The Golden Globe start gets closer for Simon Curwen
Published 01:00 on 18 Sep 2022
Liz and Mark Rushall recently spent time with Club members Simon and Clare Curwen for the opening of the race village for the Golden Globe Race in Les Sables d'Olonne (also home of the Vendee Globe Race), which starts on Sunday 4 September.
Liz reports that the town provided amazing support for the event. Huge crowds turned out to welcome the 17 intrepid sailors who will start the race on Sunday 4 September.
Simon is one of only four British sailors taking part in the solo sailed GGR, which is based on the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, originally won by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in 1968/9.
The race is sailed in boats of the era and using only equipment from the era, and generally speaking only equipment that was available to Robin Knox-Johnston on Suhaili in 1968 may be used. That means NO GPS, chart plotters, electronic wind instruments, electric autopilots, electronic logs, iPhones, satellite phones, digital cameras, computers, CD players, pocket calculators, electronic clocks and watches, watermakers, carbon fibre, Kevlar, spectra etc so it is back to film cameras, cassette tapes, sextants, wind-up clocks, trailing logs and Dacron sails, wind vanes and typewriters. The only modern equipment the competitors are allowed is clothing (bit hard to find oiled wool jerseys and sou'westers these days!) and modern food products. Mark and Liz have been collecting cassette tapes for Simon to listen to for the duration of the race as CD's and iPods were not invented back then. Finding a working cassette player was a challenge.
Simon has spent 3 years preparing "Clara", a Biscay 36, built in Emsworth Yacht Harbour for the race. She's in great shape and the process of packing massive amounts of food is underway. Dried foods are not very appropriate for this race as water makers were not invented back in 1968.
Liz and Mark helped to add branding to Clara's mainsail and hull as Simon has some sponsorship from Howdens, the kitchen equipment company, to help promote their Road to Zero sustainability campaign. We are really hoping the Howdens chicken logo hangs onto the side of the boat in the Southern Ocean! Sustainability also is part of the values of the GGR.
Follow Simon's progress here (from 4 Sept).
Giles Bowman