If, during a race, one of your crew went overboard somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, would you grab a set of flippers and jump in to try to rescue them?
Lewis Brake has promised he would. It’s a scenario Brake, of reigning Sydney to Hobart overall winner Celestial V70, and his crewmates prepared for – along with collisions, groundings, floods, fires and abandoning ship – ahead of the 80th edition of the race.
Genevieve White giving a safety briefing to the Celestial V70 crew ahead of the 2025 Sydney to Hobart.Credit: CYCA/Ashley Dart
On a Friday morning in early December, the crew sat before Genevieve White, of Sydney to Hobart rival Vixen Racing, for a safety briefing. White runs a business called Marine SafetyWorks, which helps crews prepare for offshore racing. Her job is crucial – and especially so this year, after calamitous conditions during last year’s race ended in tragedy.
For Celestial’s crew member Luke Parkinson, a SailGP winner and three-time America’s Cup entrant, the team’s annual safety briefing isn’t a mere pre-race box tick. It’s personal.
“For me, it was quite hard because I’ve been in situations where I’ve had a person go over the side. So it does bring back memories of things you don’t so much want to remember,” Parkinson said. “We do have some different people on the crew who maybe haven’t had that experience… So by having those discussions, when they do happen, you’re in a better place.”
Although the crew are all experienced sailors and across the safety measures on the boat – where fire extinguishers are, how the safety rafts operate, what their hypothermia protocols are – the sessions help identify any knowledge gaps.
One Celestial crew member checks his safety equipment.Credit: CYCA/Ashley Dart
“Being a race crew, most of our bandwidth is going towards performance and concentrating on weather and how to win the race,” Parkinson said. “So that’s a bit of a reality check, to step back and to be reminded of the big priorities of finishing safely.”
