A quick video by Hannah as she takes a time out during her trans-atlantic solo race. Her singing is far better than mine…but I can’t help but wonder whilst she’s doing these vid’s – who’s at the wheel?!!
Read more at blog.hannahwhiteracing.com and vote for her at The official race blog-site.

p.s. Happy Birthday Sam!!

And so the day came to leave the safety of Plymouth and set sail for Newport, Rhode Island, USA. After a quick farewell from close family it was down to business to get the boat prep’ed for the voyage – due to start only a matter of hours away. the Eerily quiet docks betrayed an air of nervous tension as final adjustments were made. The following images document the run up to and first part of Day 1 of the OSTAR as it leaves Plymouth. Although mainly focused on Hannah I was able to capture a few clear shots of the other competitors – between all the heavy traffic following the soloists out of the harbour. It is assumed that all sailors experience such a cocktail of emotions about the task ahead. I hope the continuation of these images sheds a little more light on those moments perhaps often overlooked and rarely captured from the outside…

 

Although the start for the OSTAR happened a few days ago, the images that follow were shot on Sunday 24th May 2009, the evening before Hannah set sail…
I turned up in Plymouth on the evening of Sunday 24th May, 2009, the day before the start of the Original Single Handed Trans-Atlantic Race (OSTAR). I found Hannah and all her supporters a little way down the deck sharing a drink ahead of the big day. All around the other sailors were finishing their last day preparations it was a scene of organised chaos, with sails being folded and packed, lots of arm wavings and shoutings (mostly Italian!) mingling into the soft clinks as the boats rolled softly in the harbour swell. Periodically I had to jump to one side as piles food, clothes and gallons and gallons of fresh water were ferried to and fro on bulging trolleys, plastic bottles squeaking as they trundle along the jetty. Take a closer peek and I’d often spot the odd home comfort for the long voyage ahead, but this was usually limited to a small teddy bear due to the need to save weight though!
This was the first time I was to see her boat up-close and ‘in the flesh’ and it’s an impressive sight. With large logos across the bow and stern it sat alongside its fellow competitors ready and waiting for the challenge ahead. I was lucky to get a quick tour of the boat too, that’s to say I peered into the surprisingly roomy cabin – Hannah’s home from home for the next few weeks. Inside, the control hub of navigation and communication equipment bleeped and pinged quietly letting you know all was working just right. Further up into the bows, spare sails and ropes were waiting for their turn, around the corner were a couple of rudimentary bunks…I wondered how long she’ll get to use those!
Before I knew it the crowds had dwindled and I was there alone on the jetty taking in all that’s happened in the last hour or so. Hannah is surrounded by some very experienced sailors, many of whom were there to wish her well but more importantly I know she’s not entirely alone out there right now. She’ll be steaming into Newport in no time!
[part ii: Crossing the Line, coming soon!]

 

Here is the before:

and the after:

and the download: sailing

Remember to “Save as…” (Mac users – cmd+click/PC users – right click)

The above image was the incredible view I had when looking down onto the Sorcerer II from high up on the mast. Somewhat unrivaled views of the proceedings around me I think you’ll agree!

Its been all go since my last post. Coordinating Hannah’s blog posts, her website and various other tasks to get the word out take up a large chunk of time, actually its pretty fun doing it but also knowing I’m good at it too helps! The great news is I’ve just received word Hannah’s doing well out in the Atlantic ‘somewhere’ off the edge of Ireland. As she puts it “2 days down, 20 to go”. The conditions have been fairly fast and challenging for the first two days and she’s had no time to stop and send messages back save a phone call to the shore team to keep them up to speed. More good news is we’re now leading the pack on the media voting side of things, keep those votes coming!!

Don’t forget to pay a visit to the web page belonging to George, the RNLI bear, who is joining Hannah on her voyage across the Atlantic.

I am responsible for updating Hannah’s blogs when she sends back reports from the boat, both to her own website: http://blog.hannahwhiteracing.com and the official race website: http://www.jamorph.com/blogstar/ (there’s a prize for the sailor with the most votes too, just click on the stars below each of Hannah’s posts to register the vote). Now that the race has started it’s also possible to track her progress via gps http://www.ostar2009.co.uk/tracker.php (just click the map for coords.). There’s an interactive map I found only just last night at http://www.oceanracetrack.com/raceplayer/raceplayer.aspx?event=32
click on the ‘Pen Duick’ tab on the right and then PureSolo will appear, click on that tab to highlight Hannah’s boat! as far as I can tell she’s doing rather well. I’ll be putting up her images and videos if she gets time to do much of that as she’s going along, and I will also be sending back to her brief messages from friends to wish her well. So if you have any messages of encouragement to send to her either leave a comment on her blog(s) or email me (use the contact form on the website) and I’ll get it to her.