Turn the Tide on Plastic, Volvo Ocean Race Leg 9, 2018-05-25
I haven’t been obsessing in here that much about the race (not that you’d notice, unless you followed me during the last edition when I talked about it all the time). But I’ve been following it, mostly through my project to describe and tag all the “raw content” videos being uploaded off the boats. 1,087 videos so far; whew.
But I wanted to share this one. The race is winding down; they’re doing the last big ocean-crossing leg (the transatlantic). They should be finishing in Cardiff in a few days, and after that there are just two relatively short legs to decide the final results.
I love this video. It feels nostalgic after all the “washing machine” shots I’ve watched. This could have been just more of the same, but on-board reporter Martin Keruzoré manages to make it meaningful. I think he’s probably feeling similarly about the end of the race. This could be his last chance to document what it’s like on board in these conditions.
I also just really love this crew. You feel like you’re on board when you watch all the videos, and there’s something about being part of a crew that just seeps into you.
This crew, in particular, has been special. Coming in at the last minute with a bunch of under-30s who in many cases had no previous offshore experience, it’s been wonderful to watch them grow into the badasses they are now. Yes, they’re not super high in the standings, but they’re absolutely competing with the leaders. They are right there.
And for anyone to be out in conditions like this, racing a boat like this, is an accomplishment. I’m so proud of them. They give me hope for the future.
Personal highlights:
0:10 – Martin flexing some life into his gloved hand. It’s been *cold*. One of the boats had an iceberg on the radar last night.
0:21 – Bernardo’s face. The determination. Ugh.
0:38 – 1:15 – Liz and Bianca coiling lines in the pit. They just did a sail change, and they’re cleaning up the mess.
1:35 – Goofball Boat Mom Dee. That she’s taken a crew like this around the world, keeping them safe and in the hunt, is super-impressive to me. An icon.
2:15 – Bianca. I love comparing this shot of her to the sequence of her back on Leg 2, when her life vest deployed and Liz grabbed her and she told her mum not to worry b/c she was clipped in.
2:57 – 3:04 – Dee’s and Liz’s expressions really get me here. These two (and Martin) are the most experienced on the boat, the ones who’ve carried the most responsibility in terms of looking out for the others and getting them home safe.
So far all this footage is from inside the cabin. There’s a pair of brief interviews below with Bernardo and Bleddyn, and then Martin (the OBR, I mean) gets the waterproof housing and gets out into it with the crew. And it’s just so cool. It’s the difference between epic slomo footage of mythic heroes and heroines, and being part of it, in the midst of all that craziness and feeling that adrenaline.
4:50 – Bianca dancing. Liz on the helm joins in (b/c of course she does). Even Mr. Serious Bernardo, on the mainsheet, busts a move. How can you not love these people?
5:25 – Liz ducks a wave. Steering in these conditions is a non-stop firehose of salt water in the face. Their eyes are red and streaming when they come off the wheel.
5:35 – Liz goes into her tube stance, surfing a barrel, dude, under the cabin coaming. 😜
6:31 – The crash cam. In the cabin there’s a button they can hit that will save the last few minutes of video to permanent storage. They usually leave it on the stern camera, so when you see a stern camera clip like this you know something’s coming. And… bam. Triple wipe-out. Grinder, trimmer, and helmsman, all washed into the back of the boat by a wave. It’s hard to tell, but I think that might be Lucas on the helm, Bleddyn on the sheet, and Annalise, who had the least protection and got washed the farthest, the last to resume her position on the pedestal and give a thumbs up.
So awesome.
Yup; Annalise was the one blown off the pedestal at the end (and I previously saw confirmation that the helmsman was indeed Lucas).
