Yachting: Camper crew gets fishy as race crosses equator

The newbies take their punishment. Photo / Hamish Hooper, Camper ETNZ

Camper's crew say it is too soon to judge their boat speed against their main rivals in the Volvo Ocean Race but remain upbeat about their chances - especially after the fun and games crossing the equator.

Their highly experienced round-the-world sailor and pit trimmer Tony Rae said yesterday: "Unfortunately, since we split and went our separate ways, there have been big gaps between the first two boats and the rest, so it's been hard to gauge their speed against our own.

"We've also been in a slightly different breeze or wind angles so it's hard to get a real accurate reading when you haven't had much side-by-side stuff. I think when we do, we'll find that things are all pretty close."

Camper lost out in an attempt to second-guess the weather and lost large ground to leaders Telefonica and Puma. "We are going ok," said Rae. "We are in a weather pattern which has been rolling along with us and it is pretty steady, so there are not a huge amount of changes going on. We'll just have to see what happens.

"You know, these boats are pretty good and it's possible to make big gains and big losses quite quickly - they can really accelerate and you don't need much to make big gains."

Rae has had another role on board this week - as the punitive King Neptune when Camper crossed the equator. A long-observed sailing tradition and rite of passage born hundreds of years ago when superstitious sailors wanted to appease the gods of the sea, the ritual humiliation is continued today in Volvo and other races which cross the equator. The new boys are subjected to all manner of abuse, overseen by Rae in his King Neptune guise, ordering punishments for "crimes" that have been committed by the newbies - in Camper's case helmsman/trimmer Adam Minoprio and media crew member Hamish Hooper.

"Well, it doesn't really matter a shit if they are guilty or not guilty," said Rae, "the punishment is still the same. They didn't have a leg to stand on."

They didn't have much hair left to comb either after Neptune's punishment saw Minoprio and Hooper given some rather drastic tonsorial adjustments. They also had some unwelcome additions made to their wardrobes - being smothered in leftover food stored up for days, the guts of a few dead flying fish, seaweed and other choice items left in the sun at the back of the boat to ripen to their full extent.

"That all gets tipped over them and it runs down their faces," said Rae with evident satisfaction. "Hamish was dry-retching down the back for a while and they both ended up at the bow, trying to wash it all off."

Neptune's Revenge - all the boats in the fleet had similar rituals with similarly evilly concocted materials - is not always easy to shake off. British sailor Mark Covell, on Team Russia in the last Volvo, said he was festooned in rotting flying fish, old food, engine oil and other delights - and spent three days in agony from the sunburn, the sea salt and the pain from having his arms glued to his side.

"Hamish raged up a little bit," said Rae. "which was very funny. But we settled him down; we tied him up with sail ties and he couldn't go far. He had a bit of redhead rage, which was good to see.

"Obviously, we don't want to injure anyone or take things too seriously but it's good to have a bit of fun with this and Hamish and Adam will be relieved they have got through it now."

Camper last night broke through 3000 nautical miles to Cape Town, was making about 14 knots but was 169 nautical miles behind leader Telefonica, with Puma 46 nautical miles behind the leader.