Very interesting thoughts from Abby Ehler, the 46-year-old British sailor who is on her fourth Ocean Race as part of the crew of Holcim-PRB, admits it was a tough decision to agree to sail on Leg 3, after stepping aside for Leg 2.
Abby, we are just a few days away from the start of the epic Leg 3 from Cape Town to Itajai. We hear that originally you had decided there was no way you were going to sail on Leg 3, so what changed your mind?
I was pretty adamant I was not going to do the leg, and that was set in stone a little bit during the delivery back from Guadeloupe on this boat. It was so uncomfortable – it was just horrendous – and I was like there is no way I could survive 35 days doing this. Then I did Leg 1 and really enjoyed the crew. It was a very different experience. Kevin (Escoffier) is just positivity off the scale. And I think you just absorb his energy. It’s hard not to feel like you’re in good, safe company and in the knowledge that he can sail the boat on his own, and we’re effectively there it help him and make it go faster.
I thought about it and chatted about it a lot with my husband. The comment he made was this leg is the race; if you haven’t done this leg, you can’t really say that you’ve done it. So I think, deep down, there was a little feeling that wanted to do it, but I had my way-too-sensible head on. But thinking it through and analyzing it, I am confident that I can physically get through this. Chatting to Kevin, when we stopped in Cape Verde, and just having time to digest Leg 1, and thinking about it, I really do want to do this leg; I’d be angry with myself if I didn’t.