Dirty, wet and hungry; riding 30ft waves on a boat which was permanently tilted at 45°, I realised that this experience wasn’t quite what I’d been sold on that induction day in Gosport, months ago.
There is no such thing as a pleasant place to be on a boat like Garmin, in the conditions we were up against. Sitting on the deck involved cramming yourself into an awkward angle in the pit, constantly soaked by sea spray.
Up on the helm, you were fighting with the wheel to keep the boat from slamming into waves, trying to predict the unpredictable in the hope of a smoother ride.
Below deck was a death trap during bad weather; a twisting tumble dryer churning up the crew as if we were each a pair of dirty socks. Once in your bunk, managing to get the bed level was a feat in itself, and most nights I found myself clutching on to another part of the boat to stop myself from falling out. Long gone was the comfort of a double bed with goose feather pillows.
But I suppose that if I had read between the lines back on that induction day, I would have realised this is exactly what I had signed up for.
That day was lovely, spent in a warm room full of smiles and sweet stories of the virtues of sailing around the world in a purpose-built 70ft racing yacht.
