The organizers of #FriendlyRegatta continue to expand their experience and knowledge base to share with our community! From oceanic masterclasses with circumnavigators and sea survival courses to instructor certifications and participating in world-renowned races (where the lessons learned have saved dozens of lives).
This time, Vovka Pavlin set off to compete in one of the most dangerous Category 1 offshore events—the Rolex Fastnet Race 2015. He brings back invaluable experience while sharing his rawest, freshest emotions and updates along the way.
Here is how it unfolded through the eyes of a participant:
Preparation & Delivery Leg
August 8, 2015
Landed in Paris and took a train to Brest. In the evening, we met up with the crew for a warm dinner and agreed to meet at the yacht the next morning to begin delivery preparations.
For several days now, we’ve been preparing for the training passage from Brest (France) to Cowes on the Isle of Wight (UK) for the start of Fastnet—the most exciting and challenging sailing race in the world, running from August 16 to August 22. This is the milestone 45th edition of the race, held biennially. We are going through all the gear and rigging—not only to check for and fix any issues, but to get used to the yacht and feel her better.
The whole crew is involved; everyone is working on something and learning plenty of new things. This process really brings the crew together, as many of us didn’t even know each other before. In the evenings, we head out to restaurants, feast on oysters and crab, and drink wine—it’s divine.
August 11, 2015
We plan to depart after high tide closer to the evening. The forecast calls for 20 knots, beating upwind. We have 11 people on board and will run a watch schedule of two 4-hour shifts.
Update: High tide started, departure postponed until tomorrow.
Brest to Portsmouth Crossing
August 12, 2015 — 12:58 PM
After prepping the boat, we departed the marina in Brest, France, bound for Southampton, England.
The weather forecast proved completely wrong: close-hauled in 30–35 knots of wind, driving rain, and heavy seas. We split into two watches (Sergey P. and I are in different shifts). During repairs in Brest, we replaced the sheets with guy lines—they couldn’t handle the load and snapped within the first two hours of the passage.
Despite most of the crew getting seasick, everyone held their watches bravely and carried out their roles. As the wind blew harder, we took in the third reef and flew along at 8–12 knots.
Only on the third day did everyone finally recover as the wind shifted to a reach (beam reach). We briskly hoisted the genoa and blasted off! ))
Over the past couple of days, I realized one crucial rule: eat, drink, and sleep before you feel the need to. Maintaining a strict diet and rest schedule is mandatory. Victory belongs to those who are fed and healthy.
August 14, 2015
In the morning, we celebrated Svetlana Korotayeva’s birthday with a cake Yura baked during the night watch. On top of that, he pickled some cucumbers! Now that’s what I call a ship’s cook!
14:15 — Arrived in Portsmouth and birthed at Gosport Marina, home base for the Clipper Round the World race. All in all, we’ve got a cheerful crew—smooth sailing so far!
Tomorrow is registration day: handling formalities, mental prep, and discussing race tactics. We saw our competitors today—”Komachi” 70 ft. Super slick crew; they swap the stay with the genoa in 30 seconds flat while underway.
England welcomed us with rain and fog—nothing surprising, just classic local weather.
Race Days
August 16, 2015 — Start Day
Our class start is scheduled for 13:40 UTC.
Schedule for Start Day:
- By 11:40 — Pass through the race committee gate under storm sails
- 13:10 — Preparatory signal
- 13:40 — Official Start
Forecast shows light wind and flat seas, though a cyclone is expected in a couple of days. The bay is packed with yachts across all classes. Exchanged greetings with Team SCA—the ladies are awesome!
The starting direction is set by the organizers by raising a color flag at the Royal Yacht Squadron. Our group starts last, with everyone circling near the starting line, sizing each other up… ))
The 5-minute signal sounds! What looks like chaotic movement is actually a carefully calculated and well-planned maneuver by the captains and tacticians.
BANG — START!!!!!
Boats crowd and squeeze past one another as they cross the line. You can see well-rehearsed crew work with the naked eye—the ‘battle shifts’ are active on every yacht. The heat is on! ))
With our characteristic composure and cunning, we cross the start line and set a course out of the bay, beating upwind. Getting out of the bay isn’t easy: a dense concentration of small and large yachts, support boats, and onlookers, plus dangerous shallow mudflats everywhere that we have to tack around.
30 minutes after the start, Lucky runs aground, damages her mainsail, and is forced to retire.
We head further offshore. The captain believes the wind will shift, allowing us to head up closer to the rest of the fleet later. Speed is at 10 knots, weather is great, moving briskly!
August 17, 2015
By 04:00 AM, we maintained a speed of 10 knots. Around 05:00 AM, we had to divert around an exclusion zone, which significantly hurt our position in our class standings. By 07:30 AM, we managed to recover our speed and heading. The wind gradually died down.
10:30 AM — All the yachts ahead of us lined up like soldiers awaiting battle (or wind), but there is none! )) Catching up, we were confident in our speed and handling to jump over this “puddle,” but the wind is fair to everyone and put us on hold too ))
Wallowing and cursing, we use every trick to catch any bit of ripple on the water to crawl out of this doldrum. Skills acquired and male patience tested back during our Friendly Regatta races in France come in handy.
15:00 PM — Managed to pick up 6 knots of breeze and flew along at 7 knots (wind speed + 1 knot). We spent the day cheerfully hiking out on the gunwale; I had to boost crew morale with jokes and funny stories from my sailing trips.
Andrukha, our bowman, shared insights on foredeck work, quick hoists, and douses. I liked his style—you can occasionally bark at the folks in the cockpit: “Wake up, haul it in, steer straight, don’t lose speed!” Frankly, every helmsman needs to understand and feel what each crew member is doing.
During the day, I managed to call my lovely wife and Sergey Sinitsyn a few times to check our position relative to competitors. Realized your tracking updates come with roughly a 2-hour delay. According to the captain, the organizers do this on purpose. Either way, after getting the news, the crew got super motivated to push for a great result—the rest depends on what the weather gives us.
20:00 PM — Hitting the rack until the next watch.
August 18, 2015
- 00:00 — Night watch begins. Heading 270°, speed 4–5 knots.
- 02:58 — Hoisted Code Zero. Speed jumped to 7 knots. Got a weather update from Sergey Sinitsyn, strategizing tactics.
- 03:30 — Wind shifts, speed drops.
- 04:00 — Wind picks up to 10 knots, boat speed 6 knots.
- 04:47 — Zero wind. Total calm.
08:00 AM — Passing between islands, windless glass patches everywhere. Sent the bowman up the mast to take photos of the water surface within range, then selected the most favorable track where breeze was visible.
12:00 PM — Watch change.
13:40 PM — Wind picked up to a beam reach. Trimmed sails, cruising nicely. I’m sleeping while hiking out.
16:00 PM — My watch begins. Working, having lunch, taking bearings on neighboring yachts. Talking about art and the Large Hadron Collider.
20:00 PM — Watch change. The captain asked anyone who could stay on deck for hiking out to remain. My watch went to sleep, but I stayed behind to tell hilarious stories from my life.
That’s how 4 hours flew by: laughing in the rain and wind, maintaining great speed, and covering about 60 miles.
20:00 PM (Next Cycle) — My watch officially starts. Helmsmen swapped, maintaining speed, seas building.
After 1.5 to 2 hours, I started feeling seasick from lack of sleep. Ate an apple as always, and everything turned back into vivid colors! ))
Approaching Fastnet Rock Light.
Around 23:30 PM, the first shift was called up. As we approach Fastnet Rock, we’re hit with fog, rain, rolling waves, wind, surrounding boats, and a fish farm nearby—the full package! )) Decided to round the lighthouse from the north.
On the first shift, the crew was exhausted and slow to execute commands—compounded by external factors and a crowded cockpit where people were stepping on each other. The first gybe failed! The second failed! On the third attempt, we executed the turn—all good!!
We lost valuable time and let about 5–7 boats pass that we had previously overtaken. Time to make up ground.
Tried to get some sleep—failed due to beam reaching and 4–6 meter side swells.
August 19, 2015 — The Finish
Came on watch at 08:00 AM.
Today was a day of personal satisfaction during the regatta. Through sheer cunning, I managed to take the helm in exchange for a life jacket, steered flawlessly (noticed by everyone, including the captain), and happily stayed on the tiller throughout the day.
After staying awake for 24 hours straight and helming two full watches, I finally crashed.
The night passed in a blur, though you could feel cumulative team fatigue setting in as mistakes began to creep in. In the morning, right on schedule, we crossed the finish line in Plymouth at 09:16 AM.
We moored the boat and headed straight out for some English ale. Sitting in the bar, we reminisced, laughed, and sang songs—it was a blast! ))
Key Takeaways & Lessons Learned:
- Strict Discipline: Eat and sleep on a schedule before fatigue hits.
- Morale: Always have a crew member who keeps spirits high and boosts energy.
- Watch Rotation: A 3-watch system (4 hours each) gives the crew better rest.
- Training Runs: Conduct at least 3–4 practice runs with mixed watch rotations so the crew learns to work together smoothly.
- Weather Data: Utilize alternative weather sources alongside official forecasts.
- Race Procedures: Thoroughly study the start and finish line protocols.
- Briefings: Review the master strategy and contingency plans with all crew members beforehand.
- Gear: Ensure proper technical clothing for harsh conditions.
- Provisions: Plan quality food and shipboard nourishment.
- Mindset: The relentless desire to win!
Well friends, I hope you enjoyed reading through my logbook. See you at the Friendly Regatta, where I’ll be able to share more stories, demonstrate skills in person, and teach you the ropes!
