Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 61

ON THE WATER
pondered Jules, as tried to keep his
opponents at bay. “Never mind, we are still
leading even though we are man down,”
he said. However, the impending gale was
brooding and Jules was still not convinced of
the boat’s robustness in winds greater than
35 knots. Nor was his brother. “Nobody is
really looking forward to sailing in 40 knots
– but it should be fast,” Guys wrote.
And fast it was. Record and
boat-breakingly fast. On day 19, 29
October, Ericsson 4 broke through the
magic 600-mile barrier and, in horrendous
conditions in the South Atlantic, the team
smashed the world 24-hour monohull
record. Elsewhere in the fleet, boats were
crashing and burning in the eight-metre
waves.
Guy Salter reported: “What a day! It’s not
every day you get to have a ride as we have
had over the past day or so, and to get a
new 24-hour record has been superb, but
the reality of that feat out here hasn’t really
sunk in. We know we have a record but
what is more on the fella's minds is getting
to Cape Town and hopefully at the front of
the pack, avoiding damage to the yacht and
ourselves.

“All the boys look really drained - sleep
is not the easiest on Ericsson 4, I can only
describe the motion as I would imagine
re-entry on the Space shuttle is like.
Everything is bouncing - including every cell
in our bodies and the mundane tasks are
near impossible.
“On deck the boat is surrounded in a ball
of spray. I wonder how we don’t show
signs of secondary drowning. The waves
arrive very frequently and hard. Everyone is
clipped on but you still need to brace and
hold on tight. There is tons of water passing
over the deck every minute, sometimes
knee-deep as it pours over and back from
where it came. Your eyes sting and become
red from the salt water, or you wear a
helmet or visor, these help, but don’t cure.
“Down below is harder, so you’re best off
in the bunk, for your own safety and some
well-earned rest. The boat is screaming from
the speed - and loud. I am sure that there
would be something in the laws of combat
about this sound torture - earplugs are
essential, but your ears still ring.
“Cooking is nearly impossible but
important, it would make a great test in
the 'Generation Game' TV show. You have

The Island's new funky radio station www.wightfm.com

life

to traverse around the boat using as many
points of contact as possible - the saying
'one hand for you, one hand for the boat'
goes out of the window, as you need at least
two hands for yourself. I find myself walking
around in full primate fashion, with my arms
swinging above my head in Gibbon style
- I guess this is why being from the Isle of
Wight has its advantages - after all, we only
came down from the trees in 1976!
“The thought of our loved ones, some
good food and maybe a beer pushes us
closer to the finish line.”
The Salter’s boat, Ericsson 4, was first to
cross the finish line in Cape Town and not
only did they win the leg, they are leading
the Volvo Ocean Race overall. But only by
one point. Their nearest rival, PUMA, is
breathing down their necks, and there are
still nine legs to go in this ocean marathon
before the overall winner is crowned in St
Petersburg, Russia in June next year.
We will be following the fortunes of the
Salter brothers throughout this epic event,
but if you are hooked, check out the event
website at www.volvooceanrace.org , where
you can get fully into the action.

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