Bay Area Sailors Contribute to ‘Translated 9’s Ocean Globe Race Success

The Italian-based Swan 65 Translated 9, sister ship to the sailboat Translated 9 currently docked in Sausalito, has completed the second leg of the Ocean Globe Race with a triumphant finish in Auckland, New Zealand. Among the crew was Sunnyvale sailor Paul Marshall, who had joined the crew in Cape Town and crossed paths with his wife Teresa Marshall, who had crewed on leg one from Southampton, UK, to South Africa.

We were able to reach Teresa Marshall, who told us Paul was still in “arrival mode” when she spoke with him, but that he still managed share some thoughts after completing the 36-day, 7,500-mile race across the Southern Ocean.

“It was probably one of the most physically challenging things I’ve ever done because it’s so relentless,” Paul said. “It’s like being inside the washing machine 24/7 for 36 days. You adapt physically and mentally after a few days, but it’s still hard sometimes to drag yourself out of your berth at 2:00 a.m. and put on your wet foulies to do another six-hour watch.”

Teresa can relate to Paul’s comments, as she had her own “adaptations” to deal with during her leg of the 27,000-mile race. She was aboard for 40 days, and sailed 7,919 miles.

“We had long stretches of warm weather in between the cold and clammy days and nights,” Teresa said. “What stands out, even now with some distance, is how quickly it became a mental game and how that changes your perspective. Forty days is long. While the days get blurred, periods stand out — the rainy start, the calm concentration of beautiful downwind runs, the heat in the doldrums, the relentless upwind stretches and finally arriving in Cape Town in 40+ knots.”

Teresa and Paul are among dozens of non-professional sailors who make up the crews for the Ocean Globe Race, which is described on the website as an “eight-month adventure around the world for ordinary sailors on normal yachts.” Computers, satellites, GPS, and other high-tech materials are not allowed; only “sextants, team spirit and raw determination.”

Translated 9 shared a press release in which they say the combination of the leg two win and the previous leg one results means the boat is currently placed at the top of the leaderboard in IRC, remains competitive in Line Honors, and maintains its dominance in the Flyer Class.

You can learn more about the Ocean Globe Race and the boats competing here (including the Whitbread-famous yacht, Maiden), and keep up with the race results and live tracker here.