Interview with Tom Braidwood - VOR experiences

by Brett Filby on 17 Jul 2006 Tom Braidwood / Volvo Ocean race

Questions:

Sail-World: Tell us about your early Volvo involvement?

Tom Braidwood: I first got involved in race when it was called the Whitbread. I had just finished racing with Syd Fisher in the Americas cup (Sydney 95) in San Diego and my roommate was Neal MacDonald. When I returned to Australia I tried everything I could to get on a boat, with no luck. When the boats were coming to Perth I flew myself over to do the dock walk and try to get a ride. Richie Allison from North Sails Sydney sail loft let me sleep on his couch and when the Silk Cut boys got in, I managed to get a job helping them on the shore side and some in-port sailing for little more than my keep, and sharing a room with two of the other boys.

A few of these boys ended up sailing on Ericsson; Neal Macdonald, Jason Carrington, Tim Powel, and Steve Hayles.

Sail-World: How did the SEB campaign end up?

Tom Braidwood: SEB was my big break into Volvo and David 'Dingo' Rolf gave me a leg in to try out for the team. We had a great bunch of blokes, even if they were mostly Kiwis. Anthony Merrington joined our team in Auckland, which helped me keep the Kiwi’s under control a little. SEB was a bit of a disappointment with many breakdowns meaning a poor performance in leg 1 and a DNF in leg 3 and 4, after losing a rudder in leg 3 and a tragically the mast in the Southern Ocean on the leg 4 to Brazil. Corporately it was very successful for the SEB bank, but race result wise, a failure.

Sail-World: How did you come to be involved with the Ericsson team?

Tom Braidwood: While I was project manager for Neville Crichton’s latest Alfa Romeo for McConaghy Boats, Neal Macdonald called to say he was up and running and would I be interested in joining the team as Bowman and Boat captain. So a couple of days after the launch of the Alfa in Sydney, I was on the plane to Spain to join the team.

Sail-World: How does the Volvo 70 differ from the original and proven 60’s?

Tom Braidwood: The Volvo 60’s were very strong and you could push them really hard and they would handle it, although they were pretty labour intensive. The new 70’s made the 60 feel ‘like a walk in the park’. We were still stacking hard, the sails were much bigger and a lot heaver due to limitations on numbers. But the boats were more like taking a F1 off road, you could always keep putting the accelerator down and go faster and faster but you would risk big breakages, as we saw the whole race. Speeds were impressive and the power of the water across the deck was very dangerous as I found out in leg 4.

Sail-World: Due to all the breakages this time around, the Volvo 70 has come under a lot question regarding its suitability. Do you think the design concept is a good step forward?

Tom Braidwood: Yes I think the 70’s are great and with the next generation we are sure to see improvement in the reliability issues. We need to remember that we are racing grand prix race boats around the world, this means pushing those limits not found at club or even big budget Maxi level. The boats are leading edge and very exciting and pushed as hard as the crews dare; surely this is what the public wish to follow.

Sail-World: Tell us about the canting design system you have onboard Ericsson?

Tom Braidwood: Two rams on either side of the boat, we started with titanium but changed to steel rams supplied by Greg Waters from Central Coast Hydraulics.

Sail-World: Prior to the race did you expect the canting system to be a problem?

Tom Braidwood: From my project management of Alfa Romeo, we had investigated the idea of utilising titanium as a ram material. We could never really make them stack up eventually returning to steel, which at the time, seemed the more practical option. So on arrival in Spain I found the team, curiously, using titanium. It eventually proved not be the way to go for us although other VO70’s got around the world with these rams. (Both ABN Amro boats carried titanium rams.)

After our change to steel we had no more problems with our system. In these campaigns everyone is doing the very best they can to make the boat as fast a possible, and the last Volvo rule drove everyone hard to save weight as it went into the bulb, which saw teams looking for big weight savings and hence the canting systems got a lot of attention.

Sail-World: Do you think the VOR decision to keep the boats a lot further north this time was a good decision?

Tom Braidwood: Yes and no, it meant we didn’t see the ice we saw in the 60’s, (latitude) which was just total luck not to hit a growler that would have meant 12 guys in the Southern Ocean. I am sure Volvo did the smart thing to keep us safe at all times. The higher course also made for a slightly slower trip with the breeze generally lighter than previous races.

Sail-World: So your injury must have been devastating, but I guess now an increased risk given the speed and violent motion of the class? (Tom sustained a shoulder injury, eventually requiring surgery, from what was generally an inherent problem at the speed these boats reach, with the bowman having to go forward and risk being washed with incredible force into either the mast or (new for the latest race) the now typical daggerboards.)

Tom Braidwood: Yes for sure, being a smaller guy you get washed around a bit, and also there is a element of luck - I was just unlucky.

Sail-World: What do you think will be the next step for the race?

Tom Braidwood: More reliable boats, more speed records broken, more boats and more corporate commitments, and with still better video footage. And this little fat lake boy will be back for sure if someone will have me.

Sail-World: So next step for Tom Braidwood?

Tom Braidwood: During the Volvo Ocean Race I started building a Mini Transat to compete in the 2007 race from France to Brazil – as if the Volvo race is not enough punishment.

Do you want to hear more about the Volvo and the new Mini Transat? Tom is speaking about the Transat campaign and his latest non-sailing project, raising money for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, at the Cruising Yacht Club on Wednesday the 19th of July at 1830.

Follow Tom’s progress leading up to the Transat start: www.tombraidwood.com