Volvo Ocean Race - Team SCA celebrate their lap of the planet

by Corinna Halloran, OBR, Team SCA on 23 Apr 2015 Volvo Ocean Race - April 22, 2015 will now forever live in the hearts of Team SCA. At 18:56 UTC, fellow competitor, Ian Walker from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, was the first to congratulate Team SCA in completing successful lap around the world. According to Ian, we have crossed our Leg 1 track, therefore completing a feat most only dream about.

“I always thought I would go off and sail around the world in my own little boat,” Libby said. “I knew there would be a small chance it could happen, but I’m a bit in shock that it really did happen. I’m very excited, it’s something only a few people in the world have done—wow, sail around the world.”

Libby said the last part of her sentence in a tone of somewhat disbelief—she had climbed her Mount Everest and was talking in the view. “I definitely want to do it again,” she added

Eating her dinner, Stacey appeared to be in shock, although judging by her smile she was too excited for words. “I never thought I’d do it. Honestly, I never thought I’d be given the chance. I never thought there would ever be an all girls team in my generation,” she said.

In the race’s sense, today was somewhat of a birthday for Team SCA, and as birthdays are generally celebratory, Team SCA did just that: celebrated. We did it in the only way a sailing team offshore can: by staying ahead of the fleet and sending it in 20 knots of steady breeze.

For the last few days, the breeze has been steady and we’ve been duking it out with the fleet leaders. The entire fleet can be seen on the horizon, and some continue to remain close. Today, we could clearly see the guys on MAPFRE as they snuck behind us and attempted to pass us to leeward. Fortunately, the girls held their pace and did not let the red boat pass.

It is a bit surreal to be the hunted, rather than the hunter. It proves how far in the last few months we really have come. I think back to the first leg and I’m in shock that it was seven months ago—time really has flown!

To compare Team SCA then to the team today and it feels like two different teams. It’s hard to put my finger on why exactly so perhaps it’s best to point out how we are showing we are different: for the last few days we have held our own amongst the fleet.

We have been finally able to show what we have always known: we are a strong team. We are a good team—we are physically capable to sail these boat like the other boats. We are proving that out here, strength is only a piece of the puzzle that experience is a bigger piece, and teamwork is the biggest piece. And today, on Team SCA’s one lap milestone we have cemented the puzzle together.