Please select your home edition
Edition
Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design

Volvo Ocean Race Leg three – Team Brunel- Capey the cat

by Team Brunel on 16 Jan 2015
Team Brunel - Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 - Leg three. Team Brunel
Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15, Leg three update from Team Brunel:

I suspect that everyone now knows that when the weather is light, the sailors of Team Brunel sleep in the forecastle. It will probably also be clear that in a black, carbon-fibre boat, at an angle of 45 degrees, this is not exactly fun. But do you know what the most favourite places to sleep in the most forward part of the boat are?


The two 'gangways' provide space for four reasonable sleeping places. Why? Because the keel is canted, the boat is always slightly tilted – even when there’s not much wind. You couldn’t call it comfortable, but in the gangways you always roll against the side of the hull. Get the picture? On the water tank in the middle, you will roll every which way. With every gust of wind – when the boat will tilt more – you and your sleeping mat will slide to the lower side (lee side), which means that you can only sleep in a sort of cramped 'no I don’t want to roll away' position. There are even sailors on board who skip dinner after their watch so that they can grab a decent sleeping place (I am not allowed to say that this is Rokas.)
Holy shit! How I wanted to get a good night’s sleep yesterday evening! Outside, there was no wind; inside the boat it was pitch black. While I was stirring my noodles with my spoon, I shone my torch into the forecastle. Yes! There’s a good place there! This will be my night! I put a kettle of water on the burner and then sprinted to the forecastle. And there I started to build myself a nest out of stray underpants and bags, like a fully-fledged skylark. Nothing would now stand between me and four hours’ sleep. All I still had to do was pour a kettle of water over the lads’ freeze-dried food.

It was as I was trickling boiling water over this oriental delicacy that I saw out of the corner of my eye the figure of Andrew Cape shuffling into the forecastle. He wasn’t exactly sniffing the air, but you could tell that he smelled a comfortable bed. I wanted to say, 'Where do you think you are off to, mister navigator?' but I got no further than a meek 'Sleep well, Capey'.
Are you familiar with the phenomenon that your cat always sits on your newspaper just when you want to read it? And then with a look of, 'There’s no way that you are ever going to get me off this today'. It was the same look as Capey gave me as he started to build a hollow on his hands and knees. Out of my bed. 'And now it’s time to clear off with all haste Capey the Cat,' I thought to myself. 'I haven’t seen you here in the past two weeks, so back to your navigation corner.' But a bit later, I just stammered, 'D-d-do you think I could just get my ear-plugs? They’re there somewhere.'

That night the hard water tank was more miserable than ever, but the softly purring noise emanating from our navigator still gave me a warm feeling. With the infamous Straits of Malacca just ahead of us - one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with treacherous sandbanks and a strong current – he needed a good night’s sleep more than anyone.
X-Yachts X4.3B&G Zeus SR AUSSCIBS 2025

Related Articles

MS Amlin re-signs with Kiwi race team
Leading European insurer MS Amlin have renewed their sponorship of Aotearoa Ocean Racing, Leading European insurer MS Amlin have renewed their sponorship of Aotearoa Ocean Racing, enabling the newly formed team to take part in a series of races in Europe later this year. The team is still seeking sponsorship for The Ocean Race 2027.
Posted today at 12:53 pm
Matt Allen AM matches AOC funding
To support 2024 Olympic Podium Performing Sailors Matt Allen AM has once again demonstrated his unwavering support for sailing by generously matching the Australian Olympic Committee's Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) for Olympic champion Matt Wearn and Paris 2024 silver medallist Grae Morris.
Posted today at 4:45 am
60th Anniversary Congressional Day 2
Monnin in the hunt for semi-final spot Switzerland's Eric Monnin and his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team delivered a faultless performance today, the second day of the 60th Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup.
Posted today at 4:26 am
Antigua Race Week Day 4
One-third of the classes started the penultimate day with boats tied on points at the top Racing at this year's Antigua Sailing Week is so close that one-third of the classes started the penultimate day with boats tied on points at the top of their respective leaderboards.
Posted today at 3:04 am
5.5m Alpen Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva Day 1
The Jean Genie makes strong start to title defence The Jean Genie (GBR 43, Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Ruaridh Scott) took a commanding lead on a very tricky opening day of the 2025 5.5 Metre Alpen Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva, on Lake Garda, Italy.
Posted on 1 May
21st Sandberg PalmaVela Day 1
Magic Carpet E wins two from two on her debut The Maxi class officially opened racing today at the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela, completing two W/L races in which the newest elite 100-footer, Magic Carpet E, dominated with two clear victories in what was its first-ever races.
Posted on 1 May
52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Cup Day 2
Gladiator back on winning form Disappointed to miss out on winning the 2024 circuit title after coming into the last event of the season with a solid points lead, Tony Langley's world champions Gladiator crew started their assault on the 2025 title on the best possible footing.
Posted on 1 May
Life-Changing Experience in Melbourne Osaka Cup
The crew of White Spirit talk about their journey A resounding yes, they'd do it again for such an amazing life-changing experience, is how Cyrus Allen, skipper of the Beneteau 50, White Spirit, summed up the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka race, which he completed with co-skipper Lillian Stewart.
Posted on 1 May
Transat Paprec Day 12
Charlotte Yven & Hugo Dhallenne: "Now, it's all in the mind too!" He checked in mid-morning, and you could hear the joy in his voice — Hugo Dhallenne is doing what he loves most: racing at sea. He's at the front of the fleet in the Transat Paprec and fully enjoying this adventure alongside Charlotte Yven.
Posted on 1 May
Entry open for trio of Brisbane Finn events
For three weeks in February 2026 the Finn world will descend on the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Entry has opened for the main Finn events in 2026. For three weeks in February 2026 the Finn world will descend on the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, in Brisbane, Australia, for three back-to-back major regattas.
Posted on 1 May