British rugby star tackles a new challenge at sea

He said: “The greatest thing about visiting all these ports is that when

you get there you have a real sense of achievement as you have sailed there

and not flown in. It’s as if you have earned the right to have a holiday

there.”

Although Phillips travelled extensively as an England player he had previously

never visited South America. “To see and taste that truly Latin vibe in

Rio and that South American free spirit was an incredible experience,”

he added.

He wasted no time in getting back on to the pitch when he arrived in

Singapore, attending national team training as a guest coach.

Singapore has bids in place to host the Sevens World Series in 2015 and the

2018 World Cup Sevens tournaments.

If things go his way, Phillips could be coming back to Rio in 2016 as part of

the Team GB Sevens rugby squad for the Olympic Games, after which he plans

to end his career. But for now all eyes are on the yacht race and finishing

as high as possible.

While all crew members are challenged mentally and physically, the race is

also a great opportunity to meet with other nationalities. “When you

get into each different port you meet with the guys from the other boats.

Some are local, some have been there before, and they all have a different

perspective and spin on things.”

Phillips is no stranger to being an expat, having lived in Paris for two years

while playing for Stade France. “It’s quite refreshing to go off and

meet people from all walks of life, especially when you’ve just spent 30

days with the same crew.”

Looking at his long straggly beard and watching him prepare the yacht for the

next leg, it’s hard to imagine Phillips was a complete newcomer to sailing

before setting sail from London last September. So how has he adjusted to

life at sea?

“The sailing is OK. It’s the living that’s the tough thing. There are 21

people on board so there’s not a lot of space and nowhere to escape. You

spend a lot of time dealing with people’s feelings. The weather has also

been a challenge, while we have to ration water and food.”

However, Phillips is happy that his skills in the galley have also improved

during the race and his fellow crew members no longer dread his cooking.

Talking about his scariest moment so far he said: ‘”We were off the

coast of Papua New Guinea and a tornado hit us. We went from 15 knots

suddenly to about 115 knots. The boat tilted over and we were trying to get

it under control then we hit a white squall and the boat slammed completely

to the other side. Everybody was swept to the bottom of the boat. It was a

really scary experience.”

The Great Britain team are currently lying in fourth place, a position the

ultra-competitive Phillips will be hoping to improve on.

British rugby star tackles a new challenge at sea