On the podium immediately following the race, Daniel Turner from Runaway outlined how for a great part of the race, he and Tom had a boat nearby – Spirit of Downunder with Laurie and his son Tim. If you haven’t seen the video clip of their finish then it’s worth a look as Tom made the most of a great moment talking about their neighbor. It’s at the bottom of the page.
So in our series of questions and answer articles, it seems fitting that we publish the thoughts of two of the skippers side by side. Firstly here’s Daniel’s answers.
How did you feel as you crossed the line?
Initially not much surprisingly as I just wanted to make sure we got the boat in safely. There were numerous fishing boats with nets and buoys out all over the place and coming into the finish line after dark kept us on our toes. I was also aware that the bank silted up quite quickly after the finish line and so I was just making sure I kept my mind on the job to get the sails down and to keep an eye on our surroundings. Once we tied up safely in the marina the emotions of finishing started to come in which built over several days of what we had just achieved. Knowing that I have now succeeded in completing a childhood dream is a great yet surreal feeling that I am still coming to terms with.
There’s been preparation – then the race. Of those which was the hardest part for you?
Both in their own ways. The preparation for Runaway spanned over 2 years of consistent hard work and learning, particularly for me not having extensive offshore knowledge. There was also the financial pressures and making sure that I maintained my place of employment, which meant a lot of long days and nights. I was lucky to have a great supportive team of friends and family around me including my co-skipper Tom Crabb, who did an amazing job setting the boat up for the race.
What was the highlight of your trip?
Finally getting the chance to get the kite up and surfing waves for hours as we approached Cyclone Iris. Just wish we’d had the opportunity for some more downhill work, as I would of been happy doing that for days. Eventually the breeze increased to a point where we had to reduce sail area and postpone racing though unfortunately. About two hours out from Bundaberg, a large storm came in at night and at one point I had seen 56 knots on the display and was thinking it was definitely time to get out of there.
What was the lowest point?
There were two points that spring to mind. The doldrums were taking their toll physically and mentally as we had lost our auto pilot just before the equator. So a sail change was basically impossible without both of us on deck. The bullets that consistently came through with the rain meant we were getting very little sleep and the forecast kept showing the breeze disappearing in front of us. It wasn’t until 6 degrees north when we were finally in consistent wind and we were able to catch up on sleep and get the boat moving again.
The other time was 5-6 days from the finish when again the forecast models showed very little breeze all the way to Osaka with a southerly to come through after we finished. We were in a podium position and had worked hard the whole race and being the competitive person I am, and the realisation that the group behind us were going to push up to us was hard for me at the time. I had this idea in my head that I was letting everyone down. But after talking to my wife Nikki on the phone and Tommy telling me to stop being a bloody idiot, it snapped me out of my mood and I was able to enjoy the approach up to the finish.
Have you learnt anything about yourself by doing this event?
I think the biggest thing I learnt was how much I take my family for granted. Their support throughout the whole campaign was amazing and it wasn’t until I was out there, that I really had the time to think about everything they done for me. It brought me closer to my parents than I have ever been and it made me realize how much more I want to give back to my wife and children. I really want to spend more time with them now and do all I can to help them achieve their goals in life, knowing that we were achieving something special just by finishing.
If somebody else was thinking of doing the race, what advice would you give them?
Be resilient and determined to succeed. Challenges keep getting thrown your way often on a daily basis but if you keep pushing through and finding a solution to each one individually, you will give yourself the best chance to make the start line. If you keep being resilient and determined, you will then give yourself the best chance of making the finish.
And now Laurie Ford who with his son Tim completed his 3rd Melbourne to Osaka race. Laurie was asked on the podium where an 80 year old got his energy from and his reply was – “it just comes naturally”. Here’s Lauries’ answers to the same questions.
How did you feel as you crossed the line?
Elated to have finally finished – the last week seemed to go on and on as we counted down from 999nm to go. Each day after Tim had downloaded the GRIB weather files, the weather really started to play on our minds. There was this big high stationary over western Japan and not moving which made routing difficult as there was no easy route. Then crossing the Kuroshio current in light-ish winds with 22 degrees of leeway, with the current hitting 5.1 kts. But once out of it, to be then followed by reasonable winds in the outer harbor to then come on watch at 3am as we were approaching the Kuroseta pass, to find almost no wind, was hard to take. We were buoyed by the fact that the morning sched still put Runaway 20 plus miles behind and we hoped they were copping the same weather we had. But by 5pm we decided that it could be a long night, so tea was put on. Then Tim noticed an AIS boat right behind us and to our surprise and dismay – it was Runaway! Tea was instantly forgotten and the the new breeze appeared and so we were off to the finish line, beating our rivals who we had chased from Southport where they had a 200NM lead on us, to finishing 15 minutes ahead !
There’s been preparation – then the race. Of those which was the hardest part for you?
For me personally, the Race.
What was the highlight of your trip?
I really enjoyed the time spent in Southport and the camaraderie that developed there.
What was the lowest point?
Finding out that Runaway was so close to us.
Have you learnt anything about yourself by doing this event?
Yes I thought that I was fit enough but found that my sailing skills had diminished and so my/our preparation was lacking in this regard.
If somebody else was thinking of doing the race, what advice would you give them?
Get as much input from previous competitors and from these inputs, prepare a plan covering sail setups, electric power storage and supply options, personal fitness, weather routing and food options and finally a compatible crew mate.
Many thanks to both Daniel and Laurie for their thoughts. As you may have seen on Facebook, Runaway is being shipped back to her home port of Adelaide and Spirit of Downunder left OHYC in the early hours of May 18th to head home. Tim and three other members of their regular crew are doing the trip back.
The run for both boats to the finish line up Osaka Bay was done in darkness but for those out waiting for them it was an exciting time. Here’s a video clip of the night: