Yachting: Women 'dark horses' have a fair chance

When three New Zealand women line up at the start of the Volvo Ocean Race in Southampton early on Monday morning (NZ time), they know they will be at long odds.

But they are adamant that it has nothing to do with their gender.

Sure, the all-women's crew on Amer Sports Too do not rate their chances highly of being the first boat into Cape Town, the first port of call. But that is only because they have had the least time of the eight crews to prepare for this round-the-world race.

"The first leg will be a huge learning curve for us, because we haven't done the miles we need," Kiwi crew member Sharon Ferris says. "But from there on - show us where the money is."

Amer Sports Too - one half of the Nautor Challenge campaign run by New Zealand's Grant Dalton - has worked as a crew on a Volvo 60 for just a couple of months. Compare that to the German-backed Illbruck team, who have been together for the past 2 1/2 years.

"When I arrived at this project, Illbruck were having their last day of testing," Ferris said. "That's the sort of thing we're up against."

Yet the yachtswomen have never felt so confident about a round-the-world race.

They have a lot more experience than women's crews of the past - more than half of this crew sailed on the EF Education women's boat in the last Whitbread race, including the other two New Zealand women on board, Keryn Henderson and Bridget Suckling.

"We are not here just to make up the numbers," skipper Lisa McDonald says. "Some members of the other crews have completed up to five Whitbreads, and you can't make up for that overnight.

"But we will be in good shape at the start and I would like to think that we will stay in among the fleet and give the other boats a run for their money."

Ferris, better known in New Zealand as an Olympic dinghy sailor, has dreamed of contesting this race since growing up in Kerikeri.

In 1998, she attempted to circumnavigate the globe on the catamaran Royal and SunAlliance in the Jules Verne Challenge, but the assault was abandoned about halfway when the rig came down between New Zealand and South America.

This time she approached Dalton when she heard he was entering the race for a record sixth time.

"He told me, 'Sorry, no chicks'," Ferris, aged 28, recalls. "A month later, he rang me and said he was putting together a women's crew, and would I like to try out."

There is already a close bond between the three Kiwi women. Ferris has been sailing on the international women's matchracing circuit this year with Henderson and Suckling, lifting their world ranking to 10th.

Henderson, a registered nurse and boat rigger, was not as eager to put her hand up for another round-the-world venture this time.

"The scary bit is that I know what to expect. The sailing and toughing it out doesn't scare me, but since the last race I've matured a lot and I'm used to a few more home comforts," the 27-year-old Aucklander said.

In between races, she married Team NZ sailor Jared Henderson.

Suckling, 28, cannot wait to get back on the bow, crashing through the Southern Ocean again.

"I enjoy the bow, I'm a loose cannon up there," she says. "It's real cowboy stuff and I like going fast."

In the lead-up to the start, the women have been getting to grips with their boat, designed by Bruce Farr. The two Nautor boats were allocated last week - the men's crew choosing the Frers design.

"It didn't matter which boat we got because they are both fast," Ferris says.

"Right from the beginning, though, the girls wanted the Frers boat. There are a few benefits there if you don't have as much grunt - and we have to admit we don't have the same grunt as the guys. So our technique has to be better.

"We have had two-boat testing with the guys in the last few days and we are just as fast.

"There's no reason why we can't be up there with them in this race. It's all up to us now."