Maiden on telly

[PhillM]

I wept. Respect to her and all her crew.

When I was a teenager I wanted to sail around the world. Clare Francis, to hell and high water was inspirational. A few years ago I was thrilled to sail round the Isle of Wight. My world had shrunk.

Now I’m 53, 5 kids, youngest just left of run I. Now and ex-business career, widowed (she was my business partner). Now a uni teacher. I‘m wondering what happened to my ambitions?

Next year my plans extend to the Brest festival of sea. That’s a big adventure for me. Perhaps I need to re-evaluate!

 

[FairweatherDave]

I wept. Respect to her and all her crew.

When I was a teenager I wanted to sail around the world. Clare Francis, to hell and high water was inspirational. A few years ago I was thrilled to sail round the Isle of Wight. My world had shrunk.

Now I’m 53, 5 kids, youngest just left of run I. Now and ex-business career, widowed (she was my business partner). Now a uni teacher. I‘m wondering what happened to my ambitions?

Next year my plans extend to the Brest festival of sea. That’s a big adventure for me. Perhaps I need to re-evaluate!

I don't think there is too much wrong with your world shrinking. I've got great admiration for what Tracey Edwards did and I was amazed at her determination to enter the race let alone complete it. But your adventures down West inspire me and I really hope to cross the channel one day, and sail round the Isle of Wight. Its all relative. I liked Dylan Winter's incremental little adventures and Stock's Shoal waters account. Of course I'd like to sail far away too but with my family constraints it ain't gonna happen for a good while yet (and I'm 56). As long as I'm getting an adventure fix I'm happy. It might not be glamorous but in a way I think there is something heroic simply doing the best for your family, even if they are university age and above. And if you gather the skills and knowledge and an opportunity to escape further fantastic. Brest sounds great to me.

 

[PetiteFleur]

We also watched it and it was excellent.

 

[Greenheart]

I wept.

I did too, lots, credit to you for admitting it. Not sure why, because I'm wholly unmoved by racing. I suppose it's awe, at the distance, peril and endurance; and thrilling relief at a happy, successful denouement, made glorious by their being the first female crew.

I don't think there is too much wrong with your world shrinking...I liked Dylan Winter's incremental little adventures and Stock's Shoal waters account. Of course I'd like to sail far away too but with my family constraints it ain't gonna happen for a good while yet (and I'm 56). As long as I'm getting an adventure fix I'm happy.

Bravo, I love that bright philosophy, Dave. I'm excited about maybe crossing the Solent next year. Like I did in 1990.

Brest sounds great to me.

Isn't that what the newsmen said in Fort Lauderdale when Maiden arrived in swimsuit-mode?

 

[Bajansailor]

I remember going on my pushbike down to Ocean Village to watch Maiden arrive - it was a beautifully sunny day, and on a weekend - it might even have been the bank holiday weekend? Absolutely perfect timing for their homecoming.
And Ocean Village was absolutely packed full with thousands of people welcoming Maiden home.
Later on, I remember seeing Tracy on TV one evening, on Terry Wogan's show, and Terry asked her if she had a final comment to make at the end - and she turned up the lasers, stared into the camera, and said something to the effect "to all your potential sponsors who turned me down - just look at what you missed out on".
She had a point there. Royal Jordanian Airways got a huge amount of publicity for a relatively small financial outlay - good 'bang for your buck'?

 

[AndrewfromFal]

Remind me how many boats were in their class

4 - Including a couple that were very competitively setup (compared to Maiden)

 

[E39mad]

Maiden was also an old boat (design wise) by the start of the Whitbread having been built in 1979. Although built in aluminium it was a heavy boat in comparison to the competitors.

Makes their achievement of 2nd overall in class even more impressive.

 

[bedouin]

Maiden was also an old boat (design wise) by the start of the Whitbread having been built in 1979. Although built in aluminium it was a heavy boat in comparison to the competitors.

Makes their achievement of 2nd overall in class even more impressive.

So of all the boats she beat overall which do you think represents the most impressive achievement?

 

[AndrewfromFal]

So of all the boats she beat overall which do you think represents the most impressive achievement?

The fact that they beat Patrick Tabarly's team on the South Ocean legs was impressive; and the fact they completed the race at all; which Rucanor Sport didn't, I think are impressive enough feats.

Aside from Dawn Riley, I don't think any of the Maiden crew had competed at anything like international level prior to the Whitbread. - To give it some kind of equivalency, I'd say their achievement was similar to if Liverpool Enterprise had finished in the Top 6.

 

[doris]

It was worth watching but a bit frustrating. It clearly had a strongly feminist agenda and rather over-played that. Seemed to be trying to say that Maiden was the best boat in the fleet and they were unlucky not to win.

But even though it was very pro Edwards it did seem that she wasn't quite up to the job (nothing to do with being a woman btw) and in fact she was a bit lucky to get round in one piece.

You must have watched a very different film to the one I saw. It was clear that they had a secondhand old boat and completing the course was the first objective.
The attitude of most of the male offshore sailors in the eighties and nineties was appalling. RORC, JOG, the lot of them, were all about being roughy toughy hunks (twunts is a new word for them) then arriving, getting drunk and, maybe, getting laid. It was the main reason why I stopped fully crewed racing and moved to short handed. Tracy had no way of getting any proper experience other than going out and doing it which is why she was/is so amazing. This attitude was nowhere near as bad in the supposedly 'chauvinistic' french sailing circles.
The attitudes towards Ellen was better but still horrendous, Geoff Mulchahy/Kingfisher did brilliantly there same as King Hussein/Royal Jordanian with Tracy.

 

[doris]

It was worth watching but a bit frustrating. It clearly had a strongly feminist agenda and rather over-played that. Seemed to be trying to say that Maiden was the best boat in the fleet and they were unlucky not to win.

But even though it was very pro Edwards it did seem that she wasn't quite up to the job (nothing to do with being a woman btw) and in fact she was a bit lucky to get round in one piece.

You must have watched a very different film to the one I saw. It was clear that they had a secondhand old boat and completing the course was the first objective.
The attitude of most of the male offshore sailors in the eighties and nineties was appalling. RORC, JOG, the lot of them, were all about being roughy toughy hunks (twunts is a new word for them) then arriving, getting drunk and, maybe, getting laid. It was the main reason why I stopped fully crewed racing and moved to short handed. Tracy had no way of getting any proper experience other than going out and doing it which is why she was/is so amazing. This attitude was nowhere near as bad in the supposedly 'chauvinistic' french sailing circles.
The attitudes towards Ellen was better but still horrendous, Geoff Mulchahy/Kingfisher did brilliantly there same as King Hussein/Royal Jordanian with Tracy.

 

[AndrewfromFal]

The attitudes towards Ellen was better but still horrendous, Geoff Mulchahy/Kingfisher did brilliantly there same as King Hussein/Royal Jordanian with Tracy.

To be fair I think a fair few owners towards the top of the UK racing fraternity chipped in early on in Ellen's career - I think Mike Slade and possibly Johnny Caulcutt and Richard Matthews put some money into her early campaigns; prior to Kingfisher going the full monty.
It was notable that the most voluble of her detractors was (again) Bob Fisher. - You'd almost think he had some sort of a problem with women sailors...

 

[bedouin]

You must have watched a very different film to the one I saw. It was clear that they had a secondhand old boat and completing the course was the first objective..

As explained above, I did not mean Edwards had an agenda, I mean the film makers did.

I don't want to say anything to appear to underestimate her achievement, which was immense.

But also there is an element of exaggeration in what some people are saying. E.g. you say that she had an old boat but it was a fairly recent Farr design and as far as I can see no older than any other boat in her class.

So full credit to her for even getting to the finish line and even more for getting round the world in a one piece and posting a good time. But statements such as "2nd in class" or "old/heavy boat" are deceptive and tend to give an exaggerated impression of her performance relative to the rest of the fleet.

 

[LadyInBed]

Having no interest in racing at any level, I was surprised to find myself glued to this.

Same here, I had recorded the programme and watched it last night, very moving.
The thing that struck me most - Oh! how we have all aged :blue:

 

[capnsensible]

Same here, I had recorded the programme and watched it last night, very moving.
The thing that struck me most - Oh! how we have all aged :blue:

I liked you til you said that!

What about Breton caps, red trousers and yellow wellies?

 

[Resolution]

To be fair I think a fair few owners towards the top of the UK racing fraternity chipped in early on in Ellen's career - I think Mike Slade and possibly Johnny Caulcutt and Richard Matthews put some money into her early campaigns; prior to Kingfisher going the full monty.
It was notable that the most voluble of her detractors was (again) Bob Fisher. - You'd almost think he had some sort of a problem with women sailors...

I recall listening in on a conversation in my yacht club between two such benefactors. One was indeed supporting Ellen and waxed lyrical about how she worked hard to understand what her sponsors needed from her, and how meticulous she was in attending promotion events. The other was annoyed because no-one from Maiden had turned up to for a promo event scheduled for that day .
Only hearsay, but..........

 

[Quandary]

As explained above, I did not mean Edwards had an agenda, I mean the film makers did.

I don't want to say anything to appear to underestimate her achievement, which was immense.

But also there is an element of exaggeration in what some people are saying. E.g. you say that she had an old boat but it was a fairly recent Farr design and as far as I can see no older than any other boat in her class.

So full credit to her for even getting to the finish line and even more for getting round the world in a one piece and posting a good time. But statements such as "2nd in class" or "old/heavy boat" are deceptive and tend to give an exaggerated impression of her performance relative to the rest of the fleet.

You are really struggling to avoid being congratulatory, did you used to be a journalist called Bob?

I must be easily impressed but I thought their achievement was superb, even more that they completed it all without anyone killing anyone, the film certainly captured the stress that Tracey E subjected herself to.

 

[bedouin]

You are really struggling to avoid being congratulatory, did you used to be a journalist called Bob?

I must be easily impressed but I thought their achievement was superb, even more that they completed it all without anyone killing anyone, the film certainly captured the stress that Tracey E subjected herself to.

You must have a big problem with the English language - you are attributing statements to me I never made. It is a very nasty habit that belongs more in other areas of the forum.

Why not either comment on what I did say or (preferable) just shut up.

 

[Babylon]

Meanwhile... back on the boat after their pre-Whitbread Fastnet failure:

Tracy's friend had just broken her wrist falling down below and it turned out the French woman, who was the most skilled racing skipper at the time, had instructed that the first-aid kit was left ashore with other 'non-essentials' to save weight. So, almost within sight of the rock, they had to turn round: Tracy was in a foul mood and the crew were miserable. At one point Tracy testily countered one of the crew with the question "Who's the skipper?!" To which someone else replied "That's the problem Tracy, no-one knows." The French woman left the boat. (So did the friend, but flew out to join them after the first leg when her wrist was mended.)

 

[Tomahawk]

Recorded it on Freeview.. what a fantastic film. I met the boat at SIBS the year before last.. I think Tracy was there. Certainly some of the crew were on board. Maiden is now touring the world as an ambassador for women.

Regards the actual race, I always knew they would compete the course. It is an endurance race and the one thing women have in heaps is endurance.

To simply finish is an achievement. Up against people who had done the Whitbread before the team were on the podium.. I remember them saying "Mothers lock up your sons,,,,, Maiden is arriving in town".

It was always most upsetting it took a foreign king to recognise what women can achieve. Shame on every British company that rejected them.