The Voyage of Nineteen Mad Men and One Woman

I have scored a professional writing gig!! I suspect this officially makes me a journalist. *Contemplates joining the National Union of Journalists…and then doesn’t bother*

It is possible to use a blog to showcase your wares and become paid to write – RESULT! Over the next five months I will be leaving my children with their father and living ten days a month in France.

The first ten days of my assignment will be spent in a little known French port called Les Sables d’Olonne (the Sands of Olonne) in the Vendee region of France, running around trying to grab a few soundbites with nineteen mad men and one mad woman, whilst stuffing my face on Tartiflette – camembert, potatoes and bacon lardons all cooked together in a big pan!!

These crazy fools are planning to sail – no, in fact, race – on their own, non-stop all their way around the world. The boats they use are massive – really big – 60ft long with masts as tall as two story houses, and they go crazy fast – over 20 mph, which when you are surfing down a wave the size of house may make you poo your pants good and proper!

 

Why? So they can attempt to claim the coveted prize of winning the Vendee Globe and also a €100,000. The mentalists that participate in this race are obsessed with winning it mainly because it’s really very difficult to sail around the world on your own. They are trying to sail around the world in under 80 days – Phileas Fogg eat your heart out!

There’s this one French guy called Mich Des (who is not racing this edition), pronounced Meesh Dez (full name Michel Desjoyeaux) who has only gone and bloody won it TWICE! He set the bar and they call him ‘le Professeur’ – you can guess why and he’s got an apprentice, a fella called Vincent Riou, who has won it once, who is racing to equal the master by doing the double. It’s a bit greedy really when there are others like Hugo Boss-sponsored Brit Alex Thomson, who hasn’t managed to finish the race yet (he has tried twice). Another Brit hopeful called Mike Golding, who came third in 2004 (I was his press officer – in France they call it Presse Attache, which sounds sooo much more glamorous), and he is doing the race for the 4^th time because he can’t get his need to win it out of his head. He’s a man obsessed with grasping that prize.

The final Brit entrant is Sam Davies and she had a baby last September, finished her maternity leave and is now back at her day job sailing, solo, non stop around the world, working hours 24/7 for approximately three months. On the bright side – having a baby is excellent preparation for the sleep deprivation that you have to endure when you a sailing a really fast boat on your own 24 hours day. Although there is some speculation whether she can win the prize, as her bones will have been softened by the pregnancy and will affect her strength. She came 4^th in the last race four years ago but was never a contender for first place. Men are definitely stronger and you do need to be a very strong woman to match them.

It was this strength and tenacity that made Ellen MacArthur such an exception when she sailed into the hearts and minds and the British public and into 2^nd place to Michel Desjoyeaux victory in the 2000 Vendee Globe.

This is just a few of the skippers who are motley bunch. They are not your traditional sporting icons. They come in a liquorice allsort box of shapes and sizes. It’s such an eclectic sport – there is a skipper for all in there somewhere.

The true difficulty of the course is that it traverses some of the world’s trickiest of oceans, influenced by the unpredictability of the global climate. Skippers and boats run aground in remote islands, boats capsize, men rescue each other, icebergs and growlers (floating chunks of submerged ice) create hidden obstacles and gigantic whales create navigational nightmares.

The onboard facilities are non-existent — no loo or shower facilities. Salt sores are common in the extreme hot and cold conditions. They only have a single ring gas stove for a kitchen and their onboard husbandry (ie keeping the boat tidy) is critical to keep themselves in shape to survive the 80 days at sea.

For me it’s work and pleasure combined, because I love the Vendee Globe and think it’s one of the most fascinating sports so I am thrilled to be paid to indulge my passion. I am fascinated by the physical, psychological, emotional, meteorological and tactical aspects of a sport that engages the audience for such a long period of time. If you want to hang out with some skippers this winter that are cold, wet, tired and fighting against the elements to make you feel that better from the warmth of your lovely home then join me over at the English end of the Vendee Globe website and watch the adventure unfold.

For the main part of the race I will based in the Paris HQ, so if you want to follow the story from the inside, access all areas here:

I am blogging at A Modern Military Mother

Writing sport updates at Huffington Post

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Or for a quick fix Twitter

I am also going to be Voiceover Women on The Daily Motion Vendee Globe TV Channel for the LIVE start