Photos: L Rick Tomlinson R Oskar Kihlborg
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Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:00:00 UTC
'From The Cockpit' provides an insight into the triumphs and travails of the seven entries in the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race from the men at the sharp end - the skippers. In the next edition of our series, Englishman Neal McDonald tells of the challenges of getting the Ericsson campaign on the water in such a short time, and gives us some thoughts on the Volvo Open 70 design and the new race format
Less than three days after we finished the last leg on this epic adventure around the world and the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race already seems like a distant memory.
There is not much more final than an end to a round the world race. The prize givings are all over, most of the crew have flown home, the hospitality tents have been taken down and some of the boats have left. I’m just getting used to wearing ‘civilian’ clothes – i.e. ones without Ericsson logos on and even now I’m not sure what is next.
Constant battles
This last race was a series of battles for me; one against the elements, one against technology and one against time. The format was a great success, the new boats were fantastic, but it was hard work. We had a great team who all rose to the challenge and I’m really proud to have been part of that. We did not get off to a great start, but we all pulled together and made the best of the situation.
The Volvo Open 70 rule received a fair amount of criticism in the early part of the race, particularly when there were several problems on the water. It was good to see all the syndicates take on these problems and get to grips with most of them. Like most sailors in the fleet, there would be small areas of the rule I would like to see changed. But, on the whole, I believe in general terms it has worked just fine and simply needs a bit of fine tuning.
The next race
As for the proposed route for the next race, I’ve not had much time to consider that yet, but my initial reactions is that it would be a shame to miss out on the more traditional route that we have come to know and love. However, I do truly believe that the route must satisfy the sponsors that we totally rely on to make this race work. Provided the route caters for the interested sponsors of the next race, then I can see the logic in change.
All in all, this race has been a great experience for me. As in previous races I have made some friendships that will last forever and taken onboard some unbelievable, sometimes indescribable, memories.
As for another one for me? Who knows!
Neal McDonald
Coming Soon : Mike Sanderson
Part 1 : From the Cockpit: Grant Wharington
Part 3 : From the Cockpit: Seb Josse
Part 4 : From the Cockpit: Torben Grael
Part 5 : From the Cockpit: Paul Cayard
Part 6 : From the Cockpit: Mike Sanderson
Part 7 : From the Cockpit: Bouwe Bekking
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