DEE CAFFARI

BIG RACES CAN TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE. ADJUSTING TO LIFE ASHORE – AND FINDING THE NEXT PAYING PROJECT – CAN BE DIFFICULT, SAYS DEE

As I write this, I’m nearing the end of one of the many lengthy sailing projects I’ve undertaken over the last decade or so. Like many professional sailors, I’m often quizzed about how I manage the lifestyle and what impact it has on me and my family.

A professional sailor’s lot is a fantastic one. We travel the world, visit some of the most remote places on the planet and enjoy a wealth of amazing experiences. As career, it often brings incredible opportunities and I have met and worked with people from all walks of life. I feel very fortunate to have been able to chose this path.

But the downside, particularly with offshore sailing, is that you spend huge chunks of time away from your home, family and friends. With projects such as the Aviva Challenge, when I sailed non-stop the ‘wrong way’ round the world, the Vendée Globe and then two Volvo Ocean Races, the preparation began months, sometimes years, ahead of the races themselves and they are allencompassing. You live, breath and eat the current project and this leaves little room for much else.

I’m lucky that my partner also works in the sailing industry and he has been able to work on a number of sailing campaigns with me. Many are not so fortunate and spend many months away from their loved ones. On the latest Volvo Ocean Race, our navigator Nico Lunven’s wife, Laure, gave birth to their first baby while we were racing Leg 2 from Lisbon to Cape Town. To many people it would be incomprehensible not to have their partner at their side for the birth of a child but, if you marry a sailor, you need to know that anything is possible!

Seeing your partner and/or children waving you off from the dock can be heartbreaking. On races such as the Vendée Globe you know that you’ll not be seeing them again for at least three months – and that there is an element of danger in what you are about to take on. That can be tough for all concerned.

For the ones leaving the dock, it will be the culmination of a great deal of hard work and preparation, and the focus is on the task ahead. It can make us extremely singleminded and, if we are being honest, probably not that great to be around in the lead-up to an event. Tensions run high and the mixture of apprehension and excitement often boils over. As in regular life, it is usually those closest to you that get the brunt of any emotional outburst.

Beyond the impact it has on the work/life balance, professional sailing doesn’t provide the stability that most people have in a regular job. Most campaigns rely entirely on funding from sponsorship, which is not easy to secure. Sponsorship is often for a specific project which, at best, can mean a well-funded campaign with a cliff edge when it comes to an end. What is more common is a campaign that is partially funded by a main sponsor with a shortfall that needs to be made up by way of supplementary associations or partnerships.

Market potential

A campaign several years in duration will mean that when you find yourself back ‘on the market’ in search of the next opportunity it can be harder to secure because you’re so strongly linked to the previous brand. That can be a deterrent to companies, particularly in the same sector.

In the Volvo Race, we spend ten months living, eating, sleeping and racing in close quarters with our team mates. Crews develop strong bonds and have shared experiences. We all think about home, the people and creature comforts we miss but adapting to normality can be a challenge. On a very basic level, there is the normal routine of eating and sleeping to adjust to. When I returned from the Aviva Challenge after six months alone at sea I realised just how noisy life on land is! When you are at sea for a long time, you can smell land long before you see it and light pollution is shockingly noticeable when you have spent lived so long with virtually no manmade illumination. Then, there is the reintegration to your family and home life. When you are away for long periods of time, life goes on without you and it can feel strange coming back to changes. Sailors with young children are affected by this the most.

For me, when this Volvo Ocean Race is finished I am really looking forward to spending some quality time over the summer with my partner and our dog. It will involve plenty of R&R. But I’ll also be putting feelers out for my next challenge…

‘AFTER SIX MONTHS AT SEA I REALISED HOW NOISY LIFE ON LAND IS!’