Yachting: Women's crew determined to make mark on third leg

By JULIE ASH

SYDNEY - The all-female crew on Amer Sports Too are keen to have their critics eat their words over allegations they have been cruising around the world.

Sitting last overall in the round-the-world race when the third leg to Auckland set sail from Sydney yesterday, Amer Sports Too are determined to make their mark.

New Zealand sailor Sharon Ferris, a trimmer/helmsman on the boat, said the first two legs had been a learning experience but the crew were a lot more confident going into the next seven legs.

"We have sailed halfway around the world now. We've done a lot of miles and now we are starting to race really competitively."

She dismissed suggestions that her crewmates were simply "cruising" around the world.

"People are entitled to their own opinions. All I know is that you don't go to the Southern Ocean for a cruise.

"It is cold and wet and miserable, and you get out of there as fast as you possibly can.

"Every minute you spend out there, you spend frozen and we want to be just as competitive as the guys. We want to go party with them when they get in and that is our goal."

Ferris and New Zealand crewmate Bridget Suckling have paid little attention to the critics, adding that crew members of other entries had supported them to the extent of writing letters to newspapers backing their performance.

"No, we haven't been affected by it at all. If you look at the talent level required to do this race, there are probably only 50 women in the world that have it within themselves to do it," Suckling said.

Ferris pointed out Amer Sports Too spent only five hours together as a team before the race started.

"Illbruck did two and a half years. You are never going to be able to compete against that.

"Grant Dalton has been around the world seven times, I have been halfway around the world. How do you compete until you have got the experience? That's what is good about women's yachting, we are slowly becoming more experienced."

She said the crew were excited about the Sydney to Auckland leg.

"We are ready to take it on with a new sort of energy and a lot more experience."The shorter legs are going to be better for us. I believe the separation will be smaller so that we can stay with the fleet and be competitive with the fleet.

"We are looking to have a nice run across to New Zealand from Hobart. There is a wave system going through that looks quite nice, but it is a matter of making sure you kick into that."

She said the second leg from Cape Town to Sydney was as gruelling as they had expected.

"It was tough, it was wet and cold and basically you asked yourself, 'Why am I here?"'

Suckling, on her second round-the-world, says the crew's morale is good.

She is a graduate of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's youth scheme, and sailed in the last Whitbread round-the-world race on EF Education.

Suckling is one of five of the crew, including skipper Lisa McDonald, who competed aboard EF Education.

Ferris, Suckling and the third New Zealander on board, Keryn Henderson, are planning a challenge in the new Yngling keelboat class, starting with a regatta in Germany a fortnight after the round-the-world race ends in June.

Volvo Ocean Race competitors