2014 - 15 Volvo Ocean Race - Fifth for Team Alvimedica

by Jonno Turner on 7 Nov 2014 2014 - 15 Volvo Ocean Race - It was perhaps the most beautiful of all the arrivals into Cape Town so far.

As the stars backlit the rugged mountains, Team Alvimedica stormed into port – a flash of orange, under the cover of darkness.

'Not bad, huh?' smiled Team Alvimedica skipper Charlie Enright, tying up the boat.

He wasn’t talking about his team’s fifth placed finish – although he could well have been. It’s a fair result for the youngest crew in the race, still learning, still gelling.

Nope, he was commenting on his beard – and he then proceeded to stand proud on the boat, displaying the product of 26 days struggle and growth.

Physical growth, yes, but also personal. In the last three and a bit weeks, he’s grown as a sailor, and a skipper. And grow too has his team.

One thing’s for sure – for this team, this 6,487 nm leg was an education.

Every sail change, faster. Every gybe, tighter. Every cloud, a lesson.

'The biggest lesson?' he admits. 'That you’re never out of it. We watched some deficits shrink, and some deficits open up quickly.'

'You’re always just one decision away from getting back in the game – or dropping out of the game.'

His voice is content, but tinged with a diluted disappointment. His team even tasted the ultimate success for a short time – leading the fleet for several hours the day after the race began.

'All in all, it was a pretty benign leg,' adds Charlie. 'Very tricky, with lots of transitions – we did some well, we did some not so well.'

'But after 26 days at sea, everyone’s in a good place. We’ve learned a lot, and it’s about moving forward. We’ve got a good group.'

For Kiwi sailors Dave Swete and Ryan Houston, even reaching the finish line was one better than last edition, when they dropped out of the leg midway through thanks to problems with their Team Sanya boat.

'I’ve never sailed into Cape Town, it’s a great experience,' beams Dave. 'It feels good, especially after last time. It actually doesn’t feel like it’s been that hard a leg.'

'At times we were in the lead, showing speed against the other teams, and if we can keep that going, we’ll upset a few people in this race.'

For French Volvo newbie, Seb Marsett, the arrival symbolized a real step forward for the team.

'It went very well from a human point of view,' he smiles, on the dock. 'But from a sporting point of view, we now know a little bit more about our weaknesses.'

So they’ve learned a lot – but what now for the youngest team in the race, before they get chance to put that new found experience into practice?

'For now, I’m looking forward to getting away for a couple of days, and catching my breath,' sighs a relieved Charlie.

'Then I’ll come back, and get to work. You’ve got to keep an even keel, not get too high or low.'

'Hopefully in the end, you’ll come out a little better than we did this leg.'