Volvo Ocean race - movistar finishes in second

by Volvo media on 18 Apr 2006 On the dockside with Skipper Bouwe Bekking, Navigator Andrew Cape and crewman Mike Howard

Bouwe Bekking (NED)

'Second place is good for us and especially to be placed first at the scoring gate. We will have to wait to see where ABN AMRO TWO finishes to see if we have moved up into second place overall.'

'It is way better to arrive like this than how we did in the previous legs and I am very, very happy.'

'We knew ABN AMRO ONE was quick in the conditions we had so it was just a matter of making the right calculations as there were lots of clouds and thunderstorms. We had a good battle to the scoring gate and just managed to stay in front but literally thirty minutes later they managed to pass us.'

'We are happy that we managed to put some pressure on ABN AMRO ONE and Andrew Cape did a great job with the technical aspects and navigation.'

'After the problems we have had we always said that third place was okay and second would be even better, so I am really please with this result.'

Andrew Cape (AUS)

'It has been quite a challenging leg tactically although not that hard physically. The first night did not go too well for us and we found ourselves towards the back of the fleet. Fortunately the second night went a little better and the fleet gave us an opening when they stayed offshore and it made more sense to me to head inshore.'

'We knew ABN AMRO ONE had a speed advantage in certain conditions so we just had to push hard and take any opportunities that came our way.'

'It feels great to finish the leg in one piece and the boat and crew are in really good shape.'

Mike Howard (USA)

'This is a fantastic result and I am very happy for the boys and the movistar
programme as it’s widely known that they have had some bad luck.'

'This race is always tough and we pushed really hard, racing all the way to the finish, and I would gladly step back on and do the whole leg again tomorrow.'

'The toughest part of the leg was watching ABN AMRO ONE put eight miles on us at every position report.'

'This was my first time in the ocean on a Volvo Open 70 and they are much quicker and more powerful than the old generation Volvo Open 60’s. To sail with ten people is pretty tough. I am used to sailing big boats with 16-18 people so sailing with ten people means lots of work, but I loved it.'

'I didn’t find it that hard working my way into an established team. Fortunately I had sailed with about 90% of the crew previously and so they were not strangers although I knew they had been working hard and had also sailed halfway around the world together. I just found my place on the boat and got on with my job quietly and it worked out well. We had great unity and positive energy on the boat.'