Looking for my next hoop.

Paul

Just a note to say G’day and update you on where things are heading for me.

My last trip saw lots of positive stuff happening, as far as work going forward is concerned. Basically, I spent six weeks in total with Team Artemis. Three weeks were in Dubai and three in Auckland. Team Artemis are a Swedish owned sailing team that have been campaigning hard in the TP52 MedCup circuit, as well as the RC44 class for the past few years. The team recently made public their desire to put together an America’s Cup bid. The team is well resourced and well organised. See the website here.

In Dubai, there were two segments to the trip. Firstly the beginnings of an America’s Cup team gathered and we had a week of high-level match race training in RC44 yachts. It was an awesome week, with two international umpires running the drills and a full race committee banging off the starts. We had really effective de-briefs, lots of video analysis and we were able to pull apart the scenarios and discuss options with the likes of Cayard, Hutchinson etc.. The winds were light, but that is perfect for the RC44’s. I was joining the team as a coach for what was then the upcoming Louis Vuitton regatta in Auckland. I was seen as a “floating’ crew member between the two boats. i had the chance to act as tactician for Cayard and Cameron Appleton on different days, as well as work in the middle of the boats. For me as a coach, this was an invaluable few days getting to know the boats and the blokes. By the week’s end, many of the verteran pro sailors were commenting that the week was the best training for a big team they had been involved in. I had to agree.

As far as Dubai goes – don’t rush to get there. Basically a bunch of big glitzy buildings in the desert. My disclaimer is that I only saw the hotel and the yacht club really.

The Artemis Louis Vuitton squad members not involved in regular RC44 sailing then departed and the amatuers arrived for the RC44 Maktoum trophy. For this, I acted as Coach for both the Artemis and Katusha RC44 teams. I got to meet the Artemis owner (Torbjorn Tornqvist) and I basically assumed a role that I have become very accustomed to in the farr40’s, mumm30’s, Stars, Etchells and 18 Foot Skiffs for many years now. It went well, with Artemis taking out the overall regatta (third in the match racing and second in the fleet racing). Katusha did not fair so well, but there is massive potential there.

From there, it was a sprint to Auckland for five days of one-boat training in USA87, the America’s Cup class yacht owned by BMW Oracle. This training was a great lead-in for Team Artemis to the Louis Vuitton event, which started on the 9th of March and would be sailed in NZL84 and NZL92 – the kiwi boats from the 2007 cup.

Team Artemis had their ups and downs in the Louis Vuitton Auckland event, but finished fourth overall out of eight very competitive teams. Basically the LV events have been organised in place of the vaccum in the America’s cup (caused by the legal problems and the deed of gift match between BMW Oracle (USA) and Alinghi (SUI)). Artemis were very close to making the final, losing a tight semi final 2-1 to the Italian team of Mascalzone Latino. Again, I acted in a coaching role, which is quite a challenge when working with 18 professional sailors – all of which have been around the AC scene for many years. However, with Artemis being a new team, everyone was very enthusiastic about making the team as polished as possible. So, it was a very positive time for me in my role with them.

I have been asked to join the team for the TP52, RC44 and Louis Vuitton events this year. See the schedule here: http://artemissailing.com/pages/racing It is a very busy few months coming up. As far as an America’s Cup campaign goes…. Well the new holders of the Cup (Oracle – USA) seem to be saying all of the right things about the future of the event and getting it back on track after the courtroom debacle that was the 33rd cup. Until they announce plans of when, what boats, and where, it is hard to plan too far ahead for teams and individuals. Not expecting too much personally, so if it all gets going, it will be a bonus.

To keep it real, I am still planning to sail the Etchells worlds in Dublin in August with John Bertrand and Tom Slingsby. Now more than ever, I need to sail and compete. It can get all too theoretical in the coach-boat.

Whilst I was away, the boys in the Seven Skiff stepped up really well and won the JJ Giltinan (the 18ft skiff “worlds”) for a second time. Iain Murray had to step in as coach, as I departed for Dubai on the day of the first race. He did an awesome job in identifying some errors in the rig tune early in the event, helped to repair a broken mast and generally help keep the boys on track. They had to overcome being several points down going into the final weekend, but they did that by executing their racing skills better than the rest and by being bloody fast. It was tear-in-the-eye stuff for me – on the other end of the phone line in Dubai. I have worked with Seve, Sam, Tom and Rob for four years and they (and the red boat) have become a big part of my life. On a sailing front, I have learnt so much more about the sport by being exposed to the skiff scene with Iain and the boys. On a personal front…well, let’s just say it has been great training for when my kids become teenagers…. Plenty of challenges, but lots of rewards. In four years the boys have recorded finishes in the JJG as follows: 2nd, 1st, 3rd and 1st. Not too bad!

Currently home for a week. It’s hectic, as our family is packing up the house, as we are moving to the UK for at least six months. We have rented the house in Avalon for 12 months, so when (actually Kate refers to the “WHEN” more as an “IF”, but I think a couple of chilly october days in Cowes will sort her out) we return after the northern summer, we will have to wing it re where we live. the current plan is for Kate and her mum to home-school the kids to the aussie system. We’ll see how that goes. Assuming kate is still sane after the first week…. Anyway, where we end up after the first six months is largely dependent on what is best for the kids schooling etc..

Next is Auckland again for a week with Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk in the NZL starboat. More one-boat training, working on boat-skills, sailing fitness and boat optimisation.

Then Palma Vela in Majorca, Spain with Artemis TP52.

Will do my best to keep in touch.

Have been chockers with either work or family activities for the past months.

Hamilton Isalnd Race Week on the RP66, Loki was not a great one. the boat was optimised towards the heavier breezes, but it was a very, very light week. We were slow when the wind was below 10 knots (which was 90% of the time and we were very sticky in the really light. A good experience though. However, one design is the way to go.

In November I joined the BMW Oracle team for the Louis Vuitton event in Nice, France. It was a good event, sailied in America’s Cup class yachts. a great learning experience for me to get back into the AC scene after being away since 1992. I was acting in a coaching / support role for the team. Heaps of talent there. The team had a disappointing result, which reflected their split resources with the impending multihull Deed-of-Gift America’s Cup match coming up in Feb.. But for me, it was a great oppurtunity and a massive learning experience.

December was full of coaching and sailing work at home in Sydney. Mainly coaching Etchells, the 18ft skiff and Farr40’s, as well as sailing Etchells and a Mumm30 at the Rolex Regatta.

New Years eve was spent overlooking Sydney Harbour Bridge at Guy Stening’s house.

Today the Etchells Nationals start and we are getting ready. i am sailing on the bow, with John Bertrand on the helm and Tom Slingsby in the middle. We are at Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney.

Anyway, life is good.

Standing By. Lake Macquarie.

I have just attended my 9th Star Worlds. However this time it was in a coaching role. I was working with the Kiwi team of Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk.

It was a successful trip, with the boys finishing second, behind class stalwarts and deserving winners, George Szabo and Rick Peters of the USA.

The regatta was tight. Winds were generally light and unstable. The current on the race track and the wind trend made the course very much a one-way track. Szabo and Peters went hard right on 17 out of 17 beats. The top five of Szabo, Pepper, Grael (Lars), Schlonski and Campbell would not have been on many people’s lists before the regatta. The favourites (Loof, Schiedt, Mendelblatt etc) all had their moments, but also recorded big scores in some races.

Georgie and Rick were very popular winners. George works for Quantam sails, which dominate the Star market. He is forever helping the fleet out with tips. Rick has worked within the Star class for many years, either delivering boats or fixing keels. George narrowly missed selection for the US team for the China Olympics.

For me, the chance to work with Hamish and Craig was a highlight. Hamish won the worlds in 2006 with Carl Williams and is a great natural talent. Craig won Olympic Silver in the Finn in 1992 and since then has been at the top end of the America’s Cup. This european season has been a great foundation for their london Olympic campaign.

I have posted some pics of the Worlds trip here.

A quirky thing also happened when I was away. I became the number one ranked Star crew in the world. Sounds impressive?? Well, it happens that I did one event (Holland) with my mate, Flavio Marazzi of Switzerland. Flavio has put a lot of time into the class and has recorded very impressive results over this period. He was awarded with the worlds number one ranking. I happened to be in the right place at the right time for a change. Anyway, it’s great to share something like this in any circumstances with a bloke like Flavio.

So, it’s goodbye Europe for another year. I have spent nearly ten weeks here in two trips this northern summer. I spend a week back with the family, before heading off to Hamilton Island for Race Week, where I am sailing aboard Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki.

Happy to report that the reason for no blogging is that things have been busy for the past couple of months. i am currently sitting in Frankfurt airport, waiting to board the plane home after an epic 7 week trip in europe. The year was looking decidedly quiet back in April, but the europe trip saw a few events string together for me and I have not had a day off the whole time I have been in Europe.

First up was racing in the Star in the Holland Regatta with Flavio Marazzi of Switzerland. Flavio has been 4th at the last two Olympics. it was a privelige to sail with him. I learnt heaps, including some new swear words in German-Swiss. We came 4th (he hates 4th) out of approx 25 boats, but were only 2 points out of second place. A good experience and great to have the oppurtunity to jump back in the class for the first time since the Olympics last August.

Then it was off to Sardinia for one month for two activities. The first engagement was to take on the role of tactician for Lang Walker aboard the massive Kokomo superyacht. This boat is 170 feet long and is 350 tonnes (plus fuel and wine – to quote Lang). I have posted pics and photos here. Going from hanging out over the side of the star in freezing Holland to piloting the superyacht around the pituresque islands around Porto Cervo required some adjustment. We sailed two regattas. The average size of the crew was 50 people. We had a great time.

The day after the superyachts finished, I tacked over to the coaching role with team Transfusion for the Farr40 Worlds – also in Porto Cervo. This saw us train and generally prepare for eight days. Then the worlds were a four-day affair. Our owner and steerer, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis had never been to an international sailing event before, so this was a new experience for him. We came out of the blocks fast and were fourth after day one, including winning the last race of that day. Going into the last day, the boys were placed 5th, but unfortunately the last two races were poor ones for us. We toppled to 8th place, missing 6th by only two points. All in all it was a great experience for Guido and the guys in what is a long term campaign for the worlds in Sydney in 2011. Lots of things learned technically and heaps learned about how to best approach events like these. The Italians were very strong as expected, but the Worlds were won for the third time by Jimmy Richardson’s team aboard Barking Mad. I have posted some pics of team Transfusion here.

From Porto Cervo, it was a dash north to Kiel, Germany to do a week of coaching with the Star crew of Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk. Between these two guys, there are several World championships in classes such as the Star, Laser, Finn, Farr40, Mumm30, as well as an Americas Cup win and an Olympic Silver for Craig. To beasked to help them in the Star was an honour for me. The week went very well. It was a build-up for the guys towards the Europeans, which is being held in Kiel and also the Worlds, which are being held in Sweden during early August. Some happy snaps of the boys here.

So, now it’s back to be a Dad for a few weeks. Can’t wait!

Things have been quiet since the Etchells Worlds in Melbourne. Work has consisted of helping the Farr40 team Transfusion prepare for their Worlds in Sardinia, some etchells coaching on the harbour, working on various Stars at our little Pittwater fleet and starting the planning for the Gotta Love It 7 team for next year’s 18 footer season. i have also done some days as coach for the CYCA’s Youth Sailing Academy. So, keeping busy, without being out of control.

It’s been an opportunity to spend some time with each of the kids and be a part of the family. This is something I missed out on in the years and months leading up to the Olympics last year.

Been doing a fair amount of bike riding, mainly with Twirler in the magnificent Kuringai national park on the west side of Pittwater. I also bought a paddle ski and have been getting to the point where I do more paddling than swimming (very unstable). It’s nice to get out on the water and do a workout that balances out the bike-riding a bit.

Off to Europe for the best part of six weeks very soon. On the agenda is Holland Regatta in the Star (with Flavio Marazzi of Switzerland). Then sailing on Lang Walker’s superyacht Kokomo in two regatta in Sardinia. Finally, the Transfusion boys arrive to sardinia and I work with them as coach for their worlds. Back home early July. not many plans beyond that, other than sailing with Stephen Ainsworth and Cameron Miles aboard Loki for Hamilton Island Race Week in late August.

Thats it for now.