NAUTICAL
BALL WATCHES
friends from college, a skipper who has been with us for ten years
was a great way to experience the ocean, the race, the country and
this culture.”
Noble noted that the race took longer than expected, at about
forty-three hours, with fi ve fi nal hours spent in no-wind conditions try-
ing to make the last miles in to shore. This ending was a sharp contrast
to one of the nights when the wind kicked up a small squall that came
in and caused the boat to suddenly keel – bringing all hands on deck in
a frenzy in the dark to get the sails down.
“That night the wind went quickly from 12 to 20 knots. It was
about 10 pm and we had a lot of sails up. The boat was almost on its
side, it keeled way over. Those of us who were below deck ran up to
see what was happening. It was pitch black, but we knew the sails had
to come down. There was a lot of noise and everyone was trying to
pull down the sails. It was very stressful,” said Noble.
“This is how sailing is,” says Noble. “Sailing can be described as
hours and hours of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer ter-
ror. You can be cruising along and everything is beautiful one minute
and then the winds kick up and it can be complete chaos”
Noble noted that he has been in many races before, though
admittedly he had not yet won a race until the St. Petersburg-Habana
regatta. Noble’s boat, GrayCious, is a true beauty and features Ball
Watch USA signage predominantly displayed on the sail, the boat side
102 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2017
and the boom. Additionally, the entire crew was equipped with Ball
Fireman Racer St. Pete-Habana Special edition watches throughout
the event and acting as ambassadors for the brand.
The crew of the U.S.-based GrayCious comes from all walks of life.
John Noble’s brother Michael Noble brought a unique sense of humor,
as did a West-point buddy of John’s. He was the one in boxers on the
bow during the on-sea crisis. Others crewing on the Oyster 745 boat
included a Ball Watch USA employee who is also a sailor, and someone
from my own hometown – small world indeed.
In addition to the race festivities, I traveled with the Ball Watch
contingent exploring Havana, traveled to Hemingway’s home and to
his favorite fi shing village, visited the historic bunkers and forts, and
even had lunch in a photography studio co-owned by Alex Castro,
Fidel’s son. He and a partner operate a school to teach young people
the art of photography. Every day, they convert the fi rst fl oor of the
studio in to a restaurant to help bring in funds for the school.
Ball Watch’s sponsorship of this historic race makes great sense.
Ball was an American brand founded in 1891, and Ball Watch USA is
located in St. Petersburg.
Known for its historic work in chronometric precision, Ball Watch
has since its founding been closely associated with important aspects
of American history, including the building of and timing on America’s
railroads, as well as maritime and aviation events.
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