had to really use your imagination to believe it was the thing written on the front of the pack!” He says he had to work hard during the breaks to make sure he was in top health but team members were allowed a little rest time to explore whichever country they had stopped in. Henry’s parents came out to join him in New Zealand and they explored North Auckland and Bare Island. His girlfriend flew to Brazil and the pair hired a car and took off for a week. “It was certainly nice to switch off for a few days. It was gruelling on the boat. We had four hours on and four off when we tried to sleep, but you were often called on to help with a tricky manoeuvre.” Henry says they sailed through some tough environments with water temperatures of three degrees Celsius. The conditions were so harsh on the Southern Ocean leg that a man - John Fisher on Scallywag - died on one of the other boats. “It snowed and hailed for four days pretty much non stop.” Henry says there were some breathtaking moments
I’ve been concerned about plastic pollution since I started sailing and the tag line on the side of the boat we used for the Volvo Race actually said ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic.’” Now Henry is Plymouth National Marine Aquarium’s ‘Ocean Ambassador’ and, as part of the Turn the Tide on Plastic team, Henry supports scientific research by collecting water samples to investigate micro plastics in our oceans. “At least people are talking about the problem now, 10 years ago when I started sailing it wasn’t even considered a problem. I hope we will all start using refillable water bottles and cups and hopefully rid the world of plastic bags – I hope it will be like the next smoking ban.” Henry finished the race on a romantic
every 30 seconds and it really opened my eyes to the damage humans are causing.”
passing rubbish “We were
note as he proposed to his girlfriend, Sophie, soon after crossing the finishing line. “I had just finished one of the toughest sporting events in the world but the thing that had stressed me out most throughout the nine months wasn’t the size of the waves or the lack of food – it was keeping the engagement ring safe! I did actually lose it twice but managed to find it and hang on to it until
he won’t forget like the sight of turtles, dolphins and whales swimming close to the boat. He also saw sunsets and picturesque islands which, in his words, “you would normally have as a screensaver on your computer and never dream of actually seeing in real life.” But one of the most shocking things he saw was the build up of rubbish, mainly plastics, on uninhabited islands around the world including Polynesia. “It was awful to see these beautiful natural places being ruined by people who live hundreds of miles away. We were passing rubbish every 30 seconds and it really opened my eyes to the damage humans are causing.
the magic moment.” (She did say yes by the way.) The couple live just outside Exeter in an 1800s coach house, and Henry escapes the competitive world of sailing by immersing himself in the garden. He grows his own courgettes, spinach, tomatoes and peppers and hopes that one day he and Sophie can be self-sufficient - the healthy eating is obviously good for his fitness regime! The next Volvo Ocean Race is in 2021 so Henry has a bit of time to get ready! He says he would still rather be sailing than doing any other job in the world. “I am privileged to spend my working hours doing something I love. Professional sailors don’t do it for the glory and there’s no prize money – most of us do it because we are living our dream.”
www.volvooceanrace.com/en/
home.htmlhenry bomby
www.facebook.com/henrybombysailor.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164
