Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race
Saturday 29 November 2008 14:30 GMT
Neil Cox cannot believe his luck.
The shore manager of PUMA Ocean Racing is poised to welcome the sailing team to India any day now and things are looking good for the most unexpected of reasons.
"I must admit we feared the worst," he said. "But I've been pleasantly surprised."
His mood is partly due to the knowledge that his boat, which suffered seemingly severe structural damage in the first week, has recovered to about "98%" of its potential. But it is largely due to the situation in Cochin, where a world class sailing regatta is about to visit for the first time.
"In all honesty, we did not expect too much," he said. "We thought it was going to be hard to get things done, but like I said we have been pleasantly surprised.
"The things that are normally a hassle at other stopovers like getting power on time have happened almost the minute they said. They seem to get an enormous amount achieved in 24 hours."
The point has been proved by the race village. Just three days ago the offices that house the race organisation and the plots hosting the shore bases were mired by local workmen with shovels.
Now, barring the finishing touches and the rolling of a few roads, the site is just a good clean away from being ready for the 13 days or so that the race will be in town.
"Things are moving along very nicely," said Michael Woods, the Team Russia CEO. "They have done very well, but this is still a stopover with a lot of challenges."
Hot and humid
Not least among them is the environment. "This heat makes life really difficult," said Campbell Field, the shore boss of a Telefonica team which has had its problems this leg. "Both the Blue and Black boat have had daggerboard issues and there are plenty of little things to do. It will be a busy stopover and in this heat and humidity that is not ideal."
Indeed, over the last few days the humidity has been as high as 95% and the temperature frequently tops 30 degrees centigrade. "Really hard to work in," is the take of Johnny Smullen, Green Dragon's shore boss. His staff will not have an easy time, though a replacement boom is already here and ready to be fitted. "I'd imagine it will be maybe seven or eight days of 16-hour days for us before we get back on the water," he said. "Oh well, this race is meant to be a challenge."
One of the biggest at the moment is the co-ordination of operations in a country which has never previously staged an offshore regatta at any level. "From doing a couple of races you get complacent," Cox said. "You know the places, the suppliers, you know a local workforce. Places like Cape Town we know exactly where to go."
Ericsson shore boss Herve LeQuillec added: "To get a crane, it had to come from the other side of the country. You have to do your homework, which is obviously harder than when you have done events in a place before."
Field envisages some issues with the local ecology. "Look at all the greenery," he said while pointing to the thick masses of weeds that wash in with the current each day. "We're going to be pulling stuff off the keels all day."
All in all, though, the mood is very positive. As Jeff Condell, the Team Delta Lloyd shore manager, said: "Everyone is facing challenges of adapting to a new place, but the race is not meant to be easy. This just makes the whole thing more interesting."
Riath Al-Samarrai