An exclusive interview with Katie Hall. Tom Calton shares his experience. Plus our top 5 must have items for 2014! ÂŁ4.99 Jan/Feb 174 masthead.co.uk
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CONTENTS 004 LISA JONES - Fresh from her latest adventures, Alex shares some of her fears and best memories from the beginning. 006 TOM CALTON - Tragedy strikes on the water for crew of two. 008 THE VIEW - Some of our favourite and most loved pictures from the members of the editorial team during their latest adventures.
018 KATIE HALL - An exclusive interview with Masthead, latest gossip and her most recent achievement at the Sports Personality of the Year (U20’s). 022 EMMA COOK - A rising star in the races, Becky shares some of her memories while teaching her own trainees. 023 SNEEK PEEK - A sneek peek at Masthead’s top five essentials for your year ahead during 2014.
MEMORIES AT SEA FAVOURITE MOMENTS AT SEA:
LISA JONES What was it like the first time you sailed at sea?
What makes you happy while at sea?
Sailing out at sea makes me feel disconnected to reality - its makes me feel alive and free, it’s a really incredible experience.
I like memories that are created with friends and family, getting lost in thought when out at sea and can really feel disconnected, I like the windswept hair look after sailing!
Do you have a life philosophy? I love this quote- Do what makes you and others happy. Be with who makes you smile. Laugh as much as you breathe. Love as long as you live. How did you become a sailor? My parents sailed when they were younger and my sister and I always used to go out with them in a dingy; then we joined a sailing club and I just kind of branched out from there. How would you describe yourself? Well I love to experience life through travelling, experiencing different cultures and meeting new people. Have you ever feared for your life while sailing? No, I have always enjoyed sailing because I always felt safe but then again I haven’t sailed on my own much because I prefer the company of others.
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Do you have a proudest moment during your time sailing? Probably Rona Trust; getting to meet new people making new friends and achieving and seeing my friends achieve the Scott and Amory award! Do you have a funny moment you can remember with a particular crew? Hell yes, Rona Trust Halloween night and the crew challenge! The titanic experience, seeing the Queen, the trek around the Channel Islands! And definitely when we couldn’t sail because there was no wind so we did lots of sunbathing instead and of course the hilarious fish imitations! Create a doodle of one of your memories...
LISA JONES helming Donald Searle, heading towards Southhampton, UK. PHOTOGRAPHY | Alice Legate
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LIFE CHANGING EVENTS
Onboard Donald Searle, Poole, UK. PHOTOGRAPHER | Alice Legate
IN MY EXPERIENCE:
TRAGEDY AT SEA CHANGING LIVES THOUGH THE POWER OF WAVES AS TOLD TO GREY MARTIN BY TOM CARLTON
T
he wind had been building for the last hour and was now a steady 35 knots. Time to put in another reef. Up to this point, I had spent my entire watch immobile, huddled behind the dodger. Besides the occasional shiver, my only movements had been to periodically scan the horizon and check the compass. Now it was time to climb below to wake my partner, Ben, and let him know I would be going forward. I decided to spare him my usual trick of placing my cold hands on his neck. Instead, I woke him gently. Ben clips in to go forward Ben and I had agreed that in addition to always staying clipped in during
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our watches, we would wake each other whenever one of us had to leave the cockpit. The sea was too rough and the water too cold to be anything but extra safe aboard our 28foot Bristol Channel Cutter Elizabeth. “Benji,” I said, “I’m going forward to reef the sail. Will you come watch me?” Ben rolled out of his bunk and stood in the companionway while I tottered forward to the mast and began reducing sail: lowering the halyard, tightening the reef lines and then snugging up the halyard again. My hands were numb and every few seconds I had to stop what I was doing to shake them out. It hurt to touch the cold shackles and winches. Sometimes my hands just stopped working all together.
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GALLERY
E N J O Y
THE VIEW WISH YOU WERE HERE?
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Donald Searle, East Cowes, Isle of Wight,
PHOTOGRAPHY | Alice Legate
“To reach a port we must set sail – Sail, not tie at anchor Sail, not drift.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
Onboard Donald Searle, Old Harry Rocks, Studland Bay,
PHOTOGRAPHY | Alice Legate
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Onboard Donald Searle, heading towards Poole, UK. PHOTOGRAPHY | Alice Legate
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Donald Searle moored in East Cowes, Isle of Wight PHOTOGRAPHY | Alice Legate
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Do what makes you and others happy. Be with who makes you smile. Laugh as much as you breathe. Love as long as you live. Rachel Anne Nunes
Donald Searle moored in East Cowes, Isle of Wight
PHOTOGRAPHY | Alice Legate
WE ARE SAILORS WHAT DRIVES
KATIE HALL? CHANGING LIVES THOUGH THE POWER OF WAVES
L
ast month Katie Hall won Sports Personality of the Year (U 20’s) in the South Derbyshire region. She talks about her recent achievement, alongside the recent wins she has achieved at this summers Sailing Races. Joining Katie after her latest gym session, even though she seems drained after a heavy workout session with her trainer, she is still grinning and excited to chat. Getting to the important details I ask her about her latest achievement last month gaining the Sports Personality. “How do you feel about your recent recognition for your hard work and commitment within sailing?” Instantly Katie’s face lights up, becoming more excited she replies “I was absolutely shocked when I recieved the phone call to say I had been nominated! I never forget jumping up and down during the call! After I had ended the call I instantly rang my Mum up
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WORDS SARAH LEWIS while I was at work screaming down the phone that I had been nominated! Attending the Awards night at St George’s Park was really good fun; the whole evening was a blast! Gaining the award made all the early morning and late night training sessions worth it, for someone to recognise the hard work is just as important as winning a sprint for me.” We know that Katie and her Mum are very close; during the early days of training her mum was at every training session and race, cheering from the side-lines to keep her spirits up even during the hardest moments. “Does it help having your mum to pick you back up when you are at your lowest moments?” At this question, Katie has a look in her eye, giving me the impression she is thinking deeply about this particular question “Yes having my mum there helps me massively. Everybody is always expecting the best,
and aiming for the highest is very important, sometimes the pressure does get to me a little, so being able to turn to my mum, just for a chat to take my mind off things, or to meet up at the local coffee shop really helps! There aren’t many people I am really close to in the world, my mum is my number one, then my trainer Jesse is there for me behind the scenes and to keep me focused during training camps and competitions.” Jesse has been there since day one, even before Katie was found by a scout at one of her first local sprints. Seeing them training together before our interview, you can see clearly the two are both best friends, having a tight knit friendship. Katie runs two separate lives together, during her day job she is an Administrator at her local leisure complex in Burton - on - Trent, whilst in the evenings and at the weekends she trains several hours, alongside fellow sailors
Onboard Donald Searle, heading towards East Cowes, UK. PHOTOGRAPHY | Alice Legate
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Katie teaching her trainees to navigate onboard Donald Searle. PHOTOGRAPHY | Alice Legate
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competing at the Southampton Races. This summer she gained several wins, with two gold’s in the 500 metre sprints whilst in the 2000 metre timed lap she gained bronze. “How did it feel to gain those three wins? Was the competition as fierce as every other year?” Catching her off guard for a moment she is staring out of the window watching other members of the gym train. Turning back to me the exhaustion is starting to show in her body, Katie replies “I was over the moon to gain those three medals. This year the races were very fierce as everybody trained alongside each other at several training camps this spring in France. We were all very aware of what everybody else’s capabilities are, and this powered us all top up our game in a battle to be first at the Races. We all want to win, our commitment is stronger than ever, and every single person at those races wants to move up into Women’s A - Team”. Ah yes, the Woman’s A team is a select group of ladies who are chosen out of the races in Southampton to represent England Under 20’s at the European Races. To be selected
and join this group is an honour within the sailing world. Noticing Katie is becoming rather tired after her strenuous training session earlier I start to finish the interview moving onto my final question of the afternoon “Where do you see yourself in five years’ time, will you carry on racing or are you planning to retire and train inspired sailors to follow your footsteps?”. Glancing across towards the gym window again she replies “I would like to keep competing for another few years at least; the goal is to join the Woman’s A team, however you cannot guarantee what lies ahead, unfortunately with the sporting lifestyle you can never predict when an injury may happen, but fingers crossed it won’t! Once I do retire I am not sure what I will do, I think I will start to train other young people and maybe even start my own Sailing Club up, because exercise and water sports go together and are really good fun!”. After this we wrap the interview up agreeing to meet up more often, because the girly catch ups are really good fun!
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MEMORIES AT SEA FAVOURITE MOMENTS AT SEA:
Emma Cooke What was it like the first time you sailed at sea? First time I ever sailed was when I was 14, it was possibly the best thing I have ever done, it wasn’t a long trip but it was the first of many amazing voyages. Do you have a life philosophy? I suppose it’s not the skills you have but the love for the wind and the sea but eventually you do start to acquire the skills and the kit but if you don’t love the sea you could never in my opinion be classed a sailor. How did you become a sailor? My parents sailed when they were younger I used to go out with them in our family boat and then we joined a sailing club and I just kind of branched out from there. How would you describe yourself? When on land I would say a normal girl but when I’m on the water with my friends I somehow feel like I have a never-ending energy store to keep me going. Have you ever feared for your life while sailing? No definitely, sometimes the scarier it is the more exciting I find it. What makes you happy while at sea? Just everything about it I can’t think of a bad thing about sailing. 022 | MASTHEAD.CO.UK
Do you have a proudest moment during your time sailing? When I teach my crew something and by the end of the week they are pros at the skill or making my crew as crazy as me. Have you got a funny moment you can remember with a particular crew? Oh so many... one of the funniest ones makes no sense to anyone and its only me and my friend that seem to understand it involves a leaking bin bag, tuna, a lot of laughing and definitely you have to be there to find it funny.
TOP 5
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4. Gill Coastal Jacket £150.00 5. Henry Loyd Sailing Gloves £25.99
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