Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine January 2016

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Furia sailed with two Bulgarian crew: Dian Zaykov is a well-known racing trainer and
Mihail Kopanov has been sailing for 15 years as crew and as skipper of a private boat.
Why did sailors from a country with no seacoast do the ARC? Rumen says, “I had been
following the ARC and wanted to see how my team and I would do ocean racing with no
previous ocean experience. Plus, we wanted to represent Bulgaria — when we first signed
up, there wasn’t even a Bulgarian flag on the ARC website to put with our entry!”
Furia stayed on a direct course as much as possible, once flying the spinnaker for
seven days straight, while boats that do better on reaches zig-zagged. Chris Tibbs on the
Wauquiez Centurion 40s Taistealai, who has raced round the world three times, was
their main competitor. Rumen says, “We basically followed him.” Furia placed first in
Cruising Class F, ahead of Taistealai by about ten and a half hours on corrected time.
Rumen describes the Bulgarian sailing scene as a small “closed” community,
although Olympic sailing is well developed, Q-boats have IRC races, Bulgarian sailors
have participated in round-the-world races, and youth sailing is boosted with
Optis and new clubs. Furia’s accomplishment, Rumen hopes, will encourage more
Bulgarian youth to sail, and more Bulgarians to do the ARC.
On Crackerjack’s first ocean crossing, Colum “Sully” O’Sullivan sailed his Oyster
53 with crew. Why join the ARC rather than go independently? “Well, my previous
boat was a 16-foot cat! I bought this boat last May, and only decided to enter the
ARC in August. Being with the ARC gave me a definite goal. The biggest thing with
the ARC is preparation. You have to understand your boat so well, then you have
no problems.”
Why this boat? “Growing up I had seen some of my father’s friends take their families
out in light boats and bad weather, and their families never wanted to sail. I wanted a
family boat that could handle bad weather. If you have kids, have a solid boat.”
Sully and his wife have two kids, three and five years old, and decided that with a
steep learning curve and not much prep time, it would be best for her and the children
to fly to St. Lucia and join the boat there for a four-month cruise in the
Caribbean and then onward. “My wife and I both had the cruising dream.
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His advice is, “If you’re keen to sail, start immediately and go for it — like I did. I
had only five years’ sailing experience on small boats before these past two years on
Furia. Go for it; go sailing.”
Geri, who crewed on the Swan 56 Why Not, says that she too discovered sailing as
an adult and found the ARC a way to achieve a new sailing goal. The former whitewater
canoe and kayak wilderness guide says, “I’ve been sailing for eight years. I
didn’t know anyone who sailed when I was 50. Then for my 50th birthday, my partner
gave me a surprise trip sailing in Desolation Sound. I loved it!” She jumped in,
taking courses, racing, and joining a sailing club. “I spent as much time as possible
sailing.” She has crewed in the Salty Dawg rally and chartered in the BVI. Now she
teaches adult sailing in Ottowa and races weekly on a women’s team. “Sailing is not
as limited by age as some other sports. I packed a lot of sailing into eight years.”
Why the ARC? “As an older woman, I wasn’t comfortable going on crew sites; I
wanted to get on a boat with known standards. Plus, I knew the ARC passage was a
good-weather trip, and the idea started to captivate me. I wanted to experience a
longer trip to see how I would do, how I would deal with the time, with the other
crew… I was the only woman in the crew with ten guys on this trip, and the crew
duties were balanced. I cooked only four times, and because I volunteered to. Five of
the crew were Italian and I got tired of pasta!”
In contrast to Geri being the only woman aboard, the crew of the Beneteau 40.7
Hot Stuff is all female, by intent. Hot Stuff is a regular ARC participant, and skipper
Nikki Henderson explains: “The Girls for Sail company is primarily about teaching.
Having an all-female crew provides a supportive environment in what can be a predominantly
male environment. It builds confidence.”
Nikki, aged 22, was taught to sail as a child by her dad. After earning her Day
Skipper qualification, she wanted to travel, and thought sailing would be the way to
go. She worked as a freelance sailing instructor before skippering Hot Stuff. She has
this advice for other young women getting into ocean sailing: “If you go with the
mindset that you are just as valuable as everyone else, they’ll treat you that way.
Just think of yourself as equal and accept that everyone has to cook and clean —
even you.” Her favorite sailing environment is a mixed crew with fair positions, but
“Have a go sailing with all women; it’s really good fun!”
Clockwise from left: Rumen Kotov, Mihail Kopanov and Dian Zaykov, the first-ever
Bulgarian crew to sail in the ARC; the youngest ARC skipper for two years in a row,
22-year-old Nikki Henderson of the UK is all about building sailors’ confidence;
Irish skipper Sully O’Sullivan says, ‘The biggest thing with the ARC is preparation’
JANUARY 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 23
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