Brazilian Trophies

The Clipper Races to Brazil are always colourful and fun. The parties are quite the best, even if they only have 48 hours to organise them. The most memorable act was when one of the warrior dancers spun like a top on his head. WARNING: Do not try this at home or in the Office.

The picture on the left shows a young Alex Thomson (23!) collecting his first prize on behalf of the crew of Arial. The Clipper Fleet had raced from Madeira and this was the start of Alex pulling out an unstoppable lead and eventually winning the 96 Race. The figures on the right are some that have been presented to me either on the race or when running it. They prove to be a challenging cleaning task.

Another of the great memories from Salvador, apart from Dayse, was the girls that ran the crew information desk. Dominique, the visit coordinator, took his job of interviewing them very seriously and spun the process out over several weeks. The result was that they all spoke good English, where all very well educated, had super rich Daddies and were quite, quite beautiful. This time however I have gone for a picture of Alex ….. sorry.

People - Joe Caddick

It is always a joy when one interviews potential crew members for the Clipper Race and then get to know them well over a period of two years or so while they train and then sail on the race. Joe Caddick is just such a person. A great character and true Scouser he now runs his family business which builds Water Witch vessels that go around harbours collecting rubbish. They have been immensely successful and are used in hundreds of ports round the world. This of course meant that Joe’s circumnavigation in the Clipper Race was a sales tour, and as such obviously gained the attendant financial advantages!

The original pollution control workboat was invented by Joe’s father Francis who was a barge operator specialising in the transport of solid waste. Francis developed the Water Witch in the early 1960's to solve the dangerous problem of floating debris, in the Port of Liverpool.

The unique design was an immediate success - now there are Water Witch workboats providing a reliable service world-wide including, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, USA, South Africa and throughout Europe. http://www.waterwitch.com/

The photo shows a very smart version of one of Joe’s Water Witch’s in Glasgow harbour pushing its own gash barge. Note Glasgow Clipper in the background.

When the Clipper Race started from Liverpool Joe organised a formation of Water Witch’s to join the steam past.

I took this picture of Joe in Qingdao, China – not a lot of doubt about which football team he supports.

People - Hilary Lister

GUEST ARTICLE BY KELS GILKISON
If you found yourself completely quadriplegic, unable to move anything other than your mouth, eyes & head, what would you do? What would you be thinking? Would you want to end you life? A bit hard to do though, when the hand you need, can only be your own and it is paralysed.

I have been asking myself what would I do, how would I cope? The reason? Not because I find myself in this position, but because I am now organising a different kind of sailing event. Not a race, in a sense, but the dream of a quadriplegic lady.

You may have read or heard about Hilary Lister. In 2005, she sailed solo across the English Channel to enter the record books for completing the world’s longest solo sail by a quadriplegic. Hilary sailed by sucking & blowing down two straws, (one to sheet in and out the sails, the other to move the rudder from side to side). She took 6 hours and 13 minutes to cross the English channel in a 26’ Soling. Quite an achievement, even for an able body solo sailor!

Now Hilary wants to sail around Britain. Hilary is leaving in June this year from Cowes and will be sailing anti-clockwise around Britain, via the Caledonian Canal and down the east coast of Ireland. She’ll be stopping at many ports on her 3-4 month sail.

Hilary is an inspirational woman and I often forget when chatting with her, that she is quadriplegic. She is incredibly witty and bright. Hilary is also a qualified Biochemist, but unfortunately never got the chance to work in her chosen field.

Hilary’s condition did not happen overnight like many quadriplegics. Hilary did not dive into a shallow pool nor was she involved in an accident. Hilary actually has a progressive degenerative disease (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) that has slowly moved up from her feet to her neck, leaving her paralysed as it moves upward. Diagnosed when she was 15, it was not something a teenager really needs to deal with. Hilary knew that it would only be a matter of time before the disease took away the use of all her limbs. Still, she never let her condition control her life and as the disease slowly took away the use of her legs, then her arms, she found other things to do until such time as the only thing left to move, was her head. So she took up sailing……!

'Would I have that same spirit, were I in her position?' It is a question I often find myself asking. Hilary tells me 'Of course I would, anyone would', but I’m not so sure.

I said I was involved in a race of a different kind. Well it is a race in a way, Hilary’s life expectancy is only a few more years, so to her it’s a race. A race to sail solo round Britain before her own time runs out.
You can read more about Hilary on her website www.hilarylister.com

Kels kels@two-chapters.com

NAS v OSS

Top: Sarah buys fresh fish in Hong Kong - OSS
Bottom: Thumper buys lettuce over the internat - NAS

FEATURE BY: Sander Den Haring
New Age Shopping, or ‘shopping on line’ is fast becoming the norm. I shall call this by the TLA* acronym NAS. Conventional shops obviously still exist for what I shall call ‘Old School Shopping’ or OSS. We still enjoy spending hours on end wandering from shop to shop, social interactions, getting the right size, advice and some things just cannot be found.
* Three letter acronym

Most of us have purchased an item online and have had mixed feeling from enjoyment, boredom, hatred, doubts, elation or many other emotional feelings. Let's face it though, isn’t that what all shopping is all about?

Of course you can mix NAS and OSS. One tactic that works well is requesting advice about the various items from shops and once all the information has been gathered, and your decision made, you then surf the net and explore the different prices offered. This is getting the best of both worlds but it is fair on the shops? Well the the shops offer a service and. if this is good enough, they will survive. If not, sadly, they will not; I, and I suspect you, will not be treating them as a charity.

There is an abundance of stock to be purchased from the internet and http://www.google.com/ will most likely lead you in the right direction but here are some of my own favourite sites that I pass on to those brave enough to venture into the electronic shopping mall.

http://www.7dayshop.com/ : Very useful link for electronic/computer accessories such as batteries (rechargeable and not), flash memory, cameras, camera memory, ink cartridges and toners, writeable media (cd’s, dvd’s etc).

http://www.mx2.com/: Similar to 7dayshop but more for ink cartridges, digital cameras, mp3 players.

http://www.play.com/ : If dvd movies, books, games or music is your hobby then visit this e-shop you must.

http://www.amazon.com/ This e-shop is very well known for its books but you find a variety of other items for sale as well. The thing about the books I like is that they will also give you the choice between a new book and a second hand book (if available). One can also sell books through this website.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ : The very well known e-auction they also have similar sites in different countries. You need it, they got it. Also if you wish to clear out your loft, house garage, don’t throw it away, rather, take a photo, place it on ebay and get money for it!

The next three sites all deal with printing digital photos (also develop and print negatives and even slides). However, they all have a multitude of sales and good deals.
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/
http://www.dlab7.com/ : cheapest prints I’ve found thus far
http://www.photobox.co.uk/: allows you to set up a user account and share your pics with anyone who cares to look at them and print them. Only need to upload pics once and continually print then from there. Also a wide variety of other photo things available (pic on mug, custom made calendar, posters etc…)

There are a multitude of other e-shops in the worldwide mall and we would all like to learn your favorite stores. Please send Thumper the addresses and let’s shop till we drop …..or until the batteries in our laptops die, or the internet connection is lost, or until our bosses disconnect us from the internet.

T- Shirt: CARNEIGI'S, Wanchai HK

Carnegie's - HOME OF THE LEGENDARY LADIES NIGHT! Wednesdays FREE Champagne all night for all ladies. The only bar in HK where you can actually dance ON the bar!

Yes, this is all true and what is more they were enthusiastic sponsors for some of the Charity nights at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club during the Clipper visit in 2003.

http://www.carnegies.net/.

Although getting the converted T-shirt, what I did not know was why it was called Carnegies read on!

The chain of bars around Asia is named after the famous Scot, Andrew Carnegie. (1835 – 1919). A major and widely respected philanthropist. He is known for having built one of the most powerful and influential corporations in United States history, and, later in his life, giving away most of his riches to fund the establishment of many libraries, schools, and universities in Scotland, America and worldwide.

Carnegie, a poor boy with fierce ambition, a pleasant personality, and devoted to both hard work and self improvement, started as a telegrapher. By the 1860s he had investments in railroads, railroad sleeping cars, as well as bridges and oil derricks, and built a fortune as a bond salesman raising money in Europe for American enterprises. In the 1870s he founded the Carnegie Steel Company, a step which cemented his name as one of the “Captains of Industry”. By the 1890s it was the largest and most profitable industrial enterprise in the world. He sold it in 1901 and devoted the remainder of his life to large scale philanthropy, with special emphasis on local libraries, world peace, and scientific research
With grateful acknowledgement to Wikipedia

el Morro Castle, Havana

This decorative plate was presented to me when the second Clipper race visited Marina Hemingway, just to the west of Havana, in December 1998.

Our hosts in Cuba were The Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba with the ever cheerful Commodore, José Miguel Díaz Escrich. José is still very much in evidence and continues to encourage yachtsmen from all nations to visit his marina.

The plate shows el Morro Castle which dominates the eastern entrance to Havana harbour. It was built by Juan Bautista Antonelli, an Italian engineer in 1589 when Cuba was under the control of Spain.

Built in response to raids on Havana harbour, el Morro protected the mouth of the harbour with a chain being strung out across the to the fort at La Punta. It first saw action in 1762 when Lord Albemarle landed in Cojimar and attacked the fort from its rear. It fell because the English could command the high ground so when they had handed the island back to the Spanish the fort at La Cabaña was built to prevent this happening again.

Sunday Quiz - Thumper MRE

Several observant people have asked me why I have MRE after my name. I thought this would be a good question to throw out to everyone! Please send your suggestions (polite ones please) to me at thumper.demowbray@virgin.net by Saturday 24 Feb. The answer will be revealed next Sunday and there will be a mystery prize for the first correct answer pulled out of the hat.
Thumper MRE, Editor, Colin's Place

Eco Warriors from Devon

Here’s a fun website about a Devon carpenter who is going to sail around most of Britain in his tiny home made boat spreading the word that low carbon living is fun and easy.
In each destination visited Mukti Mitchell and his boat, “Chance”, will be greeted by local and national celebrities as well as famous environmentalists. There will be events displaying low-carbon products from insulation to bicycles, public transport, local food and low-energy holidays - all the elements of a low carbon lifestyle.
“A lot of the best things in life are low-carbon by nature – exercise and socializing are good examples – and the really good bit is that low-carbon activities save money and make you feel good” - says Mukti. Details can be found on his web at http://www.lowcarbonlifestyle.co.uk/

Maybe Mukti and his near Devon neighbour Sir Robin Knox-Johnston should get together. The later is on his low-carbon trip round the world in the VELUX 5 Oceans Race.

Great news, recently in, is that he has moved up to third place. He has done this with almost zero carbon emissions but does have limited supplied of ‘the barley’ and ‘the grape’. It is worth remembering that there were 8 entrants in the VELUX 5 Oceans Race, 7 of whom started and five that are still racing. It is definitely worth looking at Sir Robin’s progress as he approaches Cape Horn. http://www.velux5oceans.com/

Should we be looking at the carbon credit generated by the Clipper Race. 180 people sailing 35,000 miles? That’s 6,300,000 miles of carbon credit…….

Note by Editor Thumper:
The Editor is not totally convinced about the above logic. What would happen if no boats sailed on the Clipper Race or if Sir Robin had stayed at home? In these cases would there be more damage to the environment than with them sailing? Maybe we should be sending more people off to sail round the world to save the planet. Please let me have your comments!

People - Patrice Wymore Flynn

This is a picture of a very special lady we met when the Clipper Race visited Port Antonio in Jamaica in June 2005. Patrice Wymore Flynn is Errol Flynn’s widow and she lives on an estate in the hills behind the picturesque harbour. She and Errol Flynn moved to Port Antonio in the 1950s and he was responsible for developing tourism to this area, including raft trips down rivers on bamboo rafts – still a popular attraction today.

While the Clipper Fleet was in port the marina was renamed Errol Flynn Marina and Patrice, as Guest of Honour, won everyone’s hearts by her wonderful presence. The picture shows her on the bridge of the Jamaican Coast Cutter at the race start. The insert is of my signed T-shirt which is only worn for very special occasions – in this case leaving Yeovil Hospital with my new body parts.

There are several books on the colourful life Errol Flynn lived. I have just ordered the following – purely in the name of research:
My Wicked, Wicked Ways by Errol Flynn • First Pub 1959
http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Wicked-Ways-Errol-Flynn/dp/1845130499

COMPETITION - Name the bride!

Happy memories of this wedding in Hawaii of two Clipper crew members in Feb 1997. Here I am checking on the bride’ teeth as part of my duties as Skipper of Chrysolite in the first Clipper race in 1996. Of course in those days Skippers and crew took reefers jackets as part of their shore rig, just in case they had to go to a wedding, …. and as for the pig tail, that lasted until Singapore.

Well if you are an Aussie marrying a Brit it is quite logical to get married in Hawaii, that way it is really inconvenient for all the families and friends. The wedding was in the Chapel of the Sea in downtown Honolulu just behind the famous Waikiki beach. This was 4 years before the race went to the marina at Ko Olina on the west end of the island where there were two ‘wedding chapels’ in the grounds – both full booked every hour, on the hour – mainly by Japanese. Is this a challenge coming up for crew in the next race?!

Name the Bride and Groom to claim a collector’s T-shirt. Names please to thumper.demowbray@virgin.net Draw for the winner will be made Friday 23 Feb.

Me and my Bosideng!

The Clipper Fleet was due to visit Shanghai in March 2003. Part of the sponsorship for this visit was from a Chinese firm called Bosideng who are reputed to be the largest manufacturers of down jackets in the world.

Because of berthing problems and the onset of SARs the boats never got to Shanghai and so only the winning Glasgow crew and the three staff got jackets. A great shame as I can honestly say that the jacket is quite my favourite*. Light and warm and very comfortable and it packs up into a tiny space. In fact it is so, so nice that mine has been stolen by my son – I suspect he will return it for the summer.
*Skillfully modelled here by the beautiful Nurse Lucy

Quote from the Bosideng website:
For down garments, the shell fabrics currently in vogue both at home and abroad including extra fine peachskin flannelette …… whitened fabrics having high scientific and technological content are used. As for color, faking into consideration the fashion color popular at home and abroad, we apropriately control the aroma and lightness, bravely use contrast color, combine if and the variable "O", "A" and "H" shapes into one organic whole and have designed many new garments fit for people of different age groups and with different cultural tastes……..
http://english.jschina.com.cn/gb/jschina/english/biz/products/userobject1ai936417.shtml

Sir Robin does it with Gordons

The picture shows a slightly unusual scene, even for the Point Yacht Club in Durban. During the Clipper Race visit to Durban in November 2005, the day before the race start, one of the yachts had a problem with an air bubble in their main binnacle (compass). The liquid is only in the compass to provide damping so the delicately balanced card does not jump about and spin round as it is affected by the acceleration and deceleration caused by the boat’s movement.

The old established belief is that the liquid in the compass is pure alcohol and many a ship has come to grief after its binnacle has been drained and replaced with water or some unsuitable liquid. I will not go into the irresistible attraction between pure alcohol and seafarers other than to say that on occasions some may have mistakenly believed there are better places for this than in a binnacle, even if it has the reverse effect to damping the humans who drink it.

Sir Robin immediately rose to the challenge. The whole compass would have to be drained and then filled with the best substitute available. In this case it was Gordon’s gin. Having settled down at the ‘regulars’ end’ of the bar, he found no shortage of volunteers. Unfortunately the screw hole which was used for filling the compass was very small and the only way of filling it was with a syringe. This was slow and thirsty work. After several cries of ‘a double for my compass and the same for my friends’ it became obvious to all (other than those involved), that success was by no means guaranteed.

The Bar staff at the Point Yacht Club are smart and pointed out the merits of buying gin by the bottle and slowly and surely the filling hole became smaller – and kept on ‘ …bloody well moving around’.

And the outcome? Justin Haller, the Maintenance Manager (left of picture) fitted a perfectly working compass the next day two hours before the race start.*
* This was the one he bought on a ‘sale and return’ the previous afternoon ….earning him the name of Just In Case Haller.

New York City Sports Commission

This is a genuine American Base Ball Cap and was given to me in 2004 by Ken Podziba, New York City’s Sports Commissioner. The Mayor of New York has various Commissioners who run the different City Departments. Ken Podziba has been in the post since Feb 1988 and is responsible for many of the arrangements in getting visiting sports events to New York. He was also very involved in New York’s unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Olympics – hopefully we will see him in London.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/sports/html/home.html

In the right hand picture the Commissioner is presenting a plaque to Sam Fuller who was skipper of Liverpool 08 for the race from Jamaica to New York in July 2006.

People - James Landale

If you missed The Last Duel on BBC 2 last Friday night, don’t worry as I am sure it will be shown again. It’s a story of two men who fought to the death with pistols in 1826. David Landale, a respected merchant, reluctantly provoked into an unwanted duel, the other a professional soldier, steeped in military tradition. The professional soldier also happened to be the merchant’s bank manager. It would end with the death of one man and mark the demise of a 600-year-old ritual.

One hundred and eighty years after the duel was fought, James Landale, a descendant of the linen merchant, and an ex-Clipper crew from the 2000 race retraces his ancestor’s steps. James has also written a book on the subject called Duel. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Duel-True-Story-Death-Honour/dp/1841958220
James was Political Editor for The Times when he crewed in London Clipper. His fiancé, Cath meanwhile was a crewmember in Jersey Clipper and so there was great rivalry between them, especially as one waited impatiently for the other to finish. James is now the Chief Political Correspondent of BBC News 24 but has found time to publish as second book called Landale's Cautionary Tales - comic verse for the 21st century. ISBN: 1 84195 847 6
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Landales-Cautionary-Tales-Comic-Century/dp/1841958476/ref=pd_sim_b_2/202-7297246-3084669

With Hilaire Belloc firmly in mind James Landale has created a gallery of awful children doing dreadful – but very modern – things. His book of warnings for children and parents alike brings Belloc’s verses bang up to date, for example:

Percy
Who Swore and broke the Law

The foulest mouth I ever knew
Belonged to Percy Pelligrew,
A little boy who thought it fun
To swear and curse at everyone.
He’d say ‘damn
this’ and ‘balls to
that’
And ‘stuff it up your effing hat’

So did you know a Percy Who Swore and broke the Law or a Gloria Bone who:

was Apt to
Drone
All day upon her Mobile
Phone.
The moment she got out of
Bed
She clamped the thing fast to
Her head
And would put it down only if
Her signal was a tad Skew-Whiff.

Here is poetic justice for the modern sins of children and, occasionally, their parents too.
Meet Gloria, a young shopaholic who learns the value of money the hard way (Moral: “If you shop until you drop / One day the trust fund will stop”); or Jonathan, who picks more than his nose (Moral: “Orificial exploration / Is but good in moderation”).

T-Shirt CARDIFF

This T-Shirt was one of the Cardiff Clipper crew shirts in the Clipper 05-06 race which was presented to me. With the advantage of a strong red colour and a fearsome Welsh dragon, Cardiff had simple and effective branding on their boat and their banners.

Cardiff's school programme was very enthusiastically run and included a comprehensive display in the Cardiff Bay museum. This had a life sized mock up of part of the Clipper cabin with bunks and even the yacht’s heads (toilet) to illustrate what living conditions were like for the crew.

ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS

The VELUX 5 Oceans race site reports: Shortly before 21:30 UTC last night, the Swiss skipper scorched passed the Horn on a single gybe at 16 knots, leaving the infamous island to port. ….The 10:20 UTC position poll places Stamm just past the Isla de Los Estados, north-east of Cape Horn in the South Atlantic.

This great achievement by Bernard Stamm brings significant memories back to me and I know a select band of others .... but for a completely different reason.

Here is a summary of an event in the area not far away on 10 May 1982:
That night as HMS ARROW moved to the north end of Falkland Sound, sister ship HMS ALACRITY prepared to sail right through from the south for the first time to flush out any supply ships. As she passed up the Sound, ALACRITY detected a small ship apparently heading for Port Howard, and using her single 4.5 inch, illuminated with star shell. Refusing to stop, the target was engaged in the only surface action of the war and after a number of hits, exploded and sank with heavy casualties. Reportedly there were only two survivors from what turned out to be the naval transport ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS carrying fuel and military supplies. ALACRITY carried on through to meet ARROW, and on Tuesday morning, both ships headed back to the carriers.

Being a member of HMS ALACRITY’s ship’s company I can tell you we were doing more than ‘flushing out’ enemy ships. Prior to the planned landings at San Carlos, up to date information was required on the threat of mining in the narrow straits to the north of the Sound. Frigates aren’t normally used as minesweepers and no one on board needed to be told what our mission really was.

It turned out that ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS’ cargo included mines due to be laid in the Sound. There can be no better example of the perfect way to sweep mines than sink the ship carrying them. It therefore gives me great pleasure to refute CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION in Scuttlebutt 2268 published 26 January 2007 when they stated:
Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once.
WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

For information, 2007 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Falkland’s War

Segway at work

I had my first experience of a Segway when Clipper Fleet visited the Kolina Marina in Hawaii in February 2003. The Marketing Department had one and I finally wore them down and they let me have a go. For those that don’t know about Segways they are scooters with the wheels abeam rather than in line ahead. They should fall over but this is the clever bit and they remain vertical by a clever system of gyros. To move forward you lean forward and off you go! To slow you lean backwards. Turning is done by a thumb control. Quite quickly you become like the Mecon* on a magic transporter, terrorizing other path users.
*That is the Mecon from Dan Dare in The Eagle for the junior generation

Now Segways are used by police and security guards and even the military. I note from their website you can now even get a 2 x 2 for cross country work or talking the baby to its crèche.

Apart from being fun, and guaranteeing that the owner the centre of attraction, they have the benefit that you can go on a 5 mile ‘walk’ on your Segway and take no exercise at all.

Segways come at a price and the website is careful not to explain just what price. For now I’ll stick to my bike but if anyone does go out and buy one ‘please can I borrow it?’
http://find.segway.com/

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

I always enjoy this comparison as it is such a good example of the development in Hong Kong. The picture shows Kellet Island which was the old naval powder magazine before the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club moved there in 1938. It was re-opened in 1945 after the war and the causeway was built in 1951 when the harbour area was reclaimed.

Yacht racing first started in Hong Kong in 1849, some 148 years before the first Clipper race called at the RHKYC at Kellet Island. The Clipper race joined up with the RHKYC’s San Fernando race in April 2001 and we have always had a close connection with this very prestigious and famous club. The Clipper 2002 race had an entry called Hong Kong Clipper and let’s hope that one day in the future we will again have a boat in the race representing Hong Kong.

The club has special memories for me as I was a member while staioned in Hong Kong between 1986 and 1988.

A full history of the Club can be found at http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/default.aspx?c=131

Sister in Whorehouse

I got this T-shirt while flying helicopters on exchange service with the USN.

As in the Royal Navy, the American naval jet jockeys, or stovies, all consider themselves from the Top Gun mould and there is good, and sometimes strong, banter between them and the more naturally talented and charming helicopter pilots.

Fred de-Labilliere, who was an extremely distinguished RN stovie and universally admired, won the day at his leaving dinner by stating that he would rather have VD recorded in his Medical Documents than helicopter hours recorded in his Flying Log Book. This was a remark difficult to top ……

The T-shirt above was a successful campaign by the helicopter pilots in NAS NORFOLK to stick one up the fighter pilots’ jet pipe.

Look what a innocent appearance it has from the front. I believe it would have been life threatening to wear the T-shirt to Happy Hour at NAS OCEANA down the road – the home of the F-14!

I am happy to confirm that neither occupation is relevant to my model Clare's brother or sister!

Sunday's Cartoon

AIRCRAFT OVERBOARD

By Commodore John Peddie, Royal New Zealand Navy

Some thirty years ago I was serving as the second in command of the New Zealand Navy frigate "WAIKATO", exercising off the east Australian coast with a navy task force. We encountered a classic southerly buster and the weather deteriorated to storm force conditions.

Suddenly we received a plain language message that the aircraft carrier MELBOURNE had lost an aircraft overboard. A fixed wing aircraft was being moved around the flight deck by 'tractor' when both began to slide towards the ship' side as the aircraft carrier rolled in the stormy conditions. The tractor drive had orders to release the aircraft in this situation and did so. The aircraft slid over the side, in the cockpit was a very frightened aircraft handler. Fortunately the aircraft floated but all hell was breaking loose in the ships nearby.

My ship, WAIKATO, was the only one to have a helicopter embarked and the Captain ordered "Scramble the Wasp (helicopter)", an order reserved for emergencies. We turned into the wind to prepare to launch in the atrocious conditions and were struck on our port side by a huge wave. It was readily apparent that to launch our little Wasp in these conditions was foolhardy. We focused on damage to the upper deck, including retrieving lifejacket lockers that had been broken free by the force of the wave.

In the meantime, an Australian Navy destroyer was drawing alongside the still floating aircraft and in an incredible feat of bravery, the ships diver leaped into the sea with an axe and smashed the aircraft cockpit open, dragging out the terrified man inside. The diver himself was badly gashed and bruised in the incident but both were saved.

The photo shows the height of the seas, which will be familiar to many Clipper sailors although they are relatively short. You can see the guardrails on the flight deck bent back. A deck higher the torpedo tubes were bent off their mounting by the wave. The two men towards the stern of the ship are my Chief Bosun's Mate and me. We are passing lifesaving kit down a ladder and were about to be pooped by the wave coming over the stern. Half a second later the two of us were in a bundle at the bottom of ladder followed by thousands of pounds of water! The Flight Deck Officer, in white overalls, is uttering an expletive before diving under the part opened hangar door.

Soon after, the Australians cancelled the exercise and we gratefully returned to Sydney for repairs. Luck was with us that day.

People – Simon Rowell

Simon Rowell joined Clipper from the UKSA in 2001 and now returns there as Head of Yachting; maybe he will get his old hook back for his oil skins.

I first met Simon at the Boat Show in Jan 2001 when he applied to be a replacement Clipper Skipper. Sure enough the wheel of fortune turned and three months later he left the UKSA and flew out to Hong Kong to join Leeds Clipper and race the boat back to Portsmouth.

History repeated itself in Clipper 2002 when Simon set off to Cuba to apply his magic touch as the replacement Skipper in Jersey Clipper. His competitive streak came out and, after a hard nine month battle, he sailed Jersey victoriously into Liverpool. On a subsequent visit to Jersey all the islanders feted him and his crew; there was even talk of allowing him to live in Jersey!

Next, as Deputy Race Director for Clipper 05-06, he ended up packing his bags at short notice and heading for Jersey Clipper in Qingdao, China. At 6,000 miles, this was the longest ever leg of any Clipper race and with the beautiful weather, fair winds and breathtaking scenery of the North West Pacific in April, he was keen to add these treasured memories to his experience. On arrival in Victoria he joyously jumped onto the pontoon, thereby wrecking his back and making quite sure that, this time, he would return to UK in an aeroplane.

One record he is not allowed to forget is for the greatest number of litres of fuel in a Clipper 60. This was achieved in Singapore when the fuelling pump was only stopped as the crew member making the tea wondered why she was standing ankle deep in a pool of diesel. (It would be unfair to mention 3,500 litres …. and no one would believe it anyway – or was it gallons!)

Simon is XXL in size, heart and style and his departure will leave a big hole in Clipper. His ebullient character, permanent smile* and endless list of friends and contacts has made him part of the Clipper scenery. Above all, and most importantly, he will be missed for his professional sailing qualities and his talent of running a happy and extremely efficient ship.
* …with possible exception in the NW Pacific

T- Shirt BEANZ

This is the first of several pictures of T-Shirts charmingly displayed by the famous model Lucy Hopkins who kindly popped down to Somerset specially so she could be photographed in my T-Shirt collection.

Every T-shirt tells a story and this, is, indeed a special one. BEANZ is an acronym for Bicycle Expedition Around New Zealand. This was a 3,500 mile expedition which I organised in 1994 as one of my last ‘good ideas’ in the Royal Navy. It came under the guise of Character and Initiative Training. The ‘Initiative’ aspect was persuading our bosses that we should have 7 weeks off so we past that with flying colours. I was not able to be so convincing about the ‘Character Training’. After 32 years in the RN’ I fear some of us were lost causes. ….and was it going to be relevant for my last 3 months in the service anyway?

We managed to bicycle round both islands and reach both Cape Reinga in the north and Bluff in the south. Having recently been back to New Zealand and travelled round in a camper van, I must admit that the thought of doing it on a bicycle was quite daunting and brought back memories of our motto ‘Et Cyclum Adnauseam’. Mind you, we were humbled one night when we met a couple who had bicycled through India, Nepal and all the way down to Indonesia before going round New Zealand.

If anyone is planning on bicycling around NZ they are welcome to borrow the BEANZ report.