It’s 21.30 on Friday evening, we started at 08.40 but I have been awake since 5am.

The first few hours of the race have been pretty intense and our journey towards Eddystone a little bumpy, but the last 2 hours have been quiet.  The breeze dropped, we’ve changed to the No.1 headsail and two thirds of the crew are downstairs getting some rest.  Boat speed has been low, sometimes as low as 3 knots.

It’s dusk, I’m tired and it’s getting colder.  Is that just night time or is the breeze freshening?  I’m dry right now so I’ve decided that as soon as someone appears from downstairs I’m going to try and get an hour’s downtime, that way I can stay kitted up in case I’m needed.

Ah, here’s Jen.  Brilliant! I slide towards the back of the boat to tell the helm I’m heading downstairs.  But before I can say a word Mike, the first mate, says, “It’s up to 16 knots, we need to change to the number three.”

OK – let’s call Tim to helm and get the No 3 on deck.  Tim appears, grabs the wheel and off we head to the front of the boat. Mike will deal with the tack whilst I sort out the rest.  I pass him the pole up rope.  Turn round to sort out the back of the sail and hear a curse.  The clip didn’t fasten properly and now the pole up is flying at the back of the boat.  Nuts.  We’ll use the spinny 2 instead.  Unclip that and take it to the front.  Mike and I make eye contact that says a mutual, “Hope that doesn’t happen again!”  Back along the low side to get the lazy sheet.  Immediately, my boot is full of water.  I forgot to do up the bottom of my foulies.  Schoolboy error!  Every moment the boat seems more overpowered, it’s getting wetter.  Better hurry.  

Climb to the high side and we re-run the sheet – a high pressure bowline this one, can’t afford to get it wrong.  Check it. Check it again.  One more look – it’s ok.

Back to the mast and I hoist the sail.  Ready to tack.  

The guys at the back pull off a great tack. We’re hit by a wave that goes straight down the front of my jacket - Ugh.  I’m soaked but have to ignore that because we’ve got to pull the number one down and wrestle it up to the top of the boat to be bagged.  It’s not pretty but it works.

It’s dark now.  I need to catch my breath. I’m back on the rail trying to recover but the skipper is now asking for a reef.  Back to the mast.  Halyard is released, sail lowered, luff sorted and the reef is in.

I’m now too wet and too wired to rest – that was intense!

I’ll pop downstairs and put some layers on.  Now more appropriately dressed I head back to the rail.  “We’ve got visitors,” Nikki says.  Sure enough, just below my feet a dolphin is swimming along within a foot of the boat, and it’s looking at us.  Jen waves and says “Hello Mr.Dolphin.”  It accelerates past us, jumps in front of the bow and disappears.  A moment later, he’s back with a friend.  More waving and hellos.

There are now 5 of us sitting on the rail grinning like maniacs and I don’t feel cold anymore.

Someone says, “Seeing dolphins makes me eternally happy.”  And that’s about right.  Over the next 20 hours the memory of this moment will put a much needed smile on my face several times.

Thank you Mr. Dolphin.

What was meant to be a fairly straightforward beat to the Eddystone Light followed by a downwind blast in champagne sailing conditions provided our seven teams with anything but the anticipated conditions.  The winds became shifty and ranged between four and thirty knots throughout the race!

This race became the battle of the tacticians on the beat to Eddystone Lighthouse as the wind became very shifty and variable with seventy miles to go.  Quokka came out on top and was the first Sailing Logic boat to round Eddystone at just before 0330.  At just over ten miles behind, our other six boats rounded fairly close together ready for a blast that would test the nerves of the skippers and the physical strength and abilities of the teams.

Soon after rounding the Eddystone the winds gradually built and as they reached thirty knots the fleet was roaring home towards the finish line at incredible speeds of up to nearly twenty knots.  As Quokka extended her lead Visit Malta Puma had the edge on the others and pulled away under the expertise of Tim Thubron.

The downwind skills of the teams were tested to the maximum as reports of Chinese gybes, violent broaches, broken kit, damaged steerage and injuries started to filter through from various competitors.  Our boats were revelling in the conditions with smiles aplenty during a somewhat exhilarating ride.

Gradually the fleet were dropping their kites and opting for a poled out headsail, a typical heavy weather downwind sailing technique.  Some of the decisions on the boats were more voluntary than on others, as sail makers were looking upon the fleet with a hint of glee in their eyes, already counting the weeks profit margins as the race continued to unfold!

With average speeds of ten knots for the 100 miles to the finish line the fleet of Sailing Logic boats were making the best use of the conditions that were proving the perfect training opportunities for their forthcoming Fastnet Race in August.  In just one race of 240 miles most of the conditions that are anticipated in the Fastnet were experienced!

At 1300 on Sunday afternoon with just fifteen miles to go Quokka was preparing for their final gybe to the finish line.  Phil Chandler went up onto the bow to prepare the foredeck and with a worried look on his face he reported that their was some damage to the carbon mast.  After a very quick inspection the decision was made that retirement was the only option as the cracks were substantial the risk of the mast falling down was too great.  A very dejected but philosophical team return to Hamble under motor with their dreams of winning the RORC championships overall dashed for another.

Visit Malta Puma sailed a superb second half of the race and finish at 1739 having taken over an hour out of Jaguar Logic, the next Logic boat to finish.  Visit Malta Puma took 8th place in class and were even out training the following day, now that is dedication to the campaign!

On Addiction Peter Burwood reported stories of a Chinese gybe and other ‘exciting’ technical issues with the kite.  Despite this they did very well to battle to a credible 23^rd place in class, meaning all our teams finished in the top 25 of a competitive fleet of forty yachts.  What a great success for the first race with our trainee teams.

There is no doubt that at the next training weekend, in just two weeks, there will be lots to cover on the water after the lessons learnt of this epic race.  Peter Robson has very kindly offered to lend Playing Around to our Quokka team to ensure they can get out on the water whilst Quokkas mast is being re built.  

The evenings entertainment will ensure the opportunity for all the teams to swop stories of wipe outs, adrenaline rushing experiences, personal turmoil’s, the highs and lows and much more.  These memories are what drive us all to put ourselves through such hardships and sharing them with others over a few beers make’s it all worthwhile.

The last time I met a new race crew was for Antigua Race Week. The skipper introduced himself as Melville. My heart sank, it was generally known that Melville had lost his marbles.  

"This is the mate, Fag Break."
Said the Skipper.
I turned to the strapping youth at his side. He looked up at me with a wan face and bloodshot eyes and speaking carefully said,
" I was up until four, drinking, I intend to stay drunk the whole week. Please don't call me Fag Break, I hate it."
I turned to the old lady sitting in the cockpit.
"Hello sonny," she said, " We are going to win everything this week."

I don't think so.

" This is my grandson."
" I have never sailed before."
Announced the frail looking youth sitting next to her.

I was a little disconcerted. The yacht was 65 feet and the weight of her sails, built to last a lifetime, well, several lifetimes really, was legendary. I was expecting a crew of 12, and we were about to leave the dock. Just then a taxi drew up and a handsome couple emerged. Long blonde hair, black tee shirts, sprayed on black  jeans and designer sunnies. He said;
" Captain Melville ? We are from Germany. We are on our hone ymoon. Please pay off the taxi and have our bags carried to our suite."
I knew this was going to be a memorable week. When reality dawned she burst into tears and he went ballistic.

I then chose Sailing Logic for the Rolex Fastnet Race!

My heart understandably thudded a little faster as I climbed the steps of the Southampton Yacht Club to meet the skipper and crew.

I need not have worried. I had chosen Sailing Logic after careful deliberation and I reckoned they are the best. I particularly like the bit about maintaing a sense of humour !

A brand new Yacht !

Our Skipper is a real pro and I loved his comment he didn't like to much shouting. He might not like being referred to as Captain Jack O' Sparrer but I do know he likes a roast dinner. And apparently he sleeps with his eyes open.

Our mate, Gareth would be welcome on any professional race yacht and I expect to learn an awful lot from him. The rest of the crew have all signed up for the same reason as me, in a nutshell we are all highly competitive and we all want to do well.

TEAMWORK

The Fastnet programme is seriously hard and should test us all to the limit. If you are not knackered at the end of a race frankly you have not being trying hard enough. We will be racing in troubled waters against crews who have sailed together for many years, some crews have even sailed around the world together. It is not enough just to turn up on the day, that is why we have a series of races to come together as a crew. Rome was not built in a day. Milton Keynes may well have been.

Michael Owen, legendary England Footballer said yesterday in the context of winning or losing he didnt really care about the result ' I want to be the best I can.'

I think that is a very realistic approach, in sport luck has an important part to play and all we can really do is do our best.

But that is not enough. We must look after each other, care for each other, work for each other and make life as easy as possible for Jacko and Gareth to lead us.

It is important our minds are in the right place, personally I never think directly of winning or losing during a race, I concentrate on using our skills to make the boat go fast, doing my best and playing my part in the team.

I have met sailors who have never been in a team, its a simple enough concept, put everyone in a position where they can do their best. Lewis Hamilton is nothing without the car and the team behind him. In Rugby when a player scores he should thank the team around him because it was a combined effort. The Heineken Cup Final last weekend was a famously hard fought battle and one of the differences between winning and losing was a crafty shirt tugs off the ball as one player created an opening for another.

I am proud to have the chance to sail with all of you. Lets make sure at the end of our campaign we are all firm friends ! 

Our first Caribbean season has come to an end as Hydrocarbon arrives back in Southampton on the back of a ship, which carried her across the Atlantic in just a few days.  After an epic six m onths away Mark, the owner and Philippe, the skipper, climbed aboard the ship in Southampton to proudly watch Hydrocarbon be craned back into her home waters.  Have a look at our gallery for more images.

The 2011 Caribbean season has been a huge success for sailing Logic, with the highlight undoubtedly being the outstanding victory at the Heineken Cup in St Maarten, against some very stiff opposition from all around the World.  For me, the Caribbean season this year has been a massive learning curve and I have loved it all.  There have been some highs and some lows and many lesson learnt but I know that we will be going back to make the season even better.  The diving in any spare time was something very special too, the Caribbean has everything, in abundance.

The photographs that came back from the Caribbean say it all.  They tell a fantastic story of friendships developed, new events sailed at, the entertainment, the sunshine, the champagne sailing conditions and much more.  There is a stunning collection of images of Hydrocarbon performing at Antigua Race Week on our gallery, they are well worth a look at.  Many more photographs have appeared on various Facebook pages, clearly depicting our Sailing Logic team’s ability to revel in the conditions and party hard too!

Now the planning begins for our next Caribbean season!  In the meantime we have a Fastnet race to win and a RORC Series title to defend!  There is no let up in the pace here at Sailing Logic this year!

After many months of hard work and planning behind the scenes, we were delighted to meet at last all of our Fastnet Race crews and staff at Ocean Village Marina, Southampton on May 7th for the first training weekend of the 2011 Fastnet Race Campaign.

After gathering for Breakfast at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, the teams were briefed on the programme of training and racing, tried on their crew kit, met their fellow team mates and most importantly, were introduced to their Skippers, mates and yachts.  

After a great day on the water it was back to the Royal Southampton for dinner, and a visit by World record holder and inspirational sailor Dee Caffari, who wowed the crews with her tales of single-handed sailing in the Vendee Globe and her own personal experiences of the Fastnet Race itself.

Sunday morning dawned sunny but breezy, and the teams left the marina for another full day of training, knowing that the next time they meet will be to race the Myth of Malham offshore, to the Eddystone Rock and back.

 Sailing Logic yachts this year comprise of Visit Malta Puma and Jaguar Logic, Sailing Logic’s own Reflex 38 yachts, plus 4 Beneteau 40.7’s, and Quokka, a Grand Soleil 43. All of the yachts will be racing in IRC 2 Class in the Fastnet, which will make for some fantastic close boat-on-boat action and hopefully very friendly rivalry! All of the yachts were chosen very carefully by us to make sure that they are the quickest yachts of their type, and hopefully the moist competitive for our crews. 

As well as 2 training weekends, the crews will be competing in four RORC Offshore Races, making sure that they get plenty of time on the water and qualifying mileage to meet the exacting experience standards to enter the Rolex Fastnet race, which starts on August 14th from Cowes.