Do you remember the sound of the rain when sitting in your car? Protected, somehow, it changes the atmosphere for a while; it feels quieter, as if a constant sound relaxed us all, then it becomes another mood and we got used to it.
A tent is also a good example as we can quickly wonder if our home is going to surrender or if it will make it through another night.
On a full carbon boat, you can hear pretty much anything that falls on deck. Waves are the most obvious ones. Constantly hitting the bottom of the Volvo 65, they provide the rhythm to our requiem.
Then comes the ropes, the grinders, the steps, sails unfurling, the fans blowing our only source of fresh air… and the sounds of the Dongfeng Race Team working hard on sailing fast.
One sound you would remember of all sounds is the voice through the intercom. A loud, saturated, half-metallic, half-screamed voice, giving instructions to the crew on deck.
We are under yet another cloud. It’s night time, the boat starts heeling, the rain starts pounding on deck as if a waterfall is above us. Through that ambient panic you can hear Pascal, our navigator, yelling on that thing as if the priest wanted to wake the entire church to be heard.
“Stay fast, keep going high mode, matching MAPFRE’s speed, slower than Vestas, cargo coming up on starboard, guys we have to go higher, higher and faster!”
Eventually you get used to all sounds. But out of this chaos, rest assured that when something out of the ordinary is clicking, tapping, bouncing, within a minute you will have a sailor wondering where this unusual noise comes from.
Yesterday it was the fans, today a water leak, and tomorrow might be something you smell.
