Volvo Ocean Race- Ryan Houston looking forward to his Kiwi home

by Team Alvimedica on 24 Feb 2015 Ryan Houston’s dad may not have been the greatest sailor, says the Team Alvimedica watch captain, but he credits his dad for getting him where he is today, doing the job he loves most.

'I grew up in Hamilton and we lived close to Hamilton Lake,' says the proud New Zealander. 'Dad always had this goal in mind that he would make me and my brother do sports on Saturday or Sunday to keep us out of trouble. He wasn't the best sailor, but Dad took us down there and we sailed a doublehanded boat with him. He taught us how to capsize a lot! But then we moved into some other dinghies, the Optimist and P Class, then further afield.'

It was the stories of the Whitbread Race, the dominant success of Peter Blake and Steinlager 2 in 1989/90, watching these Kiwi heroes conquer the world - it was all very inspiring to the young Houston. 'Watching the guys doing the America's Cup in 1995 - that was when I really fell in love with the sport. Russell Coutts, Dean Phipps, we had him as a coach in Alicante. Now I'm getting to sail with these guys like Dean, like Tony Mutter, who worked with us in Sanya. Those are the kind of guys you look up to, and you hope that one day that will be you standing there showing others how to do it.'

Now aged 32, this is Houston’s third Volvo Ocean Race, his first as a watch captain. It’s a step up in responsibility that he takes seriously. 'It’s a new challenge for me. I had to become an adult, I had to become someone who could answer the questions rather than someone asking the questions. ‘Where do you think we should put that jib lead, Ryan?’ Rather than me being the guy asking the question. I was always the guy with his head down, involved in working on the boat. But this time I've had to take a step back from that and focus more on performance and know a lot more about what's going on with the weather, rather than just being concentrated on speed.'



It’s been eight months since Houston was in New Zealand, so the homecoming to Auckland can’t come soon enough. In addition to Houston’s immediate family awaiting his arrival, his girlfriend Karli Bowler will be there, as she has been at every stopover since the race started in October in Spain. 'I love being able to give him a hug when he gets off the boat - I also enjoy helping at the base with little tasks, it makes me feel like I am a part of the team and contributing in some way towards their goals,' Bowler says.

The American-Kiwi is no stranger to sailing having grown up in Annapolis. The daughter of Lynda and Russell Bowler, Karli’s Dad co-founded Farr Yacht Design.

Although she grew up sailing Optimists, she prefers riding horses. As she travels around the world, she is studying for her Certificate of Canine Rehabilitation through the University of Tennessee. When not traveling and sailing around the world with the Volvo Ocean Race, Bowler and Houston make their home in Auckland.

'It's summer time, so I'm looking forward to it, and we'll be counting down the days more than on most legs,' Houston said in anticipation of arriving to Auckland some time March 1 or 2. 'It’s one of those rare feelings of time not passing quickly enough. The rest of the race has been going by in a blur. 'It only feels like we started the race last week. Time flies until you look at your watch. Just the other day I was arguing with someone that it was a Saturday, when it was actually a Monday! That's the kind of stuff that goes on when you lose track of time and you get caught up in the Volvo Jungle, as I like to call it. Time always flies when you're having fun.'

And fun is what Houston is having, living his dream job. He can scarcely believe his luck, and nor can his father. 'My dad had the idea that you should always do a trade first, and he said I could do what I want. But I don't think he ever thought you could have a job in sailing, so he's very proud of what I'm doing now, following our progress around the world.' No doubt his dad will be among the flotilla of boats that come out to greet Team Alvimedica as Ryan Houston sails home.