Yachting: Wave of adventure aboard round-the-world racer

By JULIE ASH

As waves crashed over the boat and the mast creaked in the wind, the sheer excitement of ocean racing kicked in.

As nervous as I was - at the mercy of the sea - the experience of being on a round-the-world yacht was exhilarating.

I admit, I am a little afraid of the water. I am not sure why - maybe it is the uneasiness about what lies beneath, or maybe I just watched too many Jaws movies as a child.

But the chance to join Aucklander Kevin Shoebridge on Tyco for the start of leg four of the round-the-world race was too good to miss.

As anxious as I was getting on the boat at Viaduct Harbour, I knew this could be my only chance to see what drives the likes of Amer Sports One skipper Grant Dalton, News Corp co-skipper Ross Field and Shoebridge into competing in such a gruelling race time and time again.

Believe me, it is not the food or the luxurious living conditions.

"Unleash and enjoy the ride" was the message from the shore crew as the boat pulled away from the dock.

Watching the children, wives and partners say goodbye to the sailors was a little sad. You could see the children saying, "Don't go dad, don't go."

But for the sailors, this is what they do, and this was the start of a 23-day adventure - a 6700-nautical-mile journey to Rio through fog, icebergs, tropical storms and waves the size of skyscrapers.

As spectator boats and helicopters hovered, I was almost a nervous wreck waiting for the starter's gun.

"There are six minutes to the start and we are 1m 40s from the start line," is the call from one of the guys on the boat.

It seems being in the right place at the right time to catch the breeze is essential in this game. The problem is, at least half the eight-boat fleet have opted for the same position, causing a traffic jam. We look like a group of sharks circling our next victim.

At the back of the boat, my main concern is not to fall over one of the ropes scattered across the deck.

It would be just my luck to cause the mast to fall down or, even worse, end up halfway up the mast myself with a rope around my ankle.

"Just stay at the back and move from side to side with the boat," Shoebridge said. "And don't hold on to that" [he points to the mechanism holding up the mast]. It will cut your fingers off."

The wire fence around the boat becomes my best friend. I cling to it for dear life.

Finally we are racing - Tyco got off to a great start - maybe it was my extra weight that helped.

As we led the fleet away from Auckland, Team SEB and Grant Dalton's Amer Sports One were a mere stone's throw away. Minutes later, the fleet were miles apart, all looking for the next breeze.

An hour into the journey Shoebridge said: "Right, we are chucking you off now."

Before I agreed to take part, I was warned, to my horror, that if the boat was travelling too fast or if it was too rough and the chase boat could not keep up, then I would have to jump.

Thankfully, that was not the case. Moderate conditions meant I was "chucked" almost head first into the chase boat.

Even though I spent only a short time on Tyco, I was buzzing back at the Viaduct.

One could only imagine how fulfilling it would be to reach Germany in June and say: "Hey, I have just sailed around the world."

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