Volvo Ocean Race - Hammer down for Team Alvimedica

by Amory Ross, Team Alvimedica on 21 Nov 2014 Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15, Leg 2. Team Alvimedica’s OBR Amory Ross reports on the Leg 2 start and progress.

Well, now we know what it feels like to be shot from of a cannon! That was utter insanity. When the gun went I think there was almost no wind at all—two knots or something—but as we slowly crept out from under the shadow of Table Mountain it changed drastically and we were soon reaching off towards the first mark in almost 40 knots. Zero to one hundred, of sorts, and then back to zero, and then we were off again to the south. It was all a lot of fun but there’s no question—things were fairly marginal!

'Full fever,' as they say [somewhere] in Australasia…Truth be told, that was probably the most dramatic way to leave Cape Town that anyone could have drafted up, like, in the history of leg departures. So unbelievably memorable. Absolutely ripping around Table Bay with the huge spectator fleet in tow, the sheer amount of water over the deck--all within their view--the closeness of the competition, and of course—the scenic backdrop: Table Mountain with the famed 'table top cloud' washing down its flank.

One of those things that I will never forget. I can’t speak for anyone else, but it’s clarity during moments like those that I know I’ll never have doing anything else. Hard to imagine ever moving on from this race. But here we are! Already tired, somewhat wet, and definitely salty. Safe to say that the dust is shaken and we’re all pretty settled after a start like that. We’re now in our upwind mode, pretty quick into our routines, and excited for a good (long) leg in front of us here. As much as we enjoyed our time in lovely Cape Town we’re all pretty psyched to be back on the water again, psyched for the next opportunity to prove what we’re made of. 'Hammer down,' as they say [somewhere] in Team Alvimedica website