WE WON THE ADMIRALS CUP!!
What a wild ride it was with this campaign, from start to finish. However after months of hard work and dedication we have won one of the biggest sailing trophies in history. The Admirals Cup! This trophy has a long running history of the most elite sailors from around the world converging in Cowes to win the historic cup. Cowes being known for challenging sailing conditions lived up to its reputation throughout the event, with no day the same as another. The Admirals Cup’s long waited return kicked off with the first race of the event being the Chanel Race.
Race 1 - Chanel Race
A course created by RORC saw boats leave the Solent to the east and around the back of the Isle de Wight before turning a mark and heading south towards the coast of France!
It was light winds off the start as every boat was jostling and fighting to be first out of the Solent. A southwesterly sea breeze eventually filled in allowing us to sail the first part of our course around the back of the Isle de Wight. And then after rounding a laid mark, heading south towards the middle of the English Channel for a few hours until the wind eventually died. There was a small park up for a few hours before a new front came in from the south. We had a close upwind battle with beau ideal all the way to our next turning mark.
Arriving in first place at the Next turning mark close to the French coast around 1am. We hoisted the spinnaker and started our downwind run back to Cowes. The breeze building quickly behind us, we were sailing fast down through the English channel and had a great battle with Callisto and Beau Ideal for hours. What I could only describe as a three way match race, we were pushing the boat to its limits trying to keep up with the other boats who were more suited for these conditions.
Gybing away at some point, we copped a bad wind shift and lost some miles to the boats we were fighting. However pushing all the way to the end was key for staying in the hunt for a good result.
A pretty intense race! We managed to come away with a solid result to start this Admirals Cup. Next up was 3 days of inshore racing in the solent.
Races 2-7
It was a pretty tough few days of racing. The Solent provided some tricky conditions and getting around the race track was no easy task.
After 3 days of inshore races we managed to find some alright results however with stiff competition Hong Kong Yacht Club had managed to edge out in front on the points scorecard. The Admirals Cup being a unique event which consisted of two boats in two different fleets meant that both boats would have to get good results to be the top team. Luckily for us on the 40ft Jolt our teammates on the TP52 displayed some class act sailing and achieved some awesome results which kept us in the hunt. We finished the inshore racing series in second place, with Hong Kong in top spot just 8 points in front. Lastly it all came down to the final race of the Admirals Cup, the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race.
Race 8 - Rolex Fastnet Race
Morning of the race start and Cowes town center is bustling with sailors getting their final morning coffees and breakfast’s. What I knew is that the walk to the dock would be my last few minutes of comfort.
The start line was packed full of boats, for the 100th anniversary of RORC a record breaking number of 444 yachts took the start line of this years addition. Our start was the Admirals Cup class, boats from both fleets vying for the best position on the start line. We took off the start line and quickly it was carnage, most boats having the same stragegy to exit the solent meant it was going to be tough to be in the right position. For the first few minutes of the race having a bit of luck was needed, as faster boats were either tacking on your line or some other boats having right of way causing us to duck or tack.
Eventually the madness of the start settled and we found some good lanes and managed to keep ourselves somewhat clean. Exiting out of the needles as one of the first boats in our devision it was time to apply our offshore strategy that was planned by our navigator Will Harris.
From the Solent to Fastnet rock we stuck to our strategy and managed to defend our lead which was tough when the wind blew above 20knots. We had a watch system in place where we would have an off watch for 2 hours. During this 2 hours we could rest, sleep, eat or complete some self maintenance. After an off watch was 4 hours active on deck, 2 hours on standby and 2 hours sailing the boat. After beating upwind all the way to Fastnet rock we rounded in first place roughly 10 minutes in front of Beau Ideal and 40 minutes ahead of Calisto NZL team.
We put the spinnaker up and started our downwind run all the way to the finish In Cherbourg. Sailing downwind was more comfortable however twice as draining. We had to work hard to keep the boat going as fast as possible. As the final night fell upon us the breeze was building from behind us, allowing the boats to be a click faster. The night was probably the darkest conditions I have ever sailed in. A low lying cloud with a small drizzle of rain covered the sky above and with no moon meant there was little light to see where we were going and what we were doing. On top of this the wind now reaching speeds of up to 24 knots. Staying on top of trimming and driving was important for keeping the boat going fast and preventing wipeouts, this was a crucial part of the race. Fortunate for us we have some experienced sailors on board that have done this many times before.
Andrew Mclean a kiwi that is now a local resident of Cowes has competed in multiple Volvo Ocean Races and also to his name multiple Americas Cup campaigns. Andrew was using all his experience to drive the boat in these challenging conditions. Greame Spence, an Aussie that has multiple Americas cup campaigns to his name was also on watch with me and trimming the kite downwind. Greame I grew fond of as throughout this campaign as he mentored me and taught me priceless tips and tricks for sailing and more. With myself on the mainsail trim we pushed through our shift and by the time the next watch came on to sail conditions were increasingly harder to sail.
4am and some signs of sunrise a few hours away starting to show, we were struggling to match the speeds of the boats behind us. An 8 mile lead on Callisto suddenly turned into a 0.5mile lead, this was a moment where we had to abolish the watch system and push our hardest for the finish. All sailors on deck as we pushed through the stronger wind conditions. As sunrise came closer conditions got easier, lighter winds and some sunlight to see meant we were able to get back on track with our boat speed.
The final day of our Fastnet race was a tricky one. The finish was directly downwind and choosing the right way to sail down the English Channel was proving difficult as the wind was shifting from left to right. Eventually Callisto overtook us, however we were slightly less concerned about them as Beau Ideal was the boat we needed to focus on beating. As we sailed downwind towards the Alderney coast we managed to make some good tactical decisions to keep a healthy lead in front of Beau Ideal. However the faster boats up ahead and our team mates on TP52 Jolt 3 were in a no wind zone. This was a stressful time for everyone as positions of sail boats were being juggled consistently. Our team mates had to beat Hong Kong’s Beau Geste and a fickle wind meant any team could pick up a magical puff and ruin everything.
Our team mates managed to minimise risk and stuck close to the main rival Beau Geste. Eventually arriving at the finish to beat them which meant they had done their part in holding off the Hong Kong sailing team in their devision. Now it was our turn, but there was a catch..
In order to beat Hong Kong in overall points and win the Admirals Cup, either boat needed to not just beat them across the line, but have at least one boat in between on corrected time. When we figured out that this had to be us completing this, we shifted our focus away from beating Beau Ideal and to beating Callisto who was a few miles in front. We knew if we beat Callisto we would have the points required to win the Admirals Cup.
We turned to our navigator Will Harris who had a trick up his sleeve. With one smart move we gybed first into the coast of Alderney which brung us within attacking distcnce of Callisto. Now in a gybing battle with Callisto, fighting for every second of gain. At one point I took a moment to take it all in and realise how cool this really was.
After around 700miles of racing we were within seconds of each-other. A final push from us meant we crossed the finish line 47 seconds behind Callisto. Pierre Cassiraghi taking us through the line, clenching victory, beating everyone on corrected time and winning our devision!
All of a sudden the camera lights in our face and the shore crew rib by our side cheering us on we had realised that we had done it.. We had just won the Admirals Cup!
A rollercoaster of a race, with mixed conditions that had it all. Some moments where questioning life decisions was frequent and then others where you realise, “this is why I do it.” Exhausted, drained, body broken was how we all felt reaching the dock. But masking this was the warm welcome of team mates and shore crew congratulating us with hugs, beers and pizza.
What a journey
The end of my Admirals Cup journey concluded at the prize giving ceremony. Shaking hands and receiving congratulations from Dean Barker and Mike Sanderson. Sailors that I watched on television when I was a young boy, winning Americas Cups and Volvo Ocean Races. Something I never thought would happen. An incredible feeling and experience I won’t forget. the learnings I have taken from this campaign I will use moving forward in my yachting career.
Thank you to Jolt sailing team for taking me on with this project. Thank you to the amazing shore crew that put in countless hours so we could go and perform out on the water. And lastly thanks to my team mates. The ones that had my back and mentored me through this program. Being able to sail at the top level with top level people is a privilege and a dream come true to be doing what I do today.