Photos: L © Oskar Kihlborg/ Volvo Ocean Ra R ©Martin Stockbridge
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Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:00:00 UTC
ABN AMRO ONE finished the race in Gothenburg, just as they started in Sanxenxo - in last place. It was just that the results in between were incredible. Overall six leg victories and five in port race wins, a superbly organised team, a great design and a reliability record second to none. For part six of our series, Mike 'Moose' Sanderson tells us what it means to win the 2005-6 Volvo Ocean Race.
Winning the Volvo Ocean Race is huge for me. It is everything that I have worked for since I left school to become a sail maker. Finally to lift the trophy was a dream come true and, as we pulled into Göteborg to be greeted by hundreds of spectators, it was a feeling I won’t ever forget.
There is no doubt that these boats are extreme, but they are also very, very exciting, which was the attraction for me. Not only did we get to push the boundaries of design and development, but we got to start with a clean sheet and create something totally new. Since the third day that we were on the water with the white boat, we knew this was going to be one crazy ride and it hasn’t disappointed.
The winning team
For me this race and victory have been about the people. Man for man, we had to line up and go head to head with any guy on any other team and know that we would be thinking smarter, working harder and performing better. This goes for everyone – the designers, boat builders, shore crew, marketing team and we, the sailors. It was a combination of all these people that made Team ABN AMRO such a formidable force. We have had good times and bad – there is no doubt that it was tough stepping off the water in Sanxenxo, Spain, when we came in last in the in-port race with the white boat just in front of us. But I still wouldn’t have swapped our boat for any other. We knew that we had created something that wasn’t going to perform in every condition, so that result was no surprise to us. Of course this does not compare with the tragedy of losing a fellow team mate – nothing can prepare you for that and nothing makes up for it. However, I know that Hans would have wanted us to go on and win that leg and win the race in the process. He worked as hard as anyone for it and would have been very proud.
Hard to describe
It is hard to put into such a few words the full essence of this race, the boats, the amount of water we saw flying down the deck, the stress of watching hundreds of miles of lead disappear, the cold, the wet, the best and the worst sailing of my life, the moments of despair and the euphoria at winning. This is a unique race which attracts the highest level of sporting contest.
It is too early to say whether I would do it again. This is not just a job – you can’t do this race just because you don’t have anything else to do. It requires you to give such a big part of yourself that it has to be right. A combination of a great sponsor, a great bunch of people and the new rule all made this race an awesome challenge and opportunity. I am happy that we did it. We achieved what we set out to do with some unbelievable times along the way.
Mike Sanderson
Part 1 : From the Cockpit: Grant Wharington
Part 2 : From the Cockpit: Neal McDonald
Part 3 : From the Cockpit: Seb Josse
Part 4 : From the Cockpit: Torben Grael
Part 5 : From the Cockpit: Paul Cayard
Part 7 : From the Cockpit: Bouwe Bekking
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