As a member of the Qingdao crew who is still on land it’s a bit strange. The feeling of not having control, and of not knowing what is going on is making me a bit crazy.
For example, when Qingdao went into stealth mode and I didn’t realise it I began panicking – what’s happened? what’s going on? is everything ok? Then of course once I realised it was stealth mode I thought – what do they have planned? Where are they going?
I am finding it a bit difficult not to be there, involved and working with my team as they race to a podium finish. Having trained with so many of them, I want to be there as they struggle through the heat, the disappointment of getting through the gate in 4th when they were so close to 3rd, of the upcoming doldrums.
Instead, I desperately check the Race Viewer every day (well, about 100 times a day, refreshing every 5 minutes…which is down from every minute during the first race) and I anxiously await the Skipper report and our crew diaries, which I am disappointed to say aren’t coming in each day as promised. And in some way I feel part of the crew again and feel I can connect with their challenges, for example cringing when reading about the tear of our spinnaker. I can’t wait until our blogs come in more frequently, especially with photos.
So until I can join them (Leg 5…ages away!) I will continue to be an armchair crew member who is sending positive vibes and believes my crew are doing everything possible to get us a podium finish!
– Romanda
Team Qingdao - Clipper Race 2013/14 
I agree, Romanda. It’s agonising. I check the Race Viewer every opportunity – on my phone, on my ipad and on my computer. It always seems that Qingdao is going slower than the other boats. I wonder if we have too much weight on board – all that rice and pasta that Lawrence loaded. Also, it seems that other boats are having fun. They talk about Happy Hour and doing things like telling stories, singing songs, prizes for gaffs etc. All we’ve had is moon cakes for Chines Lunar Festival. I’ve had them and they’re an acquired taste – fermented eggs in a sugar paste and pastry. Perhaps we need to lighten up in more ways than one. I have every confidence in Gareth. I think he’s a great skipper and I’m sure his tactics will win in the end but the watching and waiting is terrible. This next couple of days will be deciding.
Yes, it’s tough to hear how much fun other boats are having too. That’s partly why I enjoy our crew diaries so much…they give a bit of insight into how the crew are actually doing. Don’t worry – we’ll be having loads of fun on our Leg!!!