Pete Goss on conquering the Southern Ocean

Pete Goss reflects on 40 years of Southern Ocean extremes, from the raw power of an IMOCA 60 to the heated comfort of more cruising oriented options

Gazing out of the window at 36,000ft, with a glass of bubbly in hand, is the perfect time for reflection. Were we really in the Southern Ocean glorying in the elegance of a soaring albatross a few days ago?

An elegance that puts this great but comparatively cumbersome piece of aeronautical technology in its place.

Wandering albatross have been recorded completing three circumnavigations of the Southern Ocean in a year! At 12kg with a 3.5m wing span they can reach 73 knots and all without jet fuel. They are truly mesmerising and as I watch them I wonder if I’ll return to the Southern Ocean again. A privilege that I have had the pleasure and pain of four times now.

Each time was in a different boat and, like the albatross, my mind wanders through the adventures that this wild, remote and beautiful area has gifted me.

My introduction was as skipper of Hofbräu Lager, a 67ft steel tank, during the British Steel Challenge. Round the world the wrong way made it an opportunity to walk the course as I pulled the threads together for an entry in the Vendée Globe.

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What made that race special was the people. Many had never sailed when they signed up for their adventure of a lifetime. The best way to learn is to teach, and it was as training skipper for the fleet that I put my 10,000 hours in.

For me it all came together off the Kerguelen Islands as we raced the third leg from Hobart to Cape Town. A vicious front slammed through the fleet with Force 9 winds. The response of these wonderful amateurs was to tack on the shift as it thundered through – quite remarkable. If I had had my way to conclude their journey, the skippers would have been removed for the final leg.

My next foray was during the Vendée Globe on Aqua Quorum, a 50ft surf board with a swing keel. She was a ground-breaking design and was at the forefront of challenging the time-honoured adage of seamanship: ‘Slow down, heave to and let the storm blow through’. Only six out of 16 entries finished during the worst Vendée in history.

It was the wild-arsed sailors that pulled through thanks to speed. Survival was to be found in staying ahead of the destructive power of the waves.

My next taste of the Southern Ocean was on Spirit of Mystery. A replica of a 37ft Mounts Bay Lugger that sailed with a crew of seven from Cornwall to Australia in 1854, she proved to be an amazing sea boat and underlined that it’s the basics that count on a long passage. With no winches, electrics or engine to let us down, it was the most hassle-free voyage of my life.

In terms of design, it also demonstrated how evolution in the western approaches teased out an amazingly seaworthy boat. If Aqua Quorum rested on speed then Spirit of Mystery utilised the opposite end of the spectrum. Some 16 tonnes of wood made for a massive structure and her canoe stern used to cleave breaking waves to roar down her sides. When we were rolled upside down she came up, the storm jib filled and she carried on regardless.

This latest foray was on the mighty Vinson of Antarctica, another unique craft designed to deliver a specific service. At 77ft, constructed of aluminium and weighing in at a mighty 49 tonnes she has vast tankage. Carrying up to eight tonnes of fuel, she is able to sustain 14 people for extended periods in the Southern Ocean.

As an expedition boat she is all about the destination, not the journey. As a platform she will get you there but don’t expect exciting sailing. Expect a good average speed, and if the wind is on the nose then the best thing is to fire up the engines. All this in the most remote seas of the world and so safety is top of the list.

I found it remarkable to be bowling along downwind in a Force 8 which was made to feel like a Force 5. Watches, unless deck work was called for, were spent behind double glazing in the heated doghouse.

After the battering on the previous three boats it was just amazing to be baking bread, eating like a king and drinking hot chocolate in the short hours. It couldn’t have felt safer and it was only on arrival in South Georgia that Vinson of Antarctica really came into her own. I look forward to bashing out a feature to share it.

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The post Pete Goss on conquering the Southern Ocean appeared first on Yachting Monthly.