Why the Volvo Ocean Race is the toughest of its kind

Could you face a gruelling 45,000 
nautical miles across four oceans in seven months? Gentleman’s Journal steps on-board Turn the Tide on Plastic to get a glimpse into the crew’s mettle

“I was right at the front when the second wave hit and went over us. I was completely underwater for like 15 seconds,” sniggers Liz Wardley, Captain of the Turn the Tide on Plastic team, as she nonchalantly shrugs off yet another bombardment from the elements. Wardley, Skipper Dee Caffari and the crew are just one of the seven teams taking part in the 2017 Volvo Ocean Race – a 45,000-nautical-mile race across four oceans in seven months, touching six continents and 12 landmark Host Cities.

Ahead of the race I’m in Gosport for Cowes Week, woefully underprepared and wandering aimlessly around the deck of Turn the Tide on Plastic’s Volvo 65 yacht. As an honorary team member for the day, I’m here to learn the ropes but – unknown to the crew – with the exception of a dinghy sailing course over 10 years ago, I’ve not stepped foot on-board a boat since. Well, nothing powered by the wind, at least.

According to legend, the first discussions about starting the race began in a smoky Portsmouth pub, over 40 years ago, which spawned the Whitbread Round the World Race. Navigating by sextant and dead reckoning, the first edition of the Whitbread took competitors into some of the harshest conditions on the planet, resulting in the tragic death of three sailors in the first race.

After six editions and with more boats queuing up to take part, the event grew, giving birth to the Whitbread 60 Class of Ocean racing yachts, specifically created for the 1993-94 race. 1998 marked the beginning of Volvo’s involvement, serving as a visual and visceral example of the marque’s sense of adventure, while keeping the spirit of the race alive to present day in the form of the legendary Volvo Ocean Race.

“The Volvo is a race against the other teams but primarily you’re racing against yourself. To do the Volvo Ocean Race and to finish is, in itself, a great team accomplishment,” says Shannon Falcone, a Volvo Ocean Race regular and America’s Cup veteran.

"According to legend, the first discussions about starting the race began in a smoky Portsmouth pub, over 40 years ago..."

Altering the recipe for the 2017-18 race, this year sees the introduction of the Volvo 65 One-Design boats (65ft boats, all designed to an identical spec and standard), in contrast to the Volvo Open 70, where teams could spec their vessels how they pleased within the confines of a set of rules, in a similar way to Formula One. The move to One-Design means more focus on the crews’ performance but it also reduces the cost of running a team from around £15 million to around £12 million over a two-year campaign.

“Who gets to steer?” I ask lightly, pointing across row upon row of tight lines and rigging, towards a vast wheel at the back of the boat. “Well, it’s not always the captain,” says Liz. “It’s whoever can steer it the fastest.”

Perhaps an obvious answer, but it’s hard to believe that, despite being at sea for weeks at a time, there’s not a second when the team aren’t doing everything in their power to make the boat travel as fast as possible – come storm or sunshine; morning, noon or night.

“The final team is yet to be decided,” Skipper Dee Caffari says with a smile. Aiming for an unconventional 50/50 spread of male and female sailors on board, Caffari’s team will also be one of the youngest in the race, with six under 30. With the shortlist in hand, the final selection is yet to take place.

Regardless of gender, age and experience, whoever makes the cut on board Turn the Tide Against Plastic are in good hands. After five years working as a secondary school teacher, talking a good game about giving it all up and leading a nomadic life sailing around the world, Caffari finally took the plunge after a conversation with her father. “Before my dad passed away, we spoke about the fact I’d dreamt about going sailing in the summer, skiing in the winter and doing all kinds of cool stuff around the world in between. He said to me, ‘well are you going to do it or just talk about it?’ and I guess that must have resonated.”

Shortly after, she secured a place as the only female skipper in the fleet to race in the Global Challenge race in 2004, setting in motion her path to nautical nobility. Just two years later, she made headlines after becoming the first woman to sail single-handedly non-stop around the world ‘the wrong way’ (sailing speak for going against the prevailing winds and currents), and was awarded an MBE in recognition of her achievement. Since then, Caffari has completed an additional three non-stop around-the-world voyages.

"Altering the recipe for the 2017-18 race, this year sees the introduction of the Volvo 65 One-Design boats..."

With thousands of years worth of various nautical history behind it, Gosport is home to Leg Zero of the race – a full-blown dress rehearsal-on-sea that replaces the previous 2000-mile mandatory qualification voyage the teams used to have to complete in order to enter the race. Joining the team just hours after the Cowes Week Round Isle of Wight Race, I can still smell the salt water down below deck.

“Yeah, it got pretty wet down here,” says Liz apologetically as she welcomes me onboard. “Yesterday was probably about the most intense three hours you could have. The wind was between 25-40 knots and with the rain and poor visibility, it was reminiscent of the Southern Ocean, just without the cold temperature!

“We came out of yesterday buzzing – it was full-on and everyone was exhausted but that’s half the appeal.”

After spending a day hearing tales about treacherous conditions and beyond basic living quarters, I’m struggling to understand what keeps the team mentally afloat during the race.

“What keeps us going is that the winner isn’t obvious from the beginning, so you just have to keep pushing – it’s not over until you cross the finish line,” says Caffari with a knowing smile. Having done this before, both as a team and single-handed, her latest test will involve man as well as morale management.

While the America’s Cup may be the darling of the sailing world, the Volvo Ocean Race is the perfect storm of mental, physical and tactical ability. Whatever position or state Turn the Tide on Plastic finishes the race in, when the crew arrives in port in the Hague in June 2018, they can be assured of a hero’s welcome.

After enduring 11 exhausting legs on the high seas over a total of eight months, they will have travelled a total of 45,000 nautical miles. My brief experience of the Volvo Ocean Race is already coming to an end but, for the team, it’s just the beginning of yet another perilous chapter in endurance sailing history.

This article originally appeared in the Gentleman’s Journal Yachts supplement, available to VIP subscribers

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