Lia Ditton interviews Kip Stone

'Mad' Lia chews through the intracacies of singlehanded sailing (and other matters) with the Open 50 ArtForms skipper

Fair headed with long blond eyelashes, I would describe Kip Stone as good looking. Riding down the dock at full pelt on his bicycle, there is no doubt he is fit. Kip jams on the brakes and his front wheel grinds to a halt beside me. He cackles an unexpectedly deep and resonant laughter. Clambering over the guard rail of his Open 50, Artforms, we head for the nav station where I get the opportunity to meet Kip Stone.

Kip Stone has teamed up with Merfyn Owen for the Transat-Jacques-Vabre, which leaves Le Havre this weekend.

Do you chew gum?
Nup

Do you suck sweets or eat chocolate?
Chocolate from time to time

What, like one bar a day?
It depends how I’m feeling. If I’m really tired, I won’t eat it, because it just makes me more tired 20 minutes later. If I feel good, and want something sweet then chocolate is a good thing.

Do you get into the performance foods? What are those ones, Power bars?
Power Bars - they’re ok. I try and just keep the energy level as constant as I can. So, not a lot of sugar, not a lot of carbs…

What is your favourite freeze dried meal?
Fish pie. Back Country - We’ve gotta get this right - Back Country Foods Fish Pie.

Are you sponsored by them?
I’m supportive of them.

Oh! So you’re an unofficial ambassador?
I’m an unofficial ambassador for Back Country Foods!

Did you do some research on the freeze dried foods? Try them all?
Yeah! I sailed from Australia with Australian freeze dried. I sailed from New Zealand with New Zealand freeze dried. I sailed from the US with US freeze dried and the Back Country is by far the best.

Have you tried the Mountain House Freeze dried Neopolitan flavoured ice-cream sandwich?
I have not. Although it is for sale in my own home town, I’ll have to add.

Do you take any condiments for your freeze dried foods? Soya sauce? Hot sauce?
I did, when I launched the boat in Australia; I had it all, but when I got to England, I hadn’t used it yet, so… not any more

What did you do before the Transat?
In terms of..?

Racing?
Ah! I raced on the Maxis for a number of years, way back in the 80s. I had about 60,000 miles offshore before I launched this boat.

Why build an Open 50?
I’d sailed on a couple of open boats, I’ve done a lot of Transatlantics, I’ve done a lot of deliveries, I’ve done a lat of racing. But that was sort of 15 years ago… Like you, when I finally decided I was tired of making sandwiches and packing chutes on other people’s boats, I had to settle down…

Did you really start the company, Artforms, with that plan?
Yeah, I really did.

With that plan? That far ahead?
Yeah, I really did. I really wanted to sail my own boat.

Why didn’t you go through the sponsorship route like everybody else?
Because I didn’t feel I could see anybody that was being successful with it. And I didn’t feel like my self-confidence up to that point was … I wouldn’t have sponsored myself! You know?!

But now you do?!
Yeah! For better, for worse…

Do you doodle?
Never.

Never?
No.

Nothing?
Nothing.

Do you have any paper onboard, apart from the obligatory charts?
No, no, no real paper onboard.

No feelings of creativity whatsoever?!
Ah no! I sing to myself a lot. Oh yeah!

What do you sing?
Whatever’s in my head! I make things up. About whatever particular feeling happens to get through my head at the time.

So there’s no one particular song? A motivating song you sing to perk yourself up?
No, no,

Do you take any music with you?
No, nothing.

Nothing? But will Merfyn?
He can if he wants. I have an i-Pod, that I was given to me at Christmas, so I’ll probably bring it, but I probably won’t listen to it. On delivery I listen to it, not during the race.

Will you restrict Merfyn on his luggage?
Ah! Ha-ha! Merf’s a professional. He knows exactly what to bring and not to bring.

Does Merfyn Owen have any bad habits?
I’m sure he does, but….

You don’t know them yet?
I’m sure he does! They don’t bother me, whatever they are…

Does he leave the top off the toothpaste?
Hah ha-ha! We don’t have toothpaste! It weights too much!

Have you ever had a mental health check?!
Ah ha-ha! No, I wouldn’t dare!

Do you moisturize?
No.

But you take sun cream?
Yeah, we take sunscreen

Orange juice with or without bits?
With

Tea or coffee?
Tea

And do you drink tea offshore?
No.

Do you make it for other people?
Absolutely

Does Merfyn drink tea?
He didn’t so far… I have tea onboard that I put on in Australia and it’s still here.

Who sleeps the most, you or Merfyn?
I sleep the most at the beginning and Merf sleeps the most at the end.

And how many hours do you sleep in a chunk?
Two to three

Are you quite regimented in your watch system?
No, no we’re very much…we’re very much…ah

Doesn’t that leave both of you tired at the same time?
No, it’s very much. I think we’re both very very aware how important rest is. As soon as the boats going smoothly and there’s no need for two of us to be up, one of us will decide when we’re more tired than the other.

What car do you drive?
Right now, I sold my car, because I’m gonna be on the boat for the next couple of months and… But up until a month ago, I drove a nice Volvo cross-country. Black

Do you think there’s a correlation between how you drive and how you race you’re boat?
No! I don’t think so at all. On the highway, I’m terrified; I think I’m gonna die all the time, but on the boat I’m pretty happy.

What about in coastal areas where there are a lot of ships? Have you ever been afraid of being hit by a ship?
No, not really. It’s just a little harder.

You must have radar?
Oh yeah, radar. Oh yeah, active echoes, Where I come from there’s lots and lots of thick fog. So, you know, you just be real careful .I set the alarm, set the radar, try and stay awake

Have you ever got a speeding ticket?
Yeah, I have got some speeding tickets!

What about a parking violation?
Not very often!

Have you ever had a parking violation for parking, facing the wrong direction down a street? In Marblehead for example?
Hah! Never!

Do you have any plants? Do you keep plants?
At home or on the boat? At home; Yeah, sure

Have you ever thought of growing watercress on the boat?
I’ve thought about it. I’ve thought a lot about it. But, it’s too much to do. There’s just too much to do.

What about for the Vendee Globe?
Maybe for a long, long, long race, just to see if it works

Do you wash your hair at sea?
Yep.

How frequently?
Not too frequently! When I finally can’t take it anymore, I get out the bucket; scoop up some salt water, with a little fresh water rinse.

Do you use deodorant?
Yes… from time to time. After I take a salt water bath, for sure

Do have any toys or good luck charms?
I do, I have a couple of good luck charms, things that people have given to me…little things

What do your parents think?
Right now, they are very proud… and happy. When I launched the boat they were… when I was building the business to build the boat, they were skeptical, ha-ha ha

How can you keep going through that whole business process? Doesn’t it feel like you’re making this divergence, in order to do what you want to do?
Ah! No. I really feel like they’re very closely tied together. For one thing, the business is my sponsor, so I feel a huge obligation, to represent the company, in a way that the company represents itself to our customers. I also feel like- I was very afraid that when I launched the boat that 15 years behind a desk, that I wouldn’t remember how to sail,

You hadn’t sailed in the meantime?
Not like I’d sailed before that. For 15years, I had put my nose down. But when I launched the boat and started racing the thing, I very much feel like the kind of decisions I make on the race course, tactically, um weather wise and the strategic thinking about everything I do, is almost exactly the same kind of thinking that I do everyday behind my desk, from a business angle.

So you’ve benefited?
Oh absolutely! I feel like I’ve had good training for these 15 years, even if it hasn’t been out on the water.

But you have blown your marketing budget somewhat?!
Well the marketing budget is a little maxed! We’re trying to make the most of it!

Do you make any profit on your company right now?
Which company?

The Artforms!
Oh yeah! It’s a very successful company.

But doesn’t that profit get siphoned off into the boat?
Oh, we get a healthy percentage of it. But it really is marketing dollars.

But you use the company money to build the boat?
Well, the company earned the money, I earned the money from the company and then I went out and started it…

Have you taken your parents sailing?
Oh absolutely! Oh yeah!

And they enjoyed it?
Oh yeah! My parents taught me how to sail, so taking them out is a real treat

Do your parents still have a boat?
My dad has a 40ft boat and he cruises, up and down the East Coast [US].

Are you planning to take a holiday after the TJV or is the TJV a holiday?
I’m planning to take 5 days in Brazil without trying to do too much work and then back on the boat.

You’ll be coming back here? [Plymouth, UK]
I haven’t decided where we’re going yet, but we’re not staying in Brazil.

What is next after the TJV? The Route de Rhum?
The Route de Rhum, the 5 Oceans, one or the other, take your pick

Do you have any lucky underwear?
I do not have lucky underwear!

Shouldn’t you have some lucky underwear?!
Ha-ha! Would you like to give me a pair?!

If you won the Vendee Globe, would you move onto trimarans?
Oh no!

What would you do if you won the Vendee Globe? Would you do it again?
Probably not! Ha-ha ha!

Would you call it a day?
No, I would probably work really hard to try and help someone else follow their dream, towards the Vendee Globe.

Have you ever considered martial arts?
Yeah, I tried it when I was in college. I wasn’t very coordinated!! I’m not much of a fighter either.

Do you dream?
I dream.

What do you dream? More so offshore?
Yeah offshore, when I’m very tired, I sometimes have waking dreams, where I really couldn’t tell you if I was even asleep.

Are you married?
I’m not married. But I am significantly… I am attached

What’s your shoe size?!
Eleven [US]

Do you have health insurance?
I have health insurance. I have life insurance

You have life insurance?!
Uh huh!

How much are you worth?!
Alive or dead?! Ha-ha! I’d like to think I’m worth more alive than dead! If I do die, it won’t be that much of a tragedy!

Why did you take out life insurance?
I took it out originally, to protect the business, in the event that something went wrong…

Did you set a value to your life insurance?
I picked a value many years ago. I’ve been paying the premium ever since! Ahhaha!

But you can’t tell me?!
No, because you might kill me!! Somebody might think it’s really worth it to kill me!! Hahaha!

Have you ever banked sperm?
No I haven’t. Haaha hahaa!

Don’t you think you should?!
I don’t know if the world needs another Kip Stone or not

Where does the name Kip come from?
I have two middle names - Knickerbocker and Porter, so ‘K’ and ‘P’ were my middle initials. My parents just shortened it down

They’re from relations?
It’s a long family name. I’m John Knickerbocker Porter Stone the fourth! Hahah! Kip for short.

So, John’s your first name?
When people call me John, I know they don’t know me. It only appears on bank statements…. and life insurance policies! Hahahaha!

Do you have kids and do you want kids, if you don’t?
I don’t have kids. And I’d be happy to have kids.

Would you change your lifestyle if you had kids? Your lifestyle would get changed, but would you stop doing this to such a great extent?
I don’t know.

Would you just increase the premium on your life insurance?!
Yeah! I would put their names on the insurance premium!

Who is your favourite superhero?
Spiderman

Why Spiderman?
Because he just gets around.

Do you like to climb?
I love to climb.

Do you ever go up the mast recreationally?
I have gone up the mast recreationally. I go up the mast when there’s no one else around. I’ve gone up a couple of times to take a peak around

Do you Top-climber it up or use climbing Jumars? [The Top-climber is a stand-up, sit-down method of climbing, which uses upward body movement to slide up a locking device]
Jumars

Have you tried all the different methods, by the way?
I did a lot of rock climbing when I was young, so I’m comfortable with the Jumars. You get beaten up either way. I think. I do.

Have you ever thought of protective clothing? Knee pads, shin pads, gum shield, helmet?
No, my goal is to never go up the mast. I’m happy to go up there, but I’d rather not have to…

Do you have any problems with hair loss?
I don’t know. Not yet!

Do you lose hair from stress?
I don’t think so.

Where have you not been that you would like to visit?
Cape Town.

How does it feel sailing past some of the world’s most beautiful places?
And not stopping? Or just being able to go past them? Ahrm, sometimes I feel like I’m missing things, but mostly I’m way offshore, so it’s not in my face.

What is your favourite ocean?
Oh! I think the north Atlantic.

Not the Southern Ocean?
No. I grew up on the North Atlantic. I feel like I understand the North Atlantic.

How long do you think it will take you?
Well, the record’s 20 days set by Conrad Humphreys last time, so I’m hoping…

How did you hook up with Merfyn? I know he designed the boat…
I introduced myself to him after Ellen Macarthur won the Transat… told him what I wanted to do… he didn’t laugh so I…

Surely there were people you sailed with in the past that would have been a natural choice to go double handed with?
Merf designed the boat. Merf understands how his boats work in a way I’ll never understand. Merf’s done a lot of sailing

Are you looking forward to the TJV?
Oh! I’m really looking forward to it.