Sport Relief Volvo65 challenge

[Judders]

http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/news/9194_Hell-on-high-seas.html

I resisted the temptation to call this thread "BBC to show some sailing that doesn't involve the Duchess if Cambridge Shock!" but that would be churlish. Okay so it's still only worth showing yachts if there are pretty girls involved in the BBC's eyes but even so, it should be an interesting watch and give the viewers some sort of insight into our great sport.

 

[Ingwe]

I think that the "celebrities" will be in for a bit of a shock, I know that they are going to be sailing in a really backed off mode as they only have to do 1000 miles in 5 days but I doubt any of them have any idea how wet and at this time of year cold this is going to be and how much core strength training they should have been doing for a few months just to be able to hang on!

On the forecasts looks like they start off with a strong northerly on Monday then a couple of days of lighter airs then strong south to westerlies building in later in the week, so will have plenty of wind to go either way round, the southerly option looks quite nice with downwind / reaching probably the whole way where the northern route would be masochistic bashing upwind- but probably good TV if they just want to make all the celebs ill, will just have to wait and see how cruel Ian Walker has been told to be to them - I think they are going to make the decision on route on Sunday.

 

[MissFitz]

I'm assuming they must have given them some training beforehand or at least been fairly selective in their choice of celebs, otherwise the experience could be unjustifiably painful.

 

[Lucky Duck]

In that case, hopeful it won't end up like the Ski-Jump programme with most of the celebrity participants visiting hospital

 

[Ingwe]

I'm assuming they must have given them some training beforehand or at least been fairly selective in their choice of celebs, otherwise the experience could be unjustifiably painful.

I am hoping that they have got them to at least do fitness training but when they announced it on the one show last night it was quite obvious that it was the first time Alex Jones had even seen a picture of a VO65 and she was fairly shocked by pipe cots to sleep in and the couple of jet boils that serve as a galley and they didn't even mention the toilets to them... so I think they are throwing them in at the deep end in the hope of good (painful) TV.

 

[drakes drum]

It sounds from the list of "they also came along" as if the B rate celebs wont have to do a lot other than prepare for video scenes. Or they might seriously join in - only time will tell.

I see that the Beeb has stuck to their normal ethnicity quota system.

 

[roblpm]

Alex Jones did do that seriously scary climbing thing before. People might scoff and say that she was tied on and pulled up but I thought it was pretty amazing!

 

[Wandering Star]

I am hoping that they have got them to at least do fitness training but when they announced it on the one show last night it was quite obvious that it was the first time Alex Jones had even seen a picture of a VO65 and she was fairly shocked by pipe cots to sleep in and the couple of jet boils that serve as a galley and they didn't even mention the toilets to them... so I think they are throwing them in at the deep end in the hope of good (painful) TV.

I think you'll find Alex Jones is a lot tougher than you give her credit for. A couple of years ago she scaled some mountain or other and was impressive. She's also regularly taken part in that cycling marathon (the one with the bandaged bear and trailer).

 

[Ingwe]

I think you'll find Alex Jones is a lot tougher than you give her credit for. A couple of years ago she scaled some mountain or other and was impressive. She's also regularly taken part in that cycling marathon (the one with the bandaged bear and trailer).

I have no doubt that she is quite fit but unless you have quite a lot of offshore sailing experience on lightweight race boats doing this at this time of year is by far the most dangerous challenge they have ever tried, it's all the really basic things like knowing how to move around a boat when it's crashing through waves that they just can't pick up in time, I have cracked my ribs twice in the past five years from just being thrown across boats when we have hit a wave slightly off and that's on boats probably going 30% slower than they will be, I can't remember quite how many people broke bones (normally cracked ribs) in the last VOR but it was quite a few and these are pro sailors who have been doing it there whole lives.

 

[nigelmercier]

Tracking info here http://cf.yb.tl/dfrt2016

 

[Wandering Star]

Thanks for that link Nigel, I'll watch progress with interest.

 

[AIDY]

Thanks for that link Nigel, I'll watch progress with interest.

Going the southern route then.

 

[WF36]

I'm assuming they must have given them some training beforehand or at least been fairly selective in their choice of celebs, otherwise the experience could be unjustifiably painful.

The celebrity crew will take four-hour shifts on the yacht and will be carrying out many of the same tasks as a normal crew after having undergone a week of intensive training that included life saving exercises.

Read more at http://www.ybw.com/news-from-yachti...-of-bt-sport-relief-17716#2eVTgXktoF30Q2Sf.99

 

[savageseadog]

They seem to be going due West?

On reflection must be getting West before being headed. Looks like some horrid weather for Wednesday.

 

[Wandering Star]

They seem to be going due West?

It's dark, they probably can't see where they're headed. Also just listened to Alex Jones on the One Show, she says it's incredibly rough and blowing 20 knots! The web tracker shows the boat doing between 6.5 and 7.5 knots. Rough? Fast? But I still like her!

 

[Mistroma]

They seem to be going due West?

On reflection must be getting West before being headed. Looks like some horrid weather for Wednesday.

Yes, I noticed the course change as well and it coincided with an on-air bit from Alex. I wonder if it went something like this

18:20 ~7kn 200 deg. Getting used to being at sea and on a run
19:00 ~7kn 240 deg. Getting used to heeling a little more and getting ready to be on-air
19:15 12.5kn 270 deg. Broad reaching and well heeled (or keeled as mentioned on air)
20:15 10kn 195 deg. Back on a run again

I do suspect that the course change was to pep things up a bit for the live TV transmission. Otherwise it might have looked a bit boring. Good luck to them though and I hope that they beat the weather into the channel. It looks as if it is going to get pretty windy on Wednesday. On schedule to keep ahead of it just now but going to be windy in the channel.

 

[Hadenough]

I'm sooooo glad I don't have TV!

 

[dunedin]

Yes, I noticed the course change as well and it coincided with an on-air bit from Alex. I wonder if it went something like this

18:20 ~7kn 200 deg. Getting used to being at sea and on a run
19:00 ~7kn 240 deg. Getting used to heeling a little more and getting ready to be on-air
19:15 12.5kn 270 deg. Broad reaching and well heeled (or keeled as mentioned on air)
20:15 10kn 195 deg. Back on a run again

I do suspect that the course change was to pep things up a bit for the live TV transmission. Otherwise it might have looked a bit boring. Good luck to them though and I hope that they beat the weather into the channel. It looks as if it is going to get pretty windy on Wednesday. On schedule to keep ahead of it just now but going to be windy in the channel.

My thinking too - sudden course change just before the One Show, heading just north of west (away from destination) then curve back south after the show

 

[MissFitz]

Are they actually filming this properly or is it just going to be a few tweets & a short (& underwhelming) live video segment per day?

 

[nigelmercier]

There's a TV crew on board.

Here's an easy donation link: j.mp/HellDonate #‎hellonhighseas

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