15. Spirited away
Telefonica Black
Lance Shepherd
Sun 2 Feb 2020 06:19
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15:15.729N 058:10.144W - Distance to Antigua: 215 nm
- ETA: 03/02/2020 14.00h ish
When the distance to go ticks down ever lower,
and the wind carries hints of rum with faint rings of steel drums, it
is difficult to shake the growing sense of melancholy and the ever building air
of journey's end. As my time aboard Telefonica draws to a close I am faced with
the bittersweet task of recounting the events and happenings of the last few
months and condensing them into consumable form.
My first port of call when confronted by such a task was
my newly purchased log book, however I quickly realised, that, apart from all
the dreary dates and distances, all the excitement of life on board meant I
had not written down a single sentence about the daily goings on. As I sat there
calculating however, I swiftly came to realise these very same droll
denominators told a story all of their own. Below are
some summary statistics of a Telefonica existence.
From departing Palma de Mallorca to
anticipated arrival in Antigua,
In 66 days with the boat:
33 days at sea,
5615nm logged,
294 hours sailed at night,
34 different crew members met,
8 different Islands/countries visited,
3 different Seas/Oceans sailed.
While days at sea, miles through water, and hours
over night are all nice to have the greatest takings from this adventure are
with no shadow of a doubt the skills gained, and the characters
met.
Yes 5615 miles is a long way and 33 days a long time, 34
crew each coming with memories of their antics on board leaves me with many a
funny story to tell and many a friend to stop in with if I'm ever passing
by.
On top of this the problem solving, leadership, and
practical skills I have learninged with Lance, Claire, and James will all be
invaluable when approaching future tasks.
Some background information about how I joined
Telefonica Black.
I was an 18 year old greenie with no real yachting
experience despite what my CV was trying to insinuate, living in Palma
de Mallorca at the end of the season looking for a "break" into the yachting
world. While my goal was a role on a superyacht it was one of my great desires
to do some proper sailing, and when a post on the Facebook group Palma Yacht
Crew detailed such an itinerary I leapt at the opportunity. I sent an
introductory email to Claire who responded swiftly asking me to come
and visit them in Port de Mallorca. Its rare that a 70' boat can look small
however when I did what greenies to best and pottered down the dock, looking for
this "volvo race boat" thing I managed to miss it first time round. Hidden 2
meters below the level of the dock with 2 100'+ yachts abrest I will admit
she didn't quite strike the imposing figure I had expected. Though when I met
James on board who gave me a quick tour of the boat and the low down of what to
expect I was instantly sold that this was the boat for me. I clearly said
something right as after a brief chat with Lance and Claire
who came down the dock a few minutes later it was announced that the boat
was leaving at 9 am the next day and would I like to join them. There
was only one possible answer to that question.
Since then I have traversed the
Mediterranean, raced around active volcanoes, weathered storms and squalls
that truly test your mettle, eaten pastizzis in malta, pizzas in
italy, climbed the rock of Gibraltar, and crossed vast oceans. To list but a
meager few.
The opportunities this experience has opened for me are
already coming thick and fast and I know that come Antigua there will be many
more.
To try do justice explaining what she is like
to sail is an exercise in futility. You simply have to experience it, nothing
quite compares. Even when catching air in my bunk beating into a gale during the
Rolex Middle Sea I had a grin on my face. And when rudely awaked to clamber onto
the bow sprit to untangle a furling block one dark stormy night whilst she
was charging along at 20 knts it was done with glee. Whether racing or
delivering she's always a pleasure, and when in port you can't help but long to
be at sea.
Alex
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