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As you probably know I will be joining the Clipper Race this year as a AQP (Mate). It is the 2019-2020 race but due to Covid-19 they stranded in Subic Bay (Philippines) in 2019. Last month I found out I am assigned to Ha Long Bay Vital. I am absolutely stoked about this!! The team has done an amazing job thus far and are in 2nd place (of 11 yachts) after 5 legs. I have some big shoes to fill..

The race will take me from the Philippines to Seattle, through the Panama Canal to Bermuda, then to New York after which we prepare for the final leg towards London.

Especially the first leg, which will be about 37 days at sea, is the one that ‘worries’ me. I am not very good with dealing with ‘cold’ and we are promised temperatures around zero degrees, strong winds and loads of water across the deck.

What do you wear, how on earth am I staying dry for 37 days and most importantly: how am I staying warm!

I bought 4 Merino wool underlayers (1 for every week and then some..). The advantage of Merino wool is that it does not start smelling like regular thermal underlayers. It is said to be quick-drying but I have no illusion that anything that gets wet will ever dry again while at sea.

Then I am putting on a bodywarmer with heating elements which can be USB-charged. Oh the luxury! I honestly believe this will be one of my favorite items during the race.

The next layer is a ‘bear-suit’. It will be a hassle to take it off and put it back on when going to the heads, but it’s promising to keep me warm in the toughest conditions.

After that I am not quite sure. Not a lot of clothes will fit over the ‘bear-suit’ so I might end up putting a fleece of some kind below it. Time will tell.

When it gets really really cold I will be putting on a dry-suit next. Again, a hassle when going to the heads, but it gives me a feeling of safety and it is making sure I am staying absolutely dry. Clipper provides us with Ocean Gear so that will be the final layer. Hopefully I am still able to move after wearing all the above!

As for my head I bought a waterproof beanie. Underneath I will put a fleece beanie for extra warmth.

My biggest headache at the moment is how to keep my hands and feet warm. I have neoprene gloves, but obviously, they will get wet. I also bought merino gloves and I am putting heavy duty cold/oil resistant work gloves on top of it. That should keep them dry. As for warm I am not quite sure yet.

As for my feet; I am thinking about buying heated socks with USB charger. I also have merino wool socks which I can put below my waterproof socks. The drysuit I mentioned earlier comes with feet ‘attached’. So that is one less thing to think about.

But how on earth am I going to fit all that in my boots??

Then the sleeping bag. My place of comfort and some sort of privacy. I have one of those waterproof ones with 2 layers of (thick) fleece lining. It is HUGE! I have been told however, this will become my best friend, but I have no idea yet how to pack it in a sensible manner.

My mind is going crazy, wheels are spinning all the time and I am continuously walking from closet to closet making sure I am not forgetting anything.

Then my eyes wander to my closet again and I see my bikini’s and shorts.. Sh*t. I have been so focused on the cold leg that I totally forgot about the fact that it is also going to be extremely hot. It is summer in the Philippines where we will be spending one month to prepare the boats, train with crew and look at race tactics (my favorite!). Shorts, shirts, bikini’s and obviously sunscreen lotion are added to the ever increasing pile of stuff-to-bring.

For good measure I order a USB-chargeable mini-ventilator. While at it I realize I am using the word USB-chargeable a couple of times in this blog. This is apart from my phone, e-reader, toothbrush (yes really!), watch and God knows what I am forgetting. Bringing 2, instead of just one powerbank is starting to look like a smart thing to do.

I was talking to my skipper the other day and we both cannot wait to slip the lines in Subic Bay. But that is still some 7 weeks away.

I, however, will be ‘on the road’ as of coming Sunday and in the meantime I am preparing my house to be rented out through Airbnb or long-term. I just moved here, but it looks like I am moving again.

Sometimes I really doubt my sanity..

Should have stayed in the Optimist forever..