Team SCA. Image copyright Team SCA.
by Vicky Low
The
all-female crew of Team SCA marked a milestone in their campaign and
arrived to a rousing welcome on a chilly night in Newport, R.I.
Hugs,
pats and backslaps were the order of the moment as the all-female
crew of Team SCA marked a milestone in their campaign for the 2014-15
Volvo Ocean Race and arrived to a rousing welcome on a chilly night
in Newport, R.I., which will host the sixth stopover of the race in
approximately one year.
Team SCA. Image copyright Team SCA.
The
headlights of cars flashed along the shoreline and a hearty flotilla
that included family members and local race fans greeted the sun and
wind burned sailors as the Volvo Ocean 65 ghosted into town,
partially illuminated by a first quarter moon. More than 150 people
were waiting dockside at the Newport Shipyard as the crew pulled the
65-footer into its slip.
“Sally,
you’re mom and dad are here,” came
the words over the bullhorn, directed towards helmsperson Sally
Barkow. “They
say hi.”
“That
was pretty cool,” said
Barkow, the one-time U.S. Olympian for who the passage is her longest
voyage offshore.
Team SCA. Image copyright Team SCA.
Brouwer
said that the boat and crew held up well despite a wide variety of
conditions. A pumping downwind ride out of Lanzarote that drained the
sailors to the bone followed by some “champagne sailing”
conditions, reaching along and laying down miles.
In
the western Atlantic they were forced to contend with midnight
thunderstorms of 45 knots and wild windshifts. Then there was a
horrible seaway as the crew navigated around the Gulf Stream.
“We’re
a team, the jump is that we all worked well together and did that for
a long period of time,” said
Sam Davies, “This
leg was about getting here in one piece and learning. On the next leg
we hope to push the boat and ourselves a bit more.”
Team SCA dockside in Newport. Image copyright Team SCA.
Team
SCA departs next Thursday, May 15, on a return passage to Lanzarote
“It
was a pretty awesome trip,” said
Barkow. “It
was full on at moments and relaxing at other moments, and it was
really focused. It was cool to have the team together and working
hard.”
“One
of the cool things about this race is that you have that
responsibility for each other. You slow the boat down when people go
on the foredeck. You have to be careful and responsible and look out
for each other, it’s another element of team work that some other
aspects of sailing don’t have,” said
Barkow.
Team SCA. Image copyright Team SCA.
While
Barkow’s parents were doing their best to embarrass their daughter,
all Carolijn Brouwer could hear was her 3-year-old son Kyle yelling
“Mummy!” The two-week voyage was Brouwer’s first extended time
away from her son, and they were both anxious to see each other.
“It’s
a moment you look forward to,” said
Brouwer. “It
makes you sail the boat faster, because you know he’s going to be
on the dock when you arrive. Then you hear him shouting mummy and
it’s a great moment, one you’ll never forget.”
