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Onboard Enigma
By Joanna Van Hagen

The Rolex Sydney to Hobart is the first of many long offshore races in which I hope to compete over my life. I have caught the offshore bug crewing on Enigma and feel an immense fulfilment after finishing this nearly 6-day race while completely underestimating how cruel and beautiful offshore racing can be. Cruel, in terms of the unrelenting physical bashing we endured for 40 hours in winds gusting up to 45 knots. We climbed and then dropped 6-10m, waves spraying and drenching us from all directions.




For 2 days, it was too rough and dangerous to heat our food due to the extreme rocking and smacking of waves.Fortunately, ou dish to the rough wash on Day 4 was a doozy as we dropped off vertical waves head-on. Through this challenging time, crew members were extremely supportive, helping settle my anxiety with the mantra ‘trust the crew & trust the boat.’ Facing life-threatening conditions forced us all to meet our personal challenges by trusting each other, forming a very tight-knit crew.



During rough seas, the crew quickly put together a system of two on helm and two supporting for each 3-hour watch, with the helm roles rotating every 45 minutes to manage fatigue. This limited the number of people on watch, allowing the rest of the crew to seek warmth and catch up on much-needed sleep. On the bright side, for 4 days we were beyond civilisation, experiencing the uninterrupted power and beauty of mother nature-lightning shows, towering clouds and sunrises, moonlight, bioluminescence, dolphins, albatrosses, a lone sperm whale, and a young sunfish waving as we passed. After the rough weather eased, we enjoyed a special time without wind, bobbing off Tasmania’s Maria Island, the whole crew on deck reflecting on the rough conditions we experienced together. Later, one of the crew brought out his ukelele for a singalong. What a contrast for the whole crew to enjoy time singing and relaxing while supposedly racing!





Enigma is fitted for comfort, not speed. Each shared bunk had a pillow, mattress and sleeping bag. By Day 3, most bunks were damp, if not wet. On board, we had the comforts of a coffee machine, a pressure cooker (to heat pre-cooked meals in vacuum-sealed bags), a freezer and soft drinks under the floorboards. We had snacks to sustain us between meals and when cooking was impossible-biscuits, packet cake, tea and soup packs, sweets, and chips.




After successfully crossing the finish line under spinnaker, entering Constitution Dock was bittersweet- the race had now finished and we could finally celebrate with our friends and family onshore. Awaiting us was champagne, beer, party hooters, and enough food to feed a small army. We spent much of the next couple of days together celebrating, reliving our race and hanging out together in Hobart. In future, I’ll remember that starting a race wet from rain and heading out the Heads into a thunderstorm, are no longer the worst conditions I’ve faced.