Ocean Globe Race Experience with Lucy Frost

Experienced and friendly, the Ancasta team is passionate about all things boating and none more so than our Front of House and New Boat Sales Administrator Lucy Frost.

Lucy joined Ancasta Hamble after competing in the Ocean Globe Race – an eight-month, round-the-world sailing adventure aboard pre-1988 yachts, navigating without any modern technology. This extraordinary event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread Round the World Race, honouring the spirit of traditional ocean racing.

Here, Lucy shares with us her account of this unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Before you set sail, had you always wanted to complete a circumnavigation?

The short answer is no. I learnt to sail dinghies in my teens, but I never really got into ‘big boat’ sailing until a sabbatical in Australia. I completed a yachtmaster course before joining a three-man delivery crew on a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 54DS from the BVIs to Marseille. I fell in love with the abandonment of the open ocean, so I signed up for two legs of the Clipper Race, and three months and 12,000 nmiles later, I was wondering what else was out there.

How did you hear about the Ocean Globe Race and what inspired you to take part?

Early in 2021, a good friend, Campbell Mackie, shared a video about the OGR and asked if I wanted to take part. The thought of going where few people have ever sailed was thrilling. By then I had over 40,000 nautical miles experience so I was excited at the thought of following in the wake of my heroes. I didn’t have any doubts, just excitement.

You raced on a Baltic 55 in the Adventure Class, how did you get a place on this team?

I was in it from the beginning, the fourth member of the team, but we needed a boat. The entry requirements stated the boat must have already competed in a Whitbread Race. We eventually found her, S/V Outlaw, in a yard in Albany, America. She’d previously raced as Equity & Law in 1985/6 with a Dutch team.

Did you know any of your crew mates before you started?

Aside from Campbell, no. We decided on a core of 10 ‘round-the-worlders’ and then a ‘one-legger’ on each leg, so a total of 14 crew. We had six Clipper alumni on board, the other eight we interviewed, with a couple of late changes.

Did you sail together much before the race?

The very first time we all came together was a week before Outlaw was ready to sail from the US to the UK. That trip was certainly a leap of faith; Outlaw had only been in the water for a few weeks, the rig had been fitted only days earlier and to sail such a distance, with all the crew getting to know each other, was a big endeavour.

What were conditions like onboard during the race?

Conditions were good. We all had our own beds rather than the usual hot-bunking. The six-hourly daytime and four-hourly nighttime watch systems worked well. We also had a rota for cooking, with cleaning done by another. The cook would step out of the usual watch at 5.30am, feed us breakfast, lunch and dinner and then sleep for a full night, to rejoin their watch at the appropriate time.

Which leg of the race was your favourite, and why?

Undoubtedly the third leg, when we rounded the elusive Cape Horn. The arrival in Punta del Este, Uruguay was one of elation and sheer exhaustion.

What was the highlight of the race for you?

Rounding Cape Horn! Now I’m home it seems surreal. I effectively sailed around the world for an experience that lasted just a few hours, but it was so worth it. We had ideal conditions, huge following seas in 45-50 knots, dolphins with us that morning, an albatross circling us and it was in daylight. It was absolutely electrifying – it’s what the whole race was driven by, and we’d made it.

As the race rules prohibited post 1973 technology onboard, were you able to take any ‘luxury’ items at all?

Luxury items were books (no Kindles allowed!), and personal cassette players, meaning you could play music in bed without distracting others off-watch. The biggest luxury was our mobile phones and laptops getting locked away – weeks of no emails or social media, pure bliss!

Would you do it again?

Racing? NO! But I’d highly recommend it! One day, I’m hoping to explore around the world with my husband, at a more leisurely pace, and with many more stopovers.

What would your advice be to anyone wanting to complete a similar challenge?

Do it, you’ll never regret it, but do the whole thing. You only live once and you’ll only regret the things you didn’t do.