Volvo Ocean Race - Day 24 on board Team SCA

by Corinna Halloran on 5 Nov 2014 Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 - Corinna Halloran reports on day 24 for Team SCA.

There are essential elements to living comfortably on board Team SCA: gas for the kettle, a pot for cooking the food, fresh water, and a working toilet (aka head).

There are times at sea, especially after sailing for 24 days, when it would be great to quickly pop to the store to buy something you’re out of or you broke. For example, as we approach the finish we’ve long run out of hot chocolate and TENA wipes—and we would all love either right now; we’re on severe rations of soap, toothpaste, and coffee, and I think we finished off the milk today.

Half way through the trip, my one and only nine volt battery died; I thought I had a replacement, alas I did not. Libby said she thought I was going to cry when she looked over at me, shaking the battery, hoping for a little more life. If only I could just go to the shop for a new one.

If we could head to the hardware store, it would have been a lot easier for Liz to fix the furler that bent during a sail change. Instead, she wedged herself in and began fixing the essential part of the boat. Out came the hammer and eventually the grinder, and in the end it was in working order again.

'Out here, especially on these long legs where you have no way of reaching land quickly, you have to bring any spares you might think you need. You can’t just head into a harbor out here,' Liz explained.

There are essential elements to living comfortably on board Team SCA: gas for the kettle, a pot for cooking the food, fresh water, and a working toilet (aka head). Life on a VOR65 is simple really. However, it’s a complete an utter disaster when one of those essentials breaks.

Today, we lost function of the toilet. The sign on the bulkhead door reads: 'Ladies room is out of order. Sorry for any inconveniences.' And it’s not just temporarily broken nor patched together with duct tape and Sikaflex—nope it’s really broken.

The seal split on the pump and it’s not possible to run to the plumber’s shop for a new one. We don’t have a spare either- I think it’s the one thing we don’t have a spare of too (well, that and nine volt batteries). So, we have to wait the 1,000 nautical miles until Cape Town to do the repair. And until then, we have to revert to the traditional head: outside. We’re accustomed to this head but it’s always been an option, not ‘the only.’

It goes without saying that the next few days will be a very humbling experience, especially as we encounter higher winds. Today was ok as the wind progressively died, however the days to come has us all a bit nervous. What if the wind and the waves increase—will I drink less water for fear of getting soaked by waves crashing over the bow? Either option seems a bit dangerous; plus, there’s been times when the outside head has been shut—what if that happens?! Then what?!

It also goes without saying that these next few days will give us a new experience most of us didn’t expect out of the Volvo Ocean Race. However, I have the sneaking suspicion that it won’t be the last unexpected experience. We can’t run to the store, like you can on land, so we must make sure we really look after our gear. After all, this is a race around the world—an epic nine month journey of hammering, grinding, shaking, duct taping, Sikaflexing, and spare seal Team SCA website