Mon, 13 Nov 2006 18:00:00 UTC
Peter Greenhalgh (thats right, Rob's brother) sings the praises of the Volvo Open 70 and explains why he too wants to race around the world
Peter Greenhalgh lives, breathes and sleeps yacht racing and he is far more likely to be seen pushing up weights in the gym than putting down pints in the pub. Greenhalgh's background is in top class, high performance racing dinghies and he has been one of the leading 49er sailors in the world for many years. He is also the winner of the prestigious 18ff Skiff world championships, and, last year, was part of the Basilica crew hurtling carbon fibre 40 foot catamarans around the race track during the Volvo Ocean Race stopovers. Basilica took the leading spot in the VX40 championship.
Peter is a year older than his brother Robert, who was onboard ABN AMRO ONE. Louay Habib (www.bangthecorner.com) spoke to Peter at his home in Hamble and asked him why he would like to do the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09.
Q: Would you describe yourself as an adrenalin junky? A: Yes maybe. I get a lot of my fitness from water sports. I have to go wakeboarding or Laser 700 sailing three or four times a week or I get pretty grumpy! Also I have to say that the reason I decided to join the Basilica VX40 programme was the thrill of going so fast. Before I got on board Basilica, I had only ever done one hour of catamaran sailing!
Q: Were you a handful for your parents when you were growing up? A: Not really. My whole family was heavily into sailing and water sports. Early on Rob, my brother, went into the Optimist which I avoided like the plague as I thought it was too slow, and I got heavily into windsurfing. Eventually Rob started 420 sailing and, as he was the right size for helm and I was the perfect size for crew, we teamed up. Up until about the age of 16 we really didn’t go out at night much at all. We would stay in most evenings and went sailing whenever we could, all weekend and during the week if we could get away with it. As soon as I was old enough to drive, we were off competitive sailing. We did very well in the 420 and all the RYA courses and it was a particularly strong year with great competition.
After finishing school I did a maritime studies degree at Southampton University, including theory on the stresses and strains on rigs and also boat design.
Q: Where is your ideal position on a boat? A: I wouldn’t pidgeon-hole myself anywhere on a boat, I am pretty comfortable in any position, but most recently I have been working hard on improving my helming skills in my RS700. It is an ideal boat for me as it is asymmetric and every movement of the tiller is crucial to the performance of the boat. In boats with high apparent wind speed, the helm is really sensitive. Smooth tacks, smooth jibes when you are going really fast are essential, not just to maintain speed, but to avoid swimming!
I have a lot of experience trimming asymmetric spinnakers through all my Olympic sailing. I suppose I was one of the earliest people trimming on all types of asymmetric boats, but the most experience I have had is in the 49er. I have sailed them for about eight years and we were in the Olympic team on two occasions; we just missed out on selection for Sydney and we had a bit of bad luck in the Athens trial when our mast snapped.
Also I work for J-UK in Hamble and as virtually the entire J Boat range is asymmetric, I am involved with sail shape at work as well as when I am racing.
Q: So why do you want to do the Volvo Ocean Race instead of a major dinghy campaign like the Olympics? A: Definitely because of the new boats. The Volvo 70s are amazing. They have made a massive break through. It is the boats that are the draw, they are really fast and hard work, lots of grinding and hard graft and the boats are true apparent wind yachts; for me it’s got to be asymmetric with no poles.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2005 was the first generation of the 70s and they were a bit difficult to handle early on. The next generation will be even faster and perhaps a little easier to sail through the development of rudders and sails. I thought that as the last race went on, the crews were beginning to get to grips with it all.
Q: How would you prepare yourself, if you were selected as crew for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09? A: I would increase and modify my fitness training, geared towards strength and grinding and I would do far more big boat sailing, especially offshore. I do not have a massive amount of offshore experience but that side of it doesn’t worry me; I normally spend the whole day soaking wet anyway!
Q: Offshore racing, especially in a Volvo Open 70, can be dangerous. Does that worry you? A: I think that it does slightly, but I think that a little bit of fear is definitely healthy. Ultimately that is what keeps you wary and gets you around the track. There are so many precautions taken on these boats with safety equipment and protocol that as long as you stick to the rules and do the sensible thing, religiously, like clipping on, I think it is a risk worth taking.
Q: Who do you most admire in the sailing world? A: Right now I am thinking of Johnny Merricks. Johnny was a good friend of mine who sadly died in the prime of life. I sailed with him a lot in the Melges 24 and I used to admire him, definitely. I have a lot of respect for Mike Sanderson, who handles things really well or Neal MacDonald who has done so much sailing and is obviously extremely talented, but I don’t necessarily want to be like them. I would love to sail with them or against them for sure.
Q: Who do you admire outside the sailing world? A: I admire sportsmen and women who clearly have a great talent and apply themselves to use what they have got; such as 100 metre runners. I don’t just admire famous people; recently I was watching a guy play the piano who was blind and severely autistic and he was just awesome.
Q: What would be your ideal day off? A: I would get up early, go to the gym for an hour of weight training and then I would sail my RS700 for about two hours. Ideally I would go wake boarding as well. I would have all the toys ready to go! Location would be somewhere like Hawaii or Key West, Florida where the sea conditions are good, also Cadiz can be just awesome ; flat water in the morning for wake boarding and, when the sea breeze kicks in, the afternoon is great for sailing. Obviously I would have my girlfriend Clare for company!
Q: What is your favourite drink? A: I am not a big drinker or a party animal, I tend to let my hair down when I feel that I have earned it. If my team or I have won a big event than I would go out and celebrate but if it was half way through a regatta and it was someone’s birthday; I would join in but it would just be a couple of shandies. I wouldn’t stay out all night. Since I left University I have been more concerned about my fitness, I hate being hung-over, it is a terrible waste of a day!
Q: Who or what has been the biggest influence on your sailing? A: Definitely my parents. Without their support it would have been difficult to get anywhere, but the biggest effect on my sailing ability would have to be the whole year group that I grew up in: rubbing shoulders with Ben Ainslie, Ian Walker, Paul Brotherton, Ian Barker, Johnny Merricks and coaches like Jim Saltonstall and Harvey Hillary. That environment makes you technically good and you learn to understand what is required physically and mentally. Once they are in the bag, those sorts of people can develop your tactical ability and your tuning skills to make the boat go faster. You never stop developing. In the 49er we were in the top 10 in the world for six years, often about fourth place. We achieved that level because of the highly competitive year group we were in.
Q: Are you a good loser? A: I can handle it if I need to! Actually I don’t throw my toys out the pram when things go wrong, I can stay calm. Yes, there might be the odd cross word, but I am the kind of person to look where it went wrong and try to get things back on track. Having done a lot of 49er sailing there have been times when we have cartwheeled the boat at the wrong time, but we have righted the boat, got her going again and gone on to win regattas. It is important to bounce straight back.
No, I am not someone who loses the plot. In the beginning it is a good thing to lose a few times, as you learn a lot from it, if you don’t then you won’t be in the game very long.