In the meantime I have been getting back to basics and sailing as much as possible. 10,000 hours, so they say, to get really good at anything. So there’s a long way to go. But I have done a lot of sailing over the last year and have plans to do a lot more. I’ve been spending time in Victoria, BC and am still stunned by the environment, the light, the ocean – resulting in a small obsession with ‘half and half’ photographs (half sky half water – this started in the Baltic, actually, whilst sailing in the archipelagos of Stockholm and Oland).

This is out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca fishing.

You drop your head (to a book, a notebook) and then look up and it’s changed

See the Olympic mountains in the background and even the fishing line visible against the water. However we never catch anything while I’m out there – I don’t think the Buddha wants me too!

And again from a sailing boat – ringed by crystal mountains, the telltale fluttering from the shrouds.

Sometimes it’s so quiet out there you can hear nothing but the hiss of the water on the hull, and ropes running through the rigging as you gently tweak. And the sails are reflected on the water.

These are test photos of my foray in to able-bodied dinghy sailing at Bartley reservoir just on the edge of Brum. I love the RS400! Fun, fast and physical and the guys up there have been brilliant to me. I also love Bartley because it so Brummie – a half-demolished tower block in one direction and the snow-covered Beeches in the other. If you look closely at the first photo you can see my one leg in the crewing position!

Limp flags and very quiet waters beyond…

And yesterday we had what our coach calls a ‘racing day’ when one mistake in each race cost us 4 or 5 places. In the first race we tacked too close to another boat coming into the windward mark and had to do a 360 degree penalty; then in the second race we gybed out of the last whisper of a dying breeze after being first to the windward mark. Frustrating!

We are one point above our rivals in the trials which of course is too close for comfort. But there should be more breeze today and we are keeping our heads up.

Today will be our day!

And here is a great picture of us training in a nice breeze before the regatta started.

Then into the dock came this creature

A manatee, or sea cow. They are the size of cows too! They come into the dock for a drink of fresh water from the hose pipes, very endearing with their big seal-like eyes; but the propellor scars and barnacles on their backs tell a different story.

Then yesterday we were hooning downwind in 20+ knots and came to a juddering halt as we hooked a lobster pot with our keel. Fortunately no damage that we can see but it was a heart-stopping moment.

Day off today (although I am don’t think I’ll be able to keep away from a bit of boat tweaking…), then registration for the regatta tomorrow, boats back in the water and a test sail before racing starts on Monday.

This is it!

The doctors say all I can do is strap it, ice it and take painkillers so that’s what I’m doing.

The regatta starts a week today, 28th January so send lots of healing powers over the ocean. We still have boat preparation to do and were hoping to get more training hours in, but the fates have blown different challenges our way.

Thanks for your messages and responses.

Your all Greek mythically
Jxx

And one with Miami in the background.
This is sailing in January!

The boat has been named ‘Ryushin’, a Buddhist name meaning ‘Dragon Heart’, which we hope will be a good omen for China (it also makes a great logo!)

Dusk was falling by the time we finished installing kit and rigging her, here is Matt paddling her across the dock.

and us toasting her in the dark!

By this time we were hot, sweaty and far too dirty for our new boat, but very excited and happy to have her on the water at last. Today we will take her out sailing, anticipating a lot of tweaking and fiddling still to get her right but it’s SO good to have a boat again.

In case you were wondering about the weather over here, take a look at this natural swimming pool we went to at the weekend. Bliss… although I did dream that it was full of crocs! (it’s not)

Frustrating but we’ve done everything we can to speed up procedures and now have to be patient and speak nicely to the harrassed girl at the shipping agents. Crossed fingers for tomorrow. I’ve read lots of Hemingway (and contemplated a visit to his house in Key West, sadly we have to stay reasonably close to the container drop off point in Coconut Grove just in case. The six toed cats, descendents of one of ‘Papa’s’ can been see on ‘cat-cam’ though). I’ve also done my outstanding marking, knitted and am even contemplating looking at the manuscript of my sadly-neglected novel today. But the sun is shining! Us vitamin-D deprived Brits need to get outside…

Yesterday we went to the Everglades and went on an airboat ride.

Here is Allan bracing himself for a fast 360 degree turn. I did have an image of him sliding out into the croc-swamp…

I’m not terribly keen on crocs (have enough bits missing already, thanks), but the ride was great fun and I liked the swampy, tropical landscape. Bought some giant mangoes on the way home from a stall called ‘Robert is Here’, which had its own musician playing Country as people bought avocadoes the size of footballs and collards (greens) half the size of my kitchen.

Hopefully going for a swim today but not here!
And say a few prayers to the God of Amenable Customs Agents.

Love to all at home
Jx

The glamour of Olympic sailing… an industrial estate outside Southampton, waiting 6 hours for the container to arrive.

So we’ve just finished our last training session in -17 wind chill. No other nutters to be seen in Weymouth bay apart from two 49ers and they didn’t stay out long. But it did give us a chance to test our final bits of equipment before Miami so was well worth it (they need tweaking, naturally). I am now trying to channel the fit out of the new boat into a suitably dormant part of my brain until after Christmas otherwise I won’t sleep!

And another bit of video of us sailing.

Flying 1st Jan to the sun!

I have also been trying some amateur filming:

Talking of World Class Day, we all got glammed up for the Skandia Team GBR Awards Dinner (aka ‘penguins and princesses’) on Friday night, and a glittering affair it was. I’m not sure my scabby knuckles really went with the post-box red nail varnish (my new seat bites!) but you have to make an effort.

The evening was great fun – the Champagne helps – and inspirational to see all our World Champion sailors up on the ‘Skandia Stairway to Heaven’ as well as on the dance floor later on.

And another video clip; gybing practice with the new seats, they do lurch about a bit alarmingly, but we’re getting there.

Miami in a month!

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