Five sailing teams are heading to Newport this week on the fourth leg of The Ocean Race. It’s a grueling six-month yachting competition that takes each crew around the world. Newport is the home port for the 11th Hour Racing team. Sailing on Malama, they’ve been battling for the lead with the German Team Malizia. 11th Hour Racing is expected to arrive in Newport sometime Wednesday. Newport Bureau Reporter Cheryl Hatch caught up with team skipper and Rhode Island native Charlie Enright, by satellite connection.
Cheryl Hatch: Hello, Skipper. Are you hearing me okay?
Charlie Enright: I’m hearing you fine. I think now that this is the second time we’ve chatted, we can drop the skipper thing. Call me Charlie.
Hatch: Hello Charlie. I know you just came off your watch. Thank you for making time for us.
Enright: It’s easy to make time for such a wonderful cause. We are out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Currently engaged in Leg Four of The Ocean Race on our way from Itajai, Brazil to Newport, Rhode Island. We are locked in a battle for first place, although currently in second. I can see the boat ahead of us just out the window here, which means it’s going to be a busy five days between here and Newport. The conditions are quite benign right now. We have about a 10-12 knots of wind coming from south. And we are, I guess the closest point of land to us, is probably Bermuda. But just to give you some perspective, we’re currently equidistance from Newport, and Morocco, really the middle of the Atlantic.
Hatch: Last time we spoke, it was in the middle of the night, and you were moving at nearly 25 knots. As I recall. You mentioned, I’m just wondering, you mentioned in that if you could just say again, how it’s going now, and how fast you’re going.
Enright: Right now, the boat’s averaging about 17 knots of speed, and about 10 to 12 knots of wind. The conditions are less intense, certainly, than when we last spoke. I believe when we last spoke, we had upwards of 20 knots, and we’re doing speeds between 25 and 30, or 20 and 30. So it’s given us a chance to dry out a little bit and reset. Life on board is much more pleasant. But, you know, when you experience the conditions that I was previously referencing, usually, the work list mounts, so no rest for the weary. The more benign conditions are a good opportunity to fix some things that have either broken or to get ahead on some preventative maintenance.
Hatch: Okay, so the listeners probably are going to hear some noise in the background; nothing like you’re hearing while you’re out there. And perhaps you’ve adjusted to it, but could you describe what it’s like in the boat when you are moving, hauling?
Enright: When we’re going quickly, there’s a lot of things on the boat that make noise. They kind of have a harmonic mind of their own. So we have a hydrofoil down the side of the boat. And those are what allow us to achieve the speed that these boats are so famous for. Those get a hum on every now and then. And we have two runners in the back. We have keel, which is lifting keel, of canting keel, you know, that swings back and forth. And then we have everything else that’s dragging through the midocean air. So we have the masts, shrouds, sheets and halyards, all that kind of stuff. The boat really does have a lot of noise pollution. Kind of a modern-day, pop-like reference: you know the intro song to the White Lotus series? It sounds a lot like that.
Hatch: Take a moment and introduce yourself and your crew and the boat.
Enright: My name is Charlie Enright and I am the skipper of the 11th Hour Racing team, and on board Malama, our 60-foot IMOCA. We have Francesca Clapcich from Utah. We have Simon Fisher from Great Britain. We have Damian Foxall from Ireland. And we have Amory Ross from Rhode Island, great town and community that is Middletown.
Hatch: You and your crew are accomplished sailors and competitive athletes. You as the skipper are a leader of the team. In three words, what do you bring to the crew as leader of your team? And what makes you good at the gig?
Enright: Oh, I think what what I bring is trust. I’m a trustworthy guy. I think as a group, we all trust each other, which is important. And that kind of comes hand in hand with respect. Two things that are earned. They need to be innate to a particular relationship. The last thing I would say is just passion. You know, we’re very lucky to be able to do what we do. You know, in some ways our passion is our profession. and of bringing that to work every day or you know, bringing that on deck every watch. Every scan and every maneuver is exceptionally important when it comes to leading by example and setting the tone for the group.
Hatch: What keeps you going in the tough stretches? I’m trying to imagine you’re on a four-hour watch and then a four-hour sleep, or not always sleep. How do you manage that? And what keeps you going and focused and alert over?
Enright: I think there’s a couple of things that keep me going, personally. You know, first and foremost, the competition. You know, there are other boats out here we’re trying to beat them. And the prospect of somebody else potentially working harder than you is quite daunting. But then also, I feel motivation from the many people that have afforded me this opportunity. You know, so when we’re out here, in a lot of ways we’re, you know, not just sailing for ourselves, we’re sailing for everybody just had a small or big part in this. So yeah, those are the main drivers. And you know, just an appreciation for what we’re able to do. We’re very lucky. I’m sure there’s a million people that would sign up for my job. It’s my job. I’m lucky to have it and I hope to do it justice.
Hatch: Okay, this question is for fun, as my niece used to say, Do you or a member of the crew have a playlist for the race? Or a song or two that defines the vibe of your race?
Enright: Yeah, I think everybody on board listens to music. We talked about some of the noise pollution and that’s one of the only ways to actually get some sleep, put in the headphones and zone out that way. I think we all have multiple playlists, depending upon what part of the world we’re in. What time of day it is. They vary. They vary greatly, not just person to person, but like I said, depending on some the other factors. I don’t know that there’s one song that encapsulates our group, per se, but we do have a team song. And ours is “Hard to Handle” by the Black Crowes.
Hatch: What’s the appeal of the Black Crowes’ cover of Hard to Handle? What is it about the song that you like? Or what is it about this song that represents the team?
Enright: I like that you know that it’s a cover, for starters. But really, it’s not the lyrics itself. The drop. The baseline It’s something that we could all envision ourselves lifting a trophy to. And it kind of gets you fired up.
Hatch: You’ve had some tough moments in the race. I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but maybe some challenging moments. Could you describe one of them?
Enright: Yeah, yes. Basically Leg 3, which we just completed from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajai, Brazil, was billed as, and certainly lived up to its billing, as the longest leg in the history of the race. 12,750 miles. It goes through 18 different time zones, and it goes under all three of the great capes. All in one leg. And you pass Point Nemo, which is the most remote point on Earth from land, where the closest people to us, other than our competition, is people in the Space Station, which is pretty wild. So even before we cast off the dock line, there was a lot laying ahead of us. Unfortunately, for our team, it wasn’t our best leg to date. You know, we experienced a lot of different breakages, some of which were random, some of which were bad luck, which were self-inflicted, some of which were just a product of the conditions down there.
We had some issues with our foils, with our mainsail, with our rudders. And as much as those were lows, I think the way the team responded to all that, was certainly a high for me personally, because based on the condition of the yacht at the scoring gate just south of Tasmania, we’re toying with the idea of going to New Zealand. We were able to persevere. We made it through, and actually the way things are sitting today, we scored some points that I can now tell you will be very valuable at the end of this race. I’m actually very proud of what we accomplished and how we overcame those obstacles and how we had a long-term view of the future and we did not for one second give up the fight.
Hatch: Charlie, you started sailing at a young age. Do you have a moment early in your life on the water when you realized, yeah, this is it? For me, this is what I want to do for ever?
Enright: I don’t know if there’s one particular moment. But you know, anytime I get to sail on Narragansett Bay, it really brings me back to kind of where it all started. For my job, I get to go to a lot of different places, sail on a lot of cool locations. It just makes you appreciate home even more.
Hatch: Are you carrying anything that your son or daughter gave you before you left? Or do you have something you carry that keeps them close?
Enright: I have a lot of pictures of them that I look at daily, if not multiple times a day. When I’m in my bunk listening to Black Crowes, trying to fall asleep. But as far as an object goes, just randomly my daughter gave me a hairbrush because she had two. Hygiene is something that we need to address out here. Conditions are just barely suitable for living, shall we say. I’ve been using my daughter’s hairbrush, and it actually says Maggie on it. Now it just says Aggie.
Hatch: You’re part of a legacy of people for centuries who’ve been leaving home and heading out to cross big waters. This is your third time in this race. And there’s big risk involved. I know at one point, as you mentioned earlier, you and the crew are closer to the astronauts on the space station then to the people on land. You leave your home and a safe harbor. You leave your family, your wife and two young children. What keeps calling you back? How and why do you do it?
Enright: I think the sport of offshore sailing and particularly this race, it gets in your blood. It becomes part of your DNA. And like you pointed out, it’s my third time doing it. I’d like to leave victorious, which is the mission of this campaign. But you know, there’s risk in everything. You have to lead a life worth living. I mean there’s risk when you leave the house every day. Certainly, this is riskier than other professions I could’ve chosen. But I think my family is really understanding and appreciative of the situation. And it has its challenges, no doubt. But it also has a lot of benefits as well. I mean, my kids are five and seven and they’ve seen more the world than most people ever get to see. My son, likes sailing with no pressure from me. I’m absolutely assure you, none. And it’s cool. It’s something that we all do together. My wife is national champion and college All American in her own right and she knows enough to be dangerous. Yeah, it’s just something that is very much part of our life and binds us together a little bit.
Hatch: The race is about sailing and winning. But it also represents more than sailing. I know when you arrive in Newport, you and the crew will participate in some educational activities. I was talking to a Thomson Middle School science teacher who’s bringing his class to the Ocean Race village. And they’ve been doing a marine exploration curriculum, including a research project with the crew of the Malizia. On carbon offset mitigation. would you say are some of your Would you share some of your planned activities that you’ll do while you’re in port.
Hatch: The race is about sailing and winning. But it also represents more than sailing. I know when you arrive in Newport, you and the crew will participate in some educational activities. I was talking to a Thomson Middle School science teacher who’s bringing his class to the Ocean Race village. Would you share some of your planned activities that you’ll do while you’re in port.
Enright: We have a number of school visits planned here for our team, as well and engaging with the kids that come down to Live Ocean Park experience the exploration. Personally the education component is one of the cool things that we get to do because it’s all about teaching the future generation of ocean stewards the importance of the ocean to our everyday life, how they can unlock and untap potential, how they can access the ocean, you know, something that might at times seem insurmountable. It’s actually quite accessible if you’re in Rhode Island, more so than in other places. I think just working with the education program, and now not only kids locally, but kids all around the world and experiencing their different cultures and their experiences. Very, very rewarding work.
Hatch: Okay, Charlie, these are the last couple questions. Your ETA now is May 10. About five days away as we speak. I imagine you stay in the moment most of the race. Could you take a moment and think ahead. Newport is known around the world for its sailing culture. What do you look forward to when you sail into Newport?
Enright: I look forward to seeing everybody in the village. Like I said, there’s a lot of people that have a big part and contributing to what we do. And it’s nice to be able to bring the boat home, where we do have a loyal group of supporters, sponsors, friends, family. That’s what it’s all about. It’s not the fanfare. It’s the people. Just seeing everybody. You wish there was more time. It always feels short and a bit fleeting. I look forward to seeing everybody in the village. Like I said, there’s a lot of people that have a big part and contributing to what we do. And it’s nice to be able to bring the boat home you know where we do have a loyal group of supporters, sponsors, friends, family you know that’s that’s what it’s all about. You know, it’s not the fanfare. it’s the people that just seeing everybody. you know and you wish there was more time. It’s just kind of give them on the face time and conversation that they deserve. It always feels short and a bit fleeting. Yeah, it’s just seeing everybody.
Enright: I think the first thing is always hug your family. Lock eyes with my wife and two kids. Yeah, Make sure that you make it on that, again, because it’s been a while between stints for us. Sometime shortly after that’s taken care of, probably a cheeseburger and a beer.
