Around Alone 1405045868, 1405048042

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EMMA AROUND ALONE ‘

.

Emma

Britain’s

new

Richards

sailing heroine

Sunday Times

BP*

is

AROUND ALONE

EMMA RICHARDS

AROUND ALONE

MACMILLAN

First

published 2004 by Macmillan

an imprint of Pan Macmillan Ltd Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London

N1 9RR

Basingstoke and Oxford Associated companies throughout' the world

www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN ISBN

1 1

© Emma

Copyright

The

right of

author of

this

4050 4586 8 HB 4050 4804 2 TPB

Emma

Richards 2004

Richards to be identified as the

work has been

asserted by her in accordance

with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved.

No

part of this publication

may

be

reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any

means

(electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written

Any person who does any unauthorized publication may be liable to criminal

permission of the publisher. act in relation to this

prosecution and

civil

claims for damages.

135798642 A

CIP catalogue record

for this

book

is

available

from

the British Library.

Typeset by SetSystems Ltd, Saffron Walden, Essex

bound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham pic, Chatham, Kent Printed and

This book

is

sold subject to the condition that

it

shall not,

by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is

published and without a similar condition including this

condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

4

For Mum and Dad

4

LEG

3

Introduction and Acknowledgements

I

have been told by

many

people that writing a book would be one

of the most difficult things

same about

in the

many

take on too

strategy.

I

told the

have taken

I

projects.

I still

want

to complete

I

constantly

them

to the best

that total denial, others a coping

prefer the latter!

take on challenges one step at a time, one mile at a time, one

I

page

at a time.

I

have goals and time frames. Thinking about writing

a book, like thinking about sailing

daunting task. to myself:

I

out of

book,

I

to set off I

On my on

one

.

.

voyage

I

never thought

a solo circumnavigation of

told myself

Harbour without

hitting the bridge

at a time,

around the world, was a pretty

for both.

miles.’ Instead

New York

bottom or

hour

had goals

T am about

29,000 nautical

this

was

same way.

my ability. Some people may call

the

I

don’t tend to dwell on obstacles or the fact that

I

of

would ever undertake.

around the world single-handed, so

sailing

on the challenge

I

my

first

task

was

to get

hitting another boat, touching

.

one manoeuvre

at a time,

leg at a time before taking the next one.

also tried to keep the bigger picture in

my

one

Writing

head while

focusing on the detail. Just as the

what the name

Around Alone

race

was

a

team

implies, so writing this book,

ix

effort,

contrary to

and achieving every-

Introduction and

thing

Acknowledgements

recounts, has been a team effort. Nick Harris has helped

it

my thoughts into something I hope is readable and of which I am certainly proud. I am also indebted to George Morley and Natasha Martin, my editors at Pan Macmillan, and to my literary agent Jonathan Harris who helped make it happen. structure

Everyone involved

in the

Around Alone -

crew, organizers - have their

mine, and

was such

it

has been tough to

who

fit

about the

race. This

is

in everything that

happened.

It

stories

a big project, such a big year, that

who

everyone individually

one

own

skippers, family, shore

it is

positively affected

impossible to thank

my

sent an email of encouragement, everyone

say ‘keep going’, and

all

the people,

many

of

So to every-

race.

them

who

called to

strangers,

who

cheered or waved from a clifftop or dock, thank you.

For me,

this race

has

made me

increasingly realize

my

priorities

*

my

in life,

make: a

smile, a hug.

changing. also have

follow

I

hope to

some

ideas

little

things

have always sought challenges to see what I

sail

one day. But

it.

I

how much

could do,

fruition

family and friends, and the differences that

I

could achieve and those challenges are

around the world again, with a crew, but

and plans that may or may not come it’s all

I

to

about having a dream and daring to

Introduction and

Acknowledgements

Thank yous Nick Harris.

Thanks

Andrew since the

for helping

Pindar, for

day

I

I

am

me

all

a sailor not a writer.

stay afloat in a

world of words

of your support and encouragement

met you and Caroline

at the

end of

May

1999.

Thank you

My family Thank you

for all of

not only in

my

your unquestioning support as

early years but also through this race it’s

grow

I

and

up,

since

finished!

Mum and Dad Andy, Jules and Callum

Dave and Pippa Philippa and

Tom

Great-aunt Biddy, her son Simon, and Lynne

Cousin Joan Mike, for being there Jane and

Marc

My shore team Robin, Josh, Brian, Laurent, Mark, Ollie, Fraser All

my

competitors in the race for making

it

so

good -

Bernard, Thierry, Simone, Graham, Bruce, Patrick, Brad, Tim,

Derek, Koji, Pops, Alan

The Race

organizers, especially Kels,

XI

Mary and Andrew

Introduction and

Sir

Photographers,

Robin Knox-Johnston

Marc Turner, Thierry Martinez, Riley and

The team

Acknowledgements

at Pitch

Billy Black,

Roy

Mark Pepper

PR, Henry and Victoria, have worked through

nearly three years of

my

projects with Pindar.

Thank you.

My sponsors Pindar,

all

1300 employees

Alpha Graphics

HSBC Henri-Lloyd

Harken i

Radii Stratos

Ocean

Safety

Kelvin Hughes

Admiralty Charts

Raymarine

Also

me the opportunity to go ocean Sorry we didn’t get the big one

Tracy Edwards for giving its best.

Scott

Kennedy and Mike Voucas

for

Helensburgh Sailing Club where

racing at

you support

it all

began

Royal Southern Yacht Club All the yacht clubs that have helped

xii

me

throughout

?

?

PROLOGUE

What

if I

What

if

break a bone up here

one of the blows to the head knocks

At what point Is there

out

will another boat be diverted to start a search?

another boat anywhere near?

Will they be able to find

What

me

me?

state will I be in?

How is anyone going to

board

if the

weather’s like this?

Numerous thoughts ran through my head as I struggled to stay calm. I was in the middle of the South Atlantic, 80 feet up a mast in high winds, aboard Pindar the boat in which I was trying to race solo around the world. The questions were mostly practical ,

and the answers

likewise.

The sap of dread

mum and dad. a repair.

maybe

started to rise

They’d been told

I

when

I

thought about

was going up

the mast to

They knew they wouldn’t hear anything

three.

But after

five

for

my

make

two hours,

hours of hearing nothing, they’d really

be starting to worry. I

was concerned about my

thing that truly terrified

one

telling

my

physical well-being. But the one

me was an image

parents I’d been killed.

1

How

in

my

head of some-

on earth would they

EMMA cope with

whether

been

Never knowing. It

knowing exactly how

that, not

I’d

didn’t bear thinking about.

It

a

few short months before that

flying visit to Scotland to tell

if I

Dad had

was up

which

I’d

‘No,’

picked

them

I

was going

me up from Glasgow

wedding or party,

for a

normally make a flying I

not knowing

I’d died,

pain or struggling or frightened at the end?

in

had been only

world.

RICHARDS

said. ‘I’ve got

made

I’d

a

to sail

around the

airport.

He’d asked

kind of occasions for

the*

visit.

something to

my

you, about

tell

next

race.’

‘Route du Rhum?’ asked

my

dad, referring to a forthcoming

race from France to Guadeloupe.

‘No.

A

different one.’

‘Not the Around Alone?’ *

Silence.

The Around Alone,

a 29,000-mile race

around the

world, starting and ending in Newport, Rhode Island via Devon,

Cape Town, the Southern Ocean, Brazil,

is

Zealand, Cape

Horn and

the longest solo race in world sport.

‘Around Alone? You’re

My mum of mum who

telling

it

I

was

came

all

all

straight out with

visit

me

kind

your hand when you

four of us children

a great idea, that she

round the world to great to see

at sea. She’s the

She was in the kitchen

least ten years ago.

She said

mum yourself.’

instinctively goes to grab

still

airport.

your

when I’m

often doesn’t sleep

cross the road, even though

from the

New

home

left

when we

at

got back

it.

and Dad would

at the stopovers.

She said

travel it’d

be

those places, they’d be there to support me. She

just kept talking.

Up

that mast, in the image in

my

head, she wasn’t talking at •*

all.

She was just standing there.

And

I

was

just

holding on,

wondering why.

2

4

Should I

risk the seafood?

I

That was the most pressing question

sought to answer the night before

world.

Dad

was 11 September 2002, the attacks on America, and I was

Rhode

first

anniversary of the

in a restaurant in

Island, having a last private

meal with

Mum

Newport and embark on

I’d leave

mile ceremonial prologue, with seven guests, around

New

York.

And from

greatest challenge of I

and

my

there, alone,

I

would

set

I

my mind

was about

large parts of the next eight

I’m not the kind of person myself.

you

If

out on the

that night that

earlier.

I

was

could

to do. Being alone at sea for

months held no

who

it

allure whatsoever.

takes any pleasure from being by

you experience something wonderful, why not share

hit trouble,

My

Island

life.

had so many doubts on

not comprehend what

a 160-

Long

simpler to suppress them than to try to talk them away.

If

New-

before the start of the race.

The next morning

to

around the

set off to sail

It

terrorist

port,

I

why

not have someone

it?

else there to help?

entry for the race had been submitted only six weeks

The

decision to enter

was

could do the race, not because

ultimately I

made because

was desperate

to

do

it.

I felt I

Most

people plan these things long in advance, often years. In the whirl

3

EMMA of it

my own

last-gasp preparations there

and certainly no time

in

RICHARDS

made and

decision had been

to I

sit

around

The

it.

Those few hours

it.

to

to take

about

fretting

got on with

welcome chance

the restaurant were a

had been no time

sit

in

one place for a

in

while.

There’s something very special

about Newport.

from the museums that celebrate

history,

hub

colonial trading

to the spectacular

social elite, the Vanderbilts

century

was

it

to the sailing

days as a thriving

its

mansions

by the

built

their ilk, in the Jazz Age.

Cup and

the venue for the America’s

home

a spiritual

and

oozes

It

community of

it

the States

For a

remains

and well

beyond. I’ve spent

into

&

it

some

great

harbour.

in the

first

I

sailed

crew on Tracy Edwards’s Royal

as part of the all-female

SunAlliance in 1997 before an attempt at a transatlantic

summer

record. In the

solo ocean race.

first

of

My

aboard Tracy’s Maiden celebratory.

Antigua.

We Wharf.

Stars

We’d

And

It’s

so to the

I

arrived there as wanner in

Around Alone.

is

It’s

how I went

to the loo.

they didn’t

know

We

windows and

busy, and that evening

was no exception.

in the corner. All

why I was

a

always buzzing, regardless of

spend a few uninterrupted hours with I felt,

Bannister’s

of place, a big old

of white timber with shuttered

found a quietish table

how

down on

that night,

Newport kind

Stripes over the door.

one asking

2002, had also been

II in the spring of

Cooke House

whether the town

my

Around Alone,

last visit prior to the

a quintessentially

made

and

2000

broken the speed record for a voyage from

just

ate at the

building

We

moments

doing

Mum this,

They already knew

I

wanted was to

and Dad, with no

what

I

that stuff

ate

on board,

and anything

they decided not to ask.

hardly mentioned the race at

4

all

and

I

kept

my

most

AROUND ALONE immediate fear to myself.

I

wasn’t worried about storms or

icebergs or collisions with unidentified objects in the dead of night. If I’d

known what was

going to happen

months things might have been then, trifling though

Harbour

in

one

harbour

is

busy

different.

in the

my

But

biggest

might sound, was getting out of

it

At

coming worry

New York

wanted to avoid crashing into another boat and prematurely scuppering my hopes - or worse, someone else’s - before we reached the open sea. The piece.

all

costs

I

just

on race day,

at the best of times but

crossed the start line off Battery Park,

beginning of the race was the

final act

it

commemorate

we

would be heaving. The

of the

‘Sail

For America’

on the Hudson River

gathering, a parade of hundreds of sailboats to

as

the events of 9/11.

Looking back, that mundane

fear of a

bump

served to keep

out more negative thoughts about crossing the North Atlantic.

The bad weather and treacherous notorious. Maritime traffic industrial debris

is

Grand Banks

seas off the

are

always a hazard, as are whales,

and any number of random and potentially

disastrous breakages.

As

for pressure

.

.

Everyone close to

and that

tions

- and in

I

me

as long as

get far out of

media helped

.

assured I

New York

Harbour, nothing

in that respect

to

anyone

woman and

repeatedly.

all

no expecta-

performance.

do

my

my

if I

didn’t

mattered.

The

my participation

- was encouraging I

wasn’t unfairly

best.

the youngest person in the race

By proxy,

And

my

the interest

else, just told to

But that didn’t stop survive.

else

because coverage of

was constantly amazed by

compared

that there were

got back to land safely, even

demanding nothing of

only

me

My role

as the

was highlighted

excuses went in early.

me from wanting

to

compete

as well as

then there was the pressure of knowing that

5

my

EMMA sponsors, Pindar, after

me

On

believing in

top of this

whom my

boat was named, had supported

and believed

for three years

someone

RICHARDS

me. There’s nothing

in

make you

like

you

to

felt

worryingly unprepared. There was no

I

feel pressure.

question that the boat was as safe as she could be. She was. The

was

safety spec

same

the

for every boat in the fleet. But there

were umpteen other practical

on board

One

leg.

easier that I’d

was

of those

had no time

to address before the

Two

Another was

raising the sails.

An

first

years

a lengthier

month would would have been better, maybe with

acclimatization to an unfamiliar boat.

have been good.

life

the installation of bigger winches to ease

demands of

the physical

might have made

details that

extra

thrown

a couple of shorter preparatory races

we

But these were not the kind of things

in.

Mum

talked about.