GRABBING THE WORLD 1 grabbing the world 1 brian hancock 2 grabbing the world GRABBING THE WORLD A memoir of inspiration, perspiration and betrayal BRIAN HANCOCK 3 brian hancock Copyright © 2011 Great Circle Publishing Company A division of Great Circle Enterprises 33 Waterside Road Marblehead, MA 01945 Tel: 617-314 4468 www.greatcirclepublishingcompany.com www.grabbingtheworld.com www.brianhancock.org Cover photos by Nicolas Loran and NASA Back cover photos by Brian Hancock and Ingrid Abery Book layout and design by Brian Hancock All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data ISBN 978-1-4507-1439-6 Hancock, Brian Grabbing The World A Memoir of Inspiration, Perspiration and Betrayal p. cm. Printed in the United States of America. 1. Memoir 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 First Edition 4 grabbing the world For Tory, Tom and Eli - my life’s greatest gifts 5 brian hancock CONTENTS 1 - where this whole adventure starts 2 - where the seeds of wanderlust are planted 3 - where we get ready for the storm 4 - where among other things, the mast breaks 5 - where the decision is made to go for it 6 - where we think through the logistics and still decide to go for it 7 - where I once bought a boat 9 - where I fall in love, again 10 - where I cross the Atlantic and crash the boat 11 - where Ellen gets a ride 12 - where I discover that sex leads to children 13 - where Ricardo calls 14 - where Lisbon Tourism makes us an offer we can’t refuse 15 - where the big meeting happens 16 - where the men in blue take me away 17 - where I am released 18 - where my troubles continue 20 - where Dr Carito saves the day 21 - where spring turns to summer 6 grabbing the world 22 - where I star in my own version of Waterworld 23 - where the ghosts of years past come back to haunt 24 - where sardines and a man named Piscaretta feature 25 - where Google saves the day 26 - where the mayor makes my day 27 - where I reach a half century 29 - where the competitors assemble 30 - where the pitfalls of ocean racing are exposed 31 - where the stress level rises 32 - where you realise that your life may depend on your competition 34 - where pirates, dust, disputes and dumb luck all play a part 35 - where a small boy goes missing 36 - where the Tavern of the Seas lays out the welcome mat 37 - where the chatter in my head is on the increase 38 - where some major changes are made 39 - where there is a mid-ocean rescue 40 - where things go from bad to worse 41 - where some devious deeds have taken place 42 - where some new information is unearthed 43 - where oddly enough a John Denver tune makes all the difference 7 brian hancock 8 grabbing the world PREFACE I hadn’t planned on writing this book. There was a thought in the back of my mind that I would write a book about how two longtime friends came up with the idea of starting a new global yacht race. It was an inspired idea; to create an affordable around-the-world race for smaller boats. The event would open up the realm of offshore sailing to a whole new generation of sailors. Unfortunately along the way something happened and the happy ending that we all look for in a story was replaced by one that, for me anyway, was borderline tragic. What was truly a dream come true, turned into a nightmare. What should have been life’s golden So I wrote this book instead. As a storyteller I am able to recognise a good story when I see one. This is a good story. Granted it was not a happy story with a perfect ending but it’s a story that needed to be told. As Baal-Schem-Tov once said: “Above all remember that true tales are meant to be transmitted. To keep them to oneself is to betray them.” One morning last summer, while staring out the window watching a low fog drift across cold Maine water, I thought about putting this story on paper. It was early and my friends were asleep so I brewed a fresh pot 9 brian hancock of coffee and started to tap the keys. I had no idea where I was going; indeed that’s one of the great pleasures of writing. Once you start, the story takes you to places long forgotten. This one took me back to my childhood in South Africa to some sad and poignant memories. It took me out on the open ocean, alone, on my own boat to that magical place where there is a direct tap into energy of the universe. It led me on a voyage of introspection and self discovery and it allowed me to put what took place into perspective and to measure it against the broader picture of my life. I am deeply sad about what happened. The central thread of the book is about how my one time friend and business partner, Josh Hall, and I started a new business and through guts, determination and creativity founded and got funded what became the Portimão Global Ocean Race. For whatever reason, I have asked for an explanation but never got one, Josh took the company and the event for himself. He set up a set of circumstances that allowed him to take the lot and to this day he still owns and operates Global Ocean Sailing Ventures, a company I founded. I, on the other hand, am - tradicts what I have written I suggest he write his own book. Without any explanation or input from him I have written my story. I accept that there are always two sides to every circumstance but I can only write from my perspective and my point of view. In order to keep this as a narrative I have introduced Hall’s voice. The content of what he says is accurate. Of couse, for the sake of moving things along, I have had to paraphrase a lot of the dialog between us. I don’t mean to put words in anyone’s mouth but as I said, the story needed to be told and I have done so with as much compassion and clear thinking as I can muster. I have also, at times, used a bit of poetic licence in order to keep the narrative flowing. In the end, you, the reader, must form your own opinion and draw your own conclusions as to what happened. I hope it does not detract from the substance of the book and as this is a memoir, I hope that it gives you an insight into my life, a life that I have always considered charmed. 10 grabbing the world CHAPTER 1 where this whole adventure starts It started, as these things often do, as a few lines scribbled on the back of an envelope. What perhaps made this a little different was that the voice on the other end was coming in over a satellite connection while I was jotting notes with a blunt pencil. “So what do you think of the basic idea?” Josh asked. The line had a dull hum with an occasional pop but his question was clear and to the point. What did I think? I thought it was bloody brilliant. “Sounds good to me,” I replied. “Let me come back to you with an email adding my thoughts. But all in all I think we are onto something here. Tell Joe that his dream is going I stared for a long while at the cold water swirling under the dock. Ice grey and ominous in the rising tide. Typically for me I saw bright sunny 11 brian hancock dirty water and seen the future for what it would become. Or maybe not. I was born an optimist. Actually, to be perfectly candid, my optimism is born from a naive, starry-eyed view of the world, a trait I treasure despite what happened. That early December evening was full of promise. The forecast was for a fair wind in the morning, the boat was ready, and my crew mate, an old friend Brian Harris, was below stowing the last bits of gear in preparation for a 700 mile passage from Maine to Bermuda. We would leave at dawn on an ebbing tide, ride it out into the Gulf of Maine bound south toward warmer waters, another adventure on a life lived close to the edge. I had no way of knowing that three days later we would be facing a savage frontal system that had started as a dust storm over Kansas, gathered strength across the Mississippi Delta and intersected with the cold Atlantic waters to produce a line of squalls packing near hurricane force winds. We were sailing a steady northerly breeze south of Cape Cod before either of us flipped open the laptop to check our email. The weather, sided swells with ease as the autopilot checked and corrected our course, it’s tiny electronic brain doing the hard work. “Hey I just got an email from Commanders,” Brian said referring to our weather routing service that we had contracted to keep an eye out for bad weather.