Sam Davies interview

madforsailing spoke to Maiden II's ever smiling crew member

Sam Davies gave up her position on the bow of Shirley Robertson's Yngling to rejoin Tracy Edwards' team on Maiden II and, to be frank, we've never seen her happier. Davies has discovered her metier and whether it is sailing across the Atlantic singlehanded as she did last year during the Mini Transat, or racing with the mixed team on board a 110ft maxi-catamaran, for her offshore racing on fast boats is where it is at.

While on board Maiden II for Saturday's Round the Island race, madfor sailing had a chance to catch up with the girl whose blonde bombshell appearance hides a degree in engineering from Cambridge University.

So what is it like sailing with a 50/50 co-ed crew? "It's like when I used to sail on Mandrake. The boys always say the atmosphere is so much nicer even if there is only one girl on board. I think it makes the girls and the boys less competitive within themselves, so everyone helps each other and it makes the whole thing work as a team a lot better. I don't know if it's that the guys think that they have to help the girls - but then half the time the girls are helping the guys - so no one needs to compete with each other, because everyone knows they are different and they're good at different things. It is really wierd but it works..."

At present it looks as though Maiden II will be sailed with this kind of crew line-up for all their forthcoming record attempts with the exception of the Jules Verne attempt this winter and it was undeniable that during Saturday's race there was a sense of calm competence about the crew. One of the reasons for this is the karma of Brian Thompson, who although not skipper in name, is in practise. "Tracy is the skipper, but she's on the land," explains Davies. "Brian is responsible for everything. He's fantastic, he's so experienced. But then there's Helena [Darvelid] and Adrienne [Cahalan] - Helena has done a lot and she's a good watch leader as is Mikaela [von Koskull]. So the three of them lead it.

"So we haven't missed a leadership type person. But when it comes to the safety of the boat, Brian is one that you turn to. He does say slow down, but more often his motto is "sail fast, take chances". Then he's regretted that a couple of times...!"

Generally the team still seem to be in recruiting mode, although like everything about the Maiden II campaign, all is semi-on hold pending Edwards securing sponsorship for the campaign.

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