The Snake in Brixham

Our Around Alone correspondent The Snake makes the obvious comparison between Emma Richards and Princess Kyniska of Sparta

When Noah stepped ashore from The Ark his first act was to offer a sacrifice. This done he embarked upon a major row with God. Having no prior experience of dealing with the likes of Jeantot, Blyth, Knox-Johnson and other trans-oceanic race organisers, Noah launched into a tirade with a very seamanlike lack of decorum.

God, fortunately, was benevolent in mood and promised he would never attempt to destroy the world again, sealing the deal with a rainbow (frankly, rather a soppy gesture from a deity who had just tried to wipe-out mankind). This done, Noah planted a vineyard and very soon (evidence that GM crops have been with us for longer than we think) became biblically drunk.

Since the first Around Alone competitor arrived in England there has been no sign of sacrifices on or near the Brixham Marina pontoons. Although, coincidentally, a number of posters have appeared in shop windows about town seeking information about missing cats and small dogs. Some skippers though have taken the race organisation to task, albeit less vehemently than Noah. But more of that later.

The results in both Classes 1 and 2 say much about the value of Open Class experience. Both Stamm ( Bobst Group Armor Lux) and Dubois ( Solidaires) have thousands of solo, racing miles and hours in their yachts and this was reflected in the massive lead they produced over the finish line ahead of the more tightly packed middle of the fleet. The same is true in Class 2 where Brad van Liew ( Tommy Hilfiger-Freedom America), a seasoned 50 skipper, is likely to finish way ahead of the nearest rival.

The second leg of the Around Alone will hopefully show the results of skills learnt on the first leg by Class 1 skippers who are new to both Open 60s and to their individual boats; Bianchetti ( Tiscali), Richards ( Pindar) and Dalton ( Hexagon). Nothing, though, should detract from the faultless first leg delivered by Stamm and Dubois.

To report on the immensity of Emma Richards’ ( PINDAR) achievement is for bona fide journalists; her lack of previous experience in Open 60’s/wee slip of a thing/girl empowerment…yattah, yattah, yattah. What The Snake feels may be missed is a staggering and relevant historical precedent. In 396 B.C. Princess Kyniska of Sparta became the first female chariot-racing champion.

There are striking similarities between Kyniska and Richards. It is certain that Kyniska was a fox (she was a princess AND raced chariots, for heaven’s sake). The princess would have possessed considerable financial resources and technical clout to mount an effective racing campaign where, at the top-end of a sport, budget is an integral component if a prodigious talent is not to be squandered or frustrated. The princess also upset the exclusively male chariot racing community, causing axle angst among charioteers and owners alike.

It is worth noting that although Spartans had a deserved reputation for valour on the battlefield, toughness and generally being the hard men of the ancient world, they also had the unnerving habit of cross-dressing at the drop of a toga and weren’t too choosy about what gender or species they woke up with. It is likely that the fearless jocks from Sparta indulged in horse-nobbling and even the occasional bitch-slap.

Whether Richards will attract such strong emotions from the male competitors remains to be seen.

Maybe we will see the type of reaction witnessed after MacArthur’s outstanding Vendee Globe, when the sight of grown men showering praise and plaudits through gritted teeth became highly distressing. Picture the scene: you are a thirty/forty- something skipper, you are cosied up to a reliable sponsor and have been pulling in some goodish results. Then suddenly, “zut alors!” an Open 60 novice steals the show and “bordelle de merde!” it’s a chick half your age! The French expression for the altruistic, verbal and written gamesmanship that follows is “noyer le poisson” (to drown the fish). Whatever the outcome, it is clear that Richards’ bride price has just shot through the coach house roof.

Noah was in a filthy mood when he found land. He had just spent a considerable time at sea in a boat possibly more uncomfortable than an Open 60, 50 or 40 with his entire (very large) family and every critter in creation. The smell alone must have driven the man berserk and been more intense than anything produced by even the most hygienically challenged Open Class skipper.

The Around Alone skippers, by contrast, have less temporal issues on their minds. The main grumble concerns the choice of stop-over. Criticising a stop-over port is similar to telling someone that their cartoon print of dogs playing poker is neither witty nor clever; a valid point, but unlikely to achieve very much. That Brixham is a great town is without doubt. That Brixham is doing everything to make the fleet welcome and fulfil any requests is clear.

However, to be chosen as a stop-over port a location must meet certain criteria imposed by the race organisation. One of these requirements is the ability to haul and store Open boats. That Brixham was unable to provide this service only became clear shortly before the first Class 1 yachts arrived. With a 7,500 mile leg to Cape Town looming, many teams are keen to haul their boats.

Consequently, four Class 1 boats have shipped their cradles from the continent and are hiring a crane to haul out at another location. This has incurred a considerable cost to the teams involved and will rob Brixham of the bulk of the 60 footers for most of the stop-over. Whether any 50s or 40s requiring a haul-out will risk borrowing an oversized 60ft cradle is unlikely.

Sadly the same situation is likely to arise in the Brazilian stopover, Salvador, where no hauling facility suitable for Open boats exists. It can only be hoped (optimistically) that no Around Alone yachts sustain serious damage below the waterline on the mammoth leg between New Zealand and Brazil as this would almost certainly mean retirement from the race.

There’s a guy works down the chip shop here - swears he’s Bernard Moitessier.

The Snake.