What happens at Race Stopovers

The boat must come first. That means putting together a full list of things to do and allocating crew to each task. You may have a long list of things to see and do, but there is a real possibility that a lot of them will have to be cancelled if the boat needs work. I say this now because, in my experience of two races, this becomes a real gripe amongst some crew.

The fact is, even with the excellent support offered by the small team of shore crew, you will be busy during the stopover and you will be required to give time to the boat in one way or another.

​Part of the fun of circumnavigating is (or at least it was for me) being part of the circus that travels around the World every other year. Some ports are bigger than others and each one has its own charms. I will promise you one thing. After 3 or 4 weeks racing across an ocean, making landfall is a very pleasant experience!

But when you get to the finish it's not all parties and story-swapping. There is work to be done - and sometimes lots of it. Also, if you happen to have had a bad race and finished late, you have less time in which to do this work.

Geraldton and Gold Coast Crew letting their hair down at Gold Coast, Australia (Clipper 11/12)

My Schedule for Sydney stopover in 2013/14

​​At most stopovers there is a requirement to fix stuff. Some of the technical jobs will be done by the shore crew, but most jobs need to be done by the crew under the skipper's watchful eye. 
 
During the stopover, the skipper will have a very busy agenda set by the race office and sponsor managers.

This will include PR visits, radio and sometimes TV interviews, skipper meetings, corporate sailing days and the like. During my time as skipper I could never find enough time in the stopover - it was manic.

On top of maintenance there are the corporate sails. These are days where the sponsors get to entertain clients on day sails. As part of your crew contract, you may well be required to participate in these days.  I always used to enjoy these days, but they are full on and generally you have to write off at least half a day for this - assuming you swap out at lunchtime.

Of course, as long as you get in on schedule there is no reason why you can't have 3 or maybe 4 days to yourself. The better you do in the race, the more time you are likely to have! So there's a real incentive to be first boat in.

The fleet being lifted for anti-fouling by crew (and skipper) Sydney 2013/14

My excellent watch leader - the legendary 'Scottie' post 'evening refreshment' New Year's Day, Hobart 2014

The prize giving and the pre-leg briefing are commitments you need to diarise, but there is no hardship there.  The RTW crew started to get a bit jaded with the latter after a few legs, but each to their own.
 
The real key with stopovers is to be organised and liaise with your crew chief / stopover manager. That way, as long as everyone pulls their weight, there really shouldn't be any reason why you don't get 2, 3, 4 or even more days entirely to yourself.

​If you are a 'legger' then there are fixed dates for you to join the boat but don't let that stop you contacting your crew chief and offering to help. You can usually be used for helping out ashore. And of course, there are the nights out!
 
I found a new skill on the 11/12 race as crew - working with the mother of all hangovers.  After all, stopovers need to be fun too!

GBR's dinghy - hanging from the staysail halyard on CV27 Team Garmin - New Year's Day 2014