Volvo Ocean Race – To win, first you have to finish
by Dongfeng Race Team on 20 Apr 2015
Dongfeng Race Team - Volvo Ocean Race 2015 Al?ex Wang ?/ Dongfe?ng Race ?Team
Volvo Ocean Race – “To win, first you have to finish” a quote from Volvo Ocean Race veteran Chris Dickson in bold print in the Race Village. To even have a chance at winning this race first you have to finish it, something that for Dongfeng Race Team was a question mark just less than a week ago.
The other teams have had two weeks to prepare, we have only had a few days and today the start of leg six.
So the question remains… are we ready?
There is a permanent buzz around the Dongfeng team base on the morning of departure, Pascal printing maps on a printer that only occasionally decides to work, Horace eating as much fresh food as he can get his hands on, Black shaving his head like a warrior and Onboard Reporter Sam Greenfield looking for his charger. Which charger exactly we’re always unsure but the fact of the matter is, no matter how organised you are – or how much or little time you have to prepare – there is always something left to do. Not to mention the five different languages flying around.
After working tirelessly day and night, it was finally time for the unofficial handover of Dongfeng from the shore crew to the sailors. Graham Tourell and his shore team have done everything in their power to make this boat race ready: “We have a responsibility and that is to deliver a boat to our sailors,” he explains, “It doesn’t matter how much or how little time we have to do it in – we have to do it.”
Skipper Charles Caudrelier showed his appreciation after yesterday’s in-port race when he said, “I have one goal and that is to perform as well as my shore crew. If we can be up to their standards I know we can win.”
Dongfeng left Itajai in very light conditions in fifth place, with Team Alvimedica leading after the 80-minute inshore circuit. The next leg from Itajai to Newport, USA, will take the sailors on a 5,000 nautical mile journey lasting approximately 18 days. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing are streaks ahead on points and as it stands this race is theirs to lose and in the words of Kevin Escoffier – it will be the ones making the mistakes who will lose now.
“Well the positive thing to take from this so far is that we are still in second place, however, we are now closer (in points) to the fifth boat than the first. Since we started the race in Alicante we said we wanted to be on the podium in Gothenburg, this is still our objective and we will do the best we can,” explains Kevin Escoffier as he finishes packing his bag. “You know, even if we win every leg from now until Gothenburg it doesn’t mean we’ll win overall. It will be the ones who make the mistakes who will lose now.”
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