The hardest part of an offshore sailing race…
- Anne Longo
- May 4, 2021
- 6 min read
Is getting to the starting line.
There are two stories from when Megan, Lindsay, Sarah and I did the 2018 Bermuda Race with the MudRatz that I find myself telling a lot lately. Because I work as a dockhand, I meet a lot of sailors, but mostly powerboaters heading north this time of year. I’ve been telling them about the Transpac and how excited I am and a lot of them want to know what it’s like to be in the middle of the ocean with no one else around. I usually share with them this anecdote: we were lucky enough to have John Winder on our team for the Bermuda Race. He’s only missed a handful of Bermudas since they began so it was a huge asset to have his knowledge on board. I remember the first night of the race very clearly. There were boats all around us as the sun was setting and John leaned over to me and told me that when I get on watch the next morning, I won’t see any of them. To be honest, I thought he might be exaggerating - there were so many boats! But, he was right. And it was beautiful.
The other story that I’ve been talking about all the time is what inspired me to write this blog. Before I share this story, I want to give a massive shout out to our first offshore sailing coach - Taylor Walker.
Taylor, we wouldn’t be here without you and we want to thank you for everything you’ve done for us since this adventure began in the early spring months of 2018 and how you’ve continuously supported us. It means a lot to have people like Taylor believing in, supporting, mentoring, and cheering us on. Getting our old boat Dreamcatcher from the 70s ready for an ocean race wasn’t easy, especially when a lot of us were in college or high school at the time. It was cold and rainy sometimes and a lot of hard work that most of us had never done before. But we didn’t let that stop us, because we had Taylor leading us.
During our race prep that year, he told us on more than one occasion that the hardest part of ocean racing is getting to the starting line.
When he said that the first time, I was skeptical. When he said it again while we were reaching back and forth on the start line as we were waiting to get going, I started to get it. I also got really excited. We worked hard, we made it happen, now it was time to go sailing! As we’re getting the final pre-training work done, I’m feeling that same feeling. Progress is being made, we’re working hard, and we’re about to remember what it is that we’re working so hard for. We’re finally about to all go sailing together again! In Hawaii! Something we’ve wanted to do our whole lives, but I personally never really pictured. I’m feeling very lucky and very ready to get out on the water.
As I type this, I’m listening to the Flow State Sailing Favorites on Spotify that we posted last week. Check it out if you want to know what we’re listening to to get inspired to get all the pre-race work done while we hurry up and wait to go to Hawaii for training in a little over a week!
This week, I’d like to share with you all what the women of Flow State Sailing have been working on since fall of 2020 to get here. Here, as in a week and a few days from beginning the craziest thing we’ve done in our lives so far. Here, as in preparing for an ocean race almost four times as long as the longest race we’ve competed in. Here, as in ready to work our little tails off to get ourselves, the team, and the boat ready for the 51st edition of the Transpacific Yacht Race this July.
A lot of what we’ve been working on is behind-the-scenes, at the moment. We wish we could get our hands on some tools and boat work, but for now, we wait, send emails, make social media content, practice our sailing, finish classes, work at full-time jobs, and spend a big chunk of our free time working on TRADER and Transpac stuff. With the help of Lindsay’s superb organizational skills, I’ll break it down month by month.
November 2020
After being bummed out for a little after the 2020 Bermuda Race was cancelled because of COVID-19 last spring, Lindsay decided that wouldn’t stop her from getting herself offshore sooner rather than later. And, boy, are we glad (and lucky) she made that decision! Lindsay began surfing the Transpac crew boards, looking for people who may be interested in some up-and-coming offshore sailors to join their teams. That’s when she got in contact with Doug (after consulting her Magenta Project mentor to make sure the idea wasn't too crazy). Was this a crazy idea? Yes. Was it a good idea? Absolutely. The best stories start with a crazy idea.
December 2020
Next up, Lindsay put together a meeting for Megan, Sarah, and I to all meet Doug. It was awesome and exciting and wild. She started working on our personal budget and schedule in order to ensure that we could make this race a reality. Sarah and I were getting giddy in our apartment. Megan was finishing up a semester of college. A great way to end the crazy year that was 2020.
January 2021
In January, we formally committed to Team TRADER in the 2021 Transpac! We Started weekly Marketing Meetings with a couple other members of the team and monthly Full Team Development Meetings. Thanks to Sarah and Lindsay, we developed a Marketing and Social Media Plan of action and put it into play! Because of their hard work, our social media following grew three times this month. We developed the sponsorship structure, pitch decks (shout out to Megan for this aesthetic masterpiece), and sponsorship agreements. All of us were going sailing and frostbiting whenever we found the time/opportunity. And, our first press release went out - also thanks to Sarah and Lindsay!
February 2021
This month, the sponsorship search really gets rolling. We were (and still are) contacting tons of sponsors and supporters, big and small! I was applying to grants. Sarah began presenting the Meet the Team series on our social media pages. We began building Flow State Sailing (woohoo!) and started this blog. We were also developing our Transpac goals, as the big picture was coming more into focus. Lindsay was writing for publications and keeping the rest of us focused and on track to complete our goals.
March 2021
We began interviews for on-board reporter Justin's team video. We gave a presentation on the state of women in the sailing world to Stonington Harbor Yacht Club via Zoom. We worked on calling our teammates to get to know them on a personal basis before training. Blogging blogging Blogging, posting posting posting! The sponsorship search and weekly meetings continued. We officially paired with The Magenta Project to highlight opportunities for women offshore.
April 2021
In April, we worked on sorting out flights, housing, and COVID logistics for training the last two weeks of May. I worked on developing the sustainability section of Team TRADER’s standard operating procedure. Lindsay discussed training details with Doug. We worked on the creation of the Race Shirt designs and Megan spent some time on Fan Gear orders - launching today over on the TRADER social media pages! Sarah and I got some racing in during Charleston Race Week and Megan worked on her endurance and sailing in J70s and FJs. Sarah has been ramping up social media with reels, stories, live streams and more! Check out our TRADER Instagram here to see what she’s been up to. It’s awesome.
That’s what I’ve got for now! Most of May will be dedicated to training prep and training itself. We’ll keep you updated on here and through our social media pages. We’re really excited to get out there and keep you in the loop while we learn the Andrews 70 TRADER and the blue waters of Hawaii! If you want to help us with any of this, consider donating to us here.
Stay tuned for some sailing pics and stories!
Sail fast, have fun.
~Annie L
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