Australian Watch leader on Team Legato discusses UK criticism

by Barry Pickthall on 1 Mar 2001 After 2 days of tricky light winds, TEAM LEGATO's Australian watch leader, Paul Larson reflects on the voyage so far and criticisms floating up back in the UK

This is the typescript of a radio recording made today, available to TV and Radio which can be listened to on www.teamlegato.com

3000 miles from Cape Horn

'To call our current predicament frustrating would be quite an understatement. What I see laid out all around me is no one picture of the Southern Ocean. It is dead flat with no wind, bordering on what I call glasshouse conditions. We are told by three independent sources that there are strong winds all around us, yet we have sat here for a day and a half making little progress or direction. It is no one's fault - just one of the many vagaries of this wonderful world of yachting.

Sit on the Silverstone start line in a Ferrari with the track all to yourself and no fuel. Sit in an airport all packed to party and stay grounded day after day. Buy the kids the hottest remote control car on Christmas Day, but have no batteries. Get the picture? Don't for a minute think that we are not trying. Everything at our disposal - sail combinations, directions, advice - all avenues have been tried. But if the winds don't blow, then we don't go.

Each watch gives up the helm with a sigh. The next give it their best. Every second we know that the competition we tried so hard to catch before Wellington, is pulling away. Mental discomfort can be far worse than physical discomfort. But this is the nature of our endeavour. The Race was never going to be easy. You had to be prepared in so many facets to tackle it successfully.

The way that TEAM LEGATO got to the start line was a long way from being the perfect method to set out to win such an event. But make it to the start line she did. Some of the biggest names in British offshore yachting proposed and pursued projects for this event, but only one made it to the start line. There are a dozen reasons why she shouldn't have, which could have been backed up with a dozen justifiable excuses why she didn't. But that is the nature of Tony Bullimore. He has pursued this goal at great personal and emotional expense with his characteristic determination. Those still onboard share his goals and will see this through to the finish line in Marseilles.

I had great reservations about joining TEAM LEGATO in the days leading up to the start. In fact I pulled out a couple of days before when it all looked a little too desperate. After the crushing disappointment of losing TEAM PHILIPS, I didn't think I could muster the energy to face the trials and tribulations that this particular team were about to endure. Only on the eve of the start did I realise that I had to do it. The thought of not having a go at an event that I too have pursued a little too excessively for a couple of years was too intolerable. If I go, I go the whole hog and I'm sure it isn’t going to be pretty.

Sitting in a bar it all sounds easy. Lose your focus on the goal and the discomfort goes on forever. Forget the TV series 'The House'. Try putting ten people from five nations in a handful of hours into the pressure cooker of a non-stop round the world race on one of the fastest maxi multihulls in the world. You can't just go and sit in your room and sulk, then want to get off. This, mixed up with all the frustrations of being becalmed in the raw cold power of the Southern Ocean, and see what happens. Anyone who thought it was going to be easy was living in fairyland. Focusing on the goal is the only thing that will see you through.

An almost critical lack of preparation time meant that despite the fact that we still had to complete 150 miles of qualification before the start, we still spent 8 rushed hours on the dock, before even that could be commenced. At Gibraltar we had to call in for some important modifications that presented themselves on the way. By the Equator, the boat was ready for battle but it cost us 2000 miles on our nearest competition as we entered the Southern Ocean. Steve Fossett's PlayStation had already pulled out and Team Adventure was having crew and structural problems in Cape Town. We had the bit between our teeth and began to reel in the Poles on Warta Polpharma and through some truly spectacular sailing in Southern Ocean; we worked hard to reduce the lead to 235 miles by Wellington. In fact we sailed cheering and hooting within metres passed Team Adventure as we went in to the harbour and they headed out.

Our interlude in Wellington wasn't in the plan at all until the last minute. I don't think we ever should have stopped, but I wasn't the one in pain. I was helming when we nose-dived TEAM LEGATO from 30 knots to a standstill when she ran into the equivalent of a jetty wall. It is no wonder that 3 of the crew got injured. Tony as skipper had no option but to place the welfare of his crew first, and on their say-so, decided that a stopover was necessary. We wanted to get in and out as soon as possible.

But tied up at the jetty waiting for the doctor's assessment, the promise of comfort ate like a cancer as the focus on the goal wavered in the minds of some people. Within a couple of hours we were down to a crew of six. This is strictly my opinion, and once again, I wasn't the one who was hurt, but, if they didn't have the lure of a get-out in Wellington, I have no doubt that some of those who got off would have no regrets about being onboard sitting in third place now.

With the loss of a couple of team members, the situation needed re-assessing. By this stage we were tired and certain people had to take on and learn other responsibilities. If we hadn't lost our navigator, there is no doubt that we would have left that same night and, on current form, would now be in third place.

In a world of virtual reality, this is the real stuff. You can't just hit 'reset' and start again. Obstacles in our way are all there to test our resolve, overcoming them and persisting on reaching a goal is the very essence of adventure. This, if nothing else, is adventure at its grandest and nastiest. I have heard that there has been some focus in England on negative aspects of the project, which I feel is sad and detracts from the more relevant aspects. Tony Bullimore wouldn't be alive today if he was the type to give up. He is a picture of stubborn determination. A virtue that Britain prides itself. I will be glad to have played a part in fulfilling his goal.

How I have crossed vast oceans and hit over 38 knots on the great southern swells, and seen the Southern Aurora shimmer from horizon to horizon and round two of the three great Capes so far, has tested me to the point where I know myself a little better.

So, if there are those letting criticisms override the real issues, it is a shame. They should leave the 'reset' button alone, defy adversity, get off their bar stools and test their own metal with some real adventure. It is most likely closer than they think.

Meanwhile, we will continue as a team, chasing a common goal through to the finish and that will be an achievement. I think the beer in Marseilles will taste all the better.

Currently, the winds have returned exactly as the weather forecasters have said, which is comforting. After trying to eke out 3-4 knots of boat speed for 2 days, it is nice to see the Speedo climbing above 20 knots once more.

The Poles could have had this race on a platter, but they too have their troubles with strong winds and huge seas. I feel very sorry for them, but from a racing perspective, that is good for us. They are now 2,000 miles ahead, but this is not insurmountable. These boats can rip up those sorts of miles within days, so we would be foolish to say that this race is over. We are pushing this boat as hard as we can. We still think there is a chance to sneak through to the finish ahead of them, but if we come in just a few hundred miles behind, that will be