Upwind conditions a severe test for Dragon

OCEAN RACE DIARY: Week 15, Leg 4: Singapore to Qingdao. My main priority now is to stay as warm as possible

THE NEXT 10 days could be the longest of my life. We’re on our way to China after leaving Singapore, and without doubt this 2,500-mile leg is going to be a test for body and boat.

We got off to a good start on Sunday and headed out into the South China Sea in third place, behind overall leaders Ericsson 4 and Puma. On this leg we’ll be sailing into the prevailing wind the whole way up to Qingdao. It’s potentially going to be so cold we’ve had to have a special briefing on the best ways to avoid frostbite and hypothermia, and there’s a chance we could have snow on deck. By next week we could see a wind chill factor of -20 to -30 degrees.

Working on the bow of the boat, it’s impossible for me to stay dry. Being constantly wet, in the extreme cold, will be a significant problem – and we don’t even have a heater on board.

It couldn’t be more of a contrast to the climate in Singapore, as we set off in blazing sunshine and 30 degree heat. It was with a heavy heart that I handed over my flip-flops to my wife, Sue, on the dock knowing I wouldn’t be needing them for quite some time!

The winds will be extremely strong once we get up to Taiwan – typically 30 to 50 knots. The northeast monsoon blows pretty much directly from Qingdao down the South China Sea and across to Malaysia and Singapore. There’s also an extremely strong current – the Black Tide – which runs up the east coast of Taiwan, so points will be won and lost on finding the most favourable sea state.

In this area are some of the most notorious reefs and shoals. They really make the surface of the water treacherous – all you have to do is look at a chart to see the sheer number of shipwrecks to know what damage they can do.

The good news is it’s looking like the first week or so will be relatively straightforward, although the conditions are far from perfect for these V70 yachts. They’re built for fast, downwind sailing, so having to sail upwind (into the wind) for the entire leg will take its toll. Although the boats are very efficient upwind, it’s not a comfortable point of sail and it’s our least favourite.

Taking such a daily battering from the wind, coupled with the current, could certainly lend itself to boat-breaking conditions. There’s a real chance some of the boats won’t make it to China without being forced to stop for repairs.

With that in mind, preparation has been key and our shore team have worked around the clock throughout Christmas and New Year in Singapore doing everything they could to ensure the boat is strong enough. We’ve also made some improvements below the waterline to decrease drag, which, we hope, should help improve our boat speed.

It’s been a really busy time for the shore guys as the boats have all had to be re-weighed and measured by the race organisers to check that they all still comply with the rules. This has meant stripping all the fittings and fixtures so the hull could be weighed, and then putting it all back together again. The boats have to stay exactly the same weight as when they started – not easy when so many repairs are made at the end of each leg – but all was good with the Dragon.

We’ve lost Damian Foxall for this leg as he’s taking time off to spend with his family in Australia, and Ian Budgen has stepped on board instead. He’s sailed with several of us before and is a good friend of mine and several of the crew, so he’s sure to fit in really well. He’ll be the third Ian on the boat, but luckily he’s known by his nickname “Budgie”, which will stop things getting too confusing.

We’re still in fifth place overall following two in-port races in the local waters off Singapore last week. They didn’t go as well as we’d hoped and, to be honest, the results didn’t reflect how well we’d sailed. We gained an average fourth place in the first race and then had a fantastic second race until the last stretch. We got to the top mark in third place, but then the breeze shut down on us, allowing Puma and Telefonica Black to sail around either side, putting us back in fifth. It was still a great day’s sailing and great fun pushing the boats around a windy race track.

I’ve really enjoyed my time in Singapore with my family. It was a lovely place and the people were extremely welcoming and child-friendly. My daughter, Molly, is now 15 months old and she had a great time.

It was very special to have the chance to take 10 disabled sailors from the project Sailability Singapore out on the Dragon, including Jovin Tan and Desiree Lim, who represented their country at the Beijing Paralympics. They are such brave and inspirational people who have certainly not let their disabilities hold them back.

We were also invited to a reception by the Irish Ambassador in Singapore, Dr Richard O’Brien. It was great to meet so many Irish expats living and working in Singapore. Colm Mulqueen paid €6,300 in a charity auction to sail with us on the Dragon at the start. The money will enable a group of Singapore children to come to see us at the stopover in Galway. It was very generous, considering the only way he could get off the boat was to jump in the water!

My main priority now is to stay as warm as possible. That means lots of hot drinks and wearing lots of layers. We were given Fastnet merino wool sweaters, handmade in Ballina, Co Mayo, so hopefully they’ll help. I have to say I hate the cold, so I’ll be looking to get this leg over with as soon as possible.