Landlubber no longer after stormy ocean adventure

Being a part of an ocean yacht race on Lion New Zealand  has been a dream come true for Kerikeri's Warwick Smith.
But there were times when the  teenage sailor admitted the dream turned  nightmarish.
The 15-year-old Springbank College student had done odd jobs for months to help pay for his berth on the maxi yacht, Lion New Zealand, for the Auckland-to-Noumea race, at the end of June. After a storm-ravaged race  in which a good part of the fleet  limped into the Bay of Islands for shelter and some withdrew, there was even worse weather in store on the way back.
"We got knocked flat twice, which was an experience and a half," Smith said. "I was in my bunk when it happened the first time and I was on the downward side of a liferaft that broke loose, and it came flying down into the bunk below me."
Smith was  the youngest member of the crew but received high praise from Lion NZ skipper Alistair Moore for his attitude on board.
"On the way home we got hit by an unexpected storm, with wind gusting up to 75 knots with really big seas of up to 12m, and it was a tough, very frightening trip, but he performed admirably. He was quite happy to be grovelling around in the bilges or cooking in the galley. He really pulled his weight as a valuable team member," Moore said.
The skipper said Smith  had been a greenhorn when he  climbed on board but quickly developed into a good sailor.
"He was lucky to be on board with some very experienced sailors who took him under their wing and, because he wasn't cocky or arrogant and showed a good attitude, we'd definitely take him again," Moore continued.
Moore said they  had been expecting a rugged race up to New Caledonia, with a lot of upwind work, but the journey had proved tougher than predicted. The boat had suffered  several breakages    and took on a lot of water that meant running the pumps and required bailing the boat every couple of hours, and Smith  had been heavily involved in that. Even when he  had been seasick, he had tried to get the job done.
The trip  had taken nearly three days longer than expected because of the weather and the young sailor admitted he had wondered whether he had done the right thing.
But every cloud has a silver lining and when the storm finally moved on Smith said it  had been all worth it.
"It was the first sunny day and everyone was happy to eat the first big meal we'd had on board.
"There was no wind and we were able to start fixing the damage we'd taken in the storm. It was a definite highlight," Smith said.
Seven days after they had started, they had sailed into Noumea.  After four days repairing the boat  they had then  taken another week to sail  back.
"It was worse on the way back but by then I knew what to expect. I learned lots and want to do it again," he said.
It was adventure he was after when he had first read an email circulating around members of the Kerikeri Cruising Club, about the opportunity to crew the former Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race winner.
 He got that and then some.
 "It was an adventure and I'd never done anything like it before.
"I thought, 'This is a good opportunity', and it was," he said. It  hadn't been a cheap trip but Smith had laboured for months to pay his way -  going down to Auckland a week early to work off some of his passage, preparing the boat for the trip.
"I had to clean a lot of hulls and I'd like to say a big thank you  to all those people who helped out with work, and clubs like Rotary who made donations," he said.
And his attitude on the trip has helped to score  a summer job in Auckland - and will no doubt open up further opportunities. "I'm going to go and work on the America's Cup boats over the summer, doing odd jobs. I suppose I'll find out when I get there," he said.
But the trip of a lifetime has helped him to realise what he wants to do in the future. "In five years' time I'd like to be working on superyachts and sailing all over the world," Smith said.