Last year Wild Oats XI, the 100ft (30m) canting keel maxi with automatic winches, smashed the course record by over an hour winning the race outright. But this time she will have to contend with Volvo Race winner, Black Betty - ABN AMRO ONE (watch video here), complete with a hotshot crew of Volvo Ocean racers.
Crew changes
Mike Sanderson, Brad Jackson, Stan Honey, Emma Sanderson (nee Richards), Rob Greenhalgh, Seb Josse, Brian Macinnes, Justin Slattery, Nick Bice, Neil Cox, Scott Beavis, Phil Harmer, Matt Stechmann, George Peet and Chris Nicholson will all be onboard, making up the team.
Helmsman of ABN AMRO ONE, Rob Greenhalgh explains some of the changes team has had to make their boat in order to comply with the rules for this event:
“We can only carry four of our spinnakers and we are not permitted to stack the sails on deck. So to compensate for this, we are sailing with seven extra crew which will put back some of the weight on the rail, but the boat will not be balanced as well as she was in the Volvo Ocean Race, “ he says.
Greenhalgh is looking forward to being back in Sydney where he won the 18ft skiff world championships, although he says he would be surprised if ABN AMRO ONE could beat Wild Oats.
“She [Wild Oats] was built for this race and because we are racing under the IRC rule, it is unlikely that we can perform as well as we did in the Volvo Ocean Race,” he explained.
Justin Slattery will be back on the bow of ABN AMRO ONE for his fifth Sydney Hobart Race. “I couldn’t honestly say it is an enjoyable experience, the conditions can be absolutely horrendous. In 2001, racing on Volvo Ocean 60 News Corp, we had to contend with a huge water spout! Although I doubt that we will keep up with Wild Oats on the water, but if we have a big sea state, they may have to back off a little more than we do.”
Jeremy Robinson of North Sails, also onboard News Corp in 2001, has won the Rolex Sydney Hobart, helming Aera in 2004 says: “The race can be won on handicap by boats further down the fleet. Statistically a boat of 50 feet is the optimum size for handicap; the big maxis often finish up the Derwent River at night with little wind to speak of, whilst the smaller boats tend to have the advantage of arriving in daylight with new breeze.”
Race course
The race track takes the boats from the safe confines of Sydney Harbour to the Tasman Sea and across Bass Strait, one of the most storm-frequented stretches of ocean on the planet, and then onwards to Tasmania and huge party in Hobart.
The race usually serves up a real cocktail of conditions, as tactical weather expert, Mike Broughton competing on Chris Bull’s Jazz, explains:
“Traditionally the race starts with warm air conditions in Sydney Harbour and a beat to Sydney Heads with north easterly head winds. After reaching the Tasman Sea, it is decision time; stay inshore or go offshore, the right answer is affected by many considerations including; the sea state, offshore winds and the east Australian current.
“Another criterion is where to position your boat on the race course to cross Bass Strait. Historically, depressions come in from the south. Bass Straight is notorious for gales, originating from Antarctica. When a depression reaches the fleet, it can get cold, wet and extremely windy very quickly indeed. Your angle to the new wind and waves are a key aspect of tactics.
Once reaching Tasmania, playing the Derwent River into Hobart is a crucial phase of the race, many races have been won or lost in those last few miles.”
If any boat can beat Wild Oats XI, then it must be ABN AMRO ONE, and this crew certainly knows how to push to boat to the limit.
6a31db89-cf54-4395-bf5a-b74259268da2VideoPrimaryMov489de542-08f0-4fbc-b4ee-de84d4efebd7rtsp://qtmedia.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_high.movtrue.mov5760518e6f397-5591-4183-9cc9-e93423866abdrtsp://qtmedia.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_low.movfalse.mov57605bb5d7c20-3ef1-4ac0-be12-f698e3ff1083mms://wm.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_high.wmvtrue.wmv57605ad66101f-3387-4391-a384-e16154eae884mms://wm.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_low.wmvfalse.wmv5760515bfc811-12a5-40ac-b3f0-c28a288620detranscript/4012_Transcript.rtftrue4012_Transcript.rtf3445.rtf16TeamABN AMRO ONEBlack Betty (ABN AMRO ONE) in action during the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-062006-12-23T12:59:54.023truetruefalsefalseABN AMRO ONE challenges Wild Oats XI in the famous Sydney to Hobart Race, starting on Boxing Day2006-12-23T12:00:00Sat, 23 Dec 2006 12:00:00lö, 23 dec 2006 12:00:00 +01001fd3a782-4783-4f4e-af4c-4248cb050438/news/article/2006/september/christensenopinion/2006-09-11T18:58:42.26News | In My Opinion: Mark Christensentruef49f95fe-af48-4e6f-92fe-3ebb0980822dNews Story Creative 01Defaultnews_story_creative_01.xslt16TeamABN AMRO ONE3b0e5b34-2ccd-4155-b33a-2de80dec54d0Default2006-09-11T19:14:03.69711-09-08 1717 GMTNews | In My Opinion: Mark Christensen114fc36f-523e-4437-bbbc-e000e21146cdbb55974f-f1e9-4102-afc8-dbcf730976e0ImagePrimaryMov46e1860a-c942-401a-8717-acf7bb0978b7images/assets/christensen_hline_605x57.pngtrueIn My Opinion Mark Christensenchristensen_hline_605x57.png.png57605Volvo Ocean Race36586f1c-9443-413e-8305-a9114104e5cdimages/assets/christensen_hline_605x57_thumb.pngfalseIn My Opinion Mark Christensenchristensen_hline_605x57_thumb.png{Width=605, Height=5.png9100Volvo Ocean Race10ContentImageChristensen hline 605x572006-09-11T18:46:19.377falsefalsefalsefalseaea2b80e-4627-4359-9d0b-4e261b5e05a1ImagePrimaryMovdc823a7c-bf5e-4c98-9a83-c7d046c4d12bimages/assets/christensen_413x171.jpgtrueMark Christensen on the grinders as ABN AMRO ONE powers towards Portsmouth at the end of Leg 7 from New York. ©TEAM ABN AMRO / Volvo Ocean Race 2006christensen_413x171.jpg.jpg171413TEAM ABN AMRO66705fc1-9c00-49d6-b3f0-922d860096a9images/assets/christensen_413x171_thumb.jpgfalseMark Christensen on the grinders as ABN AMRO ONE powers towards Portsmouth at the end of Leg 7 from New York. ©TEAM ABN AMRO / Volvo Ocean Race 2006christensen_413x171_thumb.jpg{Width=413, Height=1.jpg41100TEAM ABN AMROChristensen 413x1712006-09-11T18:50:14.527falsefalsefalsefalseb8cc1eb2-6714-441c-90b3-8555b94ac773ImagePrimaryMov72425f87-85f8-4038-a4f7-021a16090375images/assets/christensen_171x212ear.jpgtrueMark Christensen at the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006 final prizegiving in Goteborg. © Oskar Kihlborg/ Volvo Ocean Race (VOR6628)christensen_171x212ear.jpg.jpg212171Oskar Kihlborg629d614e-fba3-4ff5-b213-5b23c40cae21images/assets/christensen_171x212ear_thumb.jpgfalseMark Christensen at the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006 final prizegiving in Goteborg. © Oskar Kihlborg/ Volvo Ocean Race (VOR6628)christensen_171x212ear_thumb.jpg{Width=171, Height=2.jpg10081Oskar Kihlborg10ContentImagechristensen_171x212ear,Christensen 171x212 ear2006-09-11T18:56:39.223falsefalsefalsefalse0311ce50-6e29-4624-b2a5-f786bd26b567ImagePrimaryMov092b1a65-1d88-4a5a-a4b9-9aad1ef4e245images/assets/christensen_hline_456x69.pngtrueIn My Opinion Mark Christensenchristensen_hline_456x69.png.png69456Volvo Ocean Race8bf0e33a-b099-4341-9b5e-fd7c4cdafba7images/assets/christensen_hline_456x69_thumb.pngfalseIn My Opinion Mark Christensenchristensen_hline_456x69_thumb.png{Width=456, Height=6.png15100Volvo Ocean Race10ContentImageChristensen hline 456x692006-09-11T18:47:34.723falsefalsefalsefalsea84f9bb0-af8b-4136-9192-05283cc92321ImagePrimaryMov01dfd52b-1be7-4b91-a4cd-7aaa2e8827cdimages/assets/christensen_292x218.jpgtrueMark Christensen on the grinders as ABN AMRO ONE powers towards Portsmouth at the end of Leg 7 from New York. ©TEAM ABN AMRO / Volvo Ocean Race 2006christensen_292x218.jpg.jpg218292TEAM ABN AMRO8d047507-5127-441a-9585-b76d1c720977images/assets/christensen_292x218_thumb.jpgfalseMark Christensen on the grinders as ABN AMRO ONE powers towards Portsmouth at the end of Leg 7 from New York. ©TEAM ABN AMRO / Volvo Ocean Race 2006christensen_292x218_thumb.jpg{Width=292, Height=2.jpg75100TEAM ABN AMRO10ContentImagechristensen_292x218,Christensen 292x2182006-09-11T18:51:40.153falsefalsefalsefalse0b949e38-610f-4020-9ff3-f971e17fcc74ImagePrimaryMov1d934aed-ee8b-4a78-840a-a0e3250229cfimages/assets/christensen_hline_456x74.pngtrueIn My Opinion Mark Christensenchristensen_hline_456x74.png.png74456Volvo Ocean Racea3d83e69-ae76-42c0-871f-8eb9da533d9fimages/assets/christensen_hline_456x74_thumb.pngfalseIn My Opinion Mark Christensenchristensen_hline_456x74_thumb.png{Width=456, Height=7.png16100Volvo Ocean Race10ContentImageChristensen hline 456x742006-09-11T18:48:38.023falsefalsefalsefalsef5d34938-eaf4-43a6-babe-6c16a47eaf08ImagePrimaryMov51cdf44d-7b5a-4303-a2c8-460b2c09e983images/assets/christensen_442x123.jpgtrueMark Christensen on the grinders as ABN AMRO ONE powers towards Portsmouth at the end of Leg 7 from New York. ©TEAM ABN AMRO / Volvo Ocean Race 2006christensen_442x123.jpg.jpg123442TEAM ABN AMRO27b87e97-2556-4601-8780-279558952293images/assets/christensen_442x123_thumb.jpgfalseMark Christensen on the grinders as ABN AMRO ONE powers towards Portsmouth at the end of Leg 7 from New York. ©TEAM ABN AMRO / Volvo Ocean Race 2006christensen_442x123_thumb.jpg{Width=442, Height=1.jpg28100TEAM ABN AMRO10ContentImagechristensen_442x123,Christensen 442x1232006-09-11T18:53:13.547falsefalsefalsefalsea0a713de-d352-4d49-9932-50c8b14bc4c6ImagePrimaryMovae249178-8416-4b6d-9ed7-7c7d0e4f2f22images/assets/christensen_183x171.jpgtrueMark Christensen on the grinders as ABN AMRO ONE powers towards Portsmouth at the end of Leg 7 from New York. ©TEAM ABN AMRO / Volvo Ocean Race 2006 (VOR6027)christensen_183x171.jpg.jpg137183TEAM ABN AMRO4314cf87-4991-495d-96c4-5679fd15531fimages/assets/christensen_183x171_thumb.jpgfalseMark Christensen on the grinders as ABN AMRO ONE powers towards Portsmouth at the end of Leg 7 from New York. ©TEAM ABN AMRO / Volvo Ocean Race 2006 (VOR6027)christensen_183x171_thumb.jpg{Width=183, Height=1.jpg75100TEAM ABN AMRO10ContentImagechristensen_183x171,Christensen 183x1372006-09-11T18:55:04.69falsefalsefalsefalse4f40d47d-b924-4f5e-ad15-6d56789171c5IN MY OPINION: MARK CHRISTENSENfalse5f01c4f4-6236-4a78-b03b-1490e26a21fc/teamnews/abnamro1/_selfThis will open a new page of the Volvo Ocean Race websiteFind out more about Team ABN AMRO ONE89c8cf26-b47e-411c-ac12-eb6a5d3f7cf3It took three wins in four races before Mark Christensen decided another trip around the world was unnecessary. Here, he reflects on a Volvo Ocean Race career which made him the most successful sailor in the event’s history, his new life away from ocean racing and, believe it or not, the faults of the ABN AMRO campaign.I’ve been thinking about this new life away from the race a lot since it finished. I was saying to my girls ‘enjoy this, because it is your last day of free food.’ Life has changed from being looked after - accommodation, flights, food, when something isn’t right you phone someone and ask ‘where’s my whatever?’ - now I’m going back to earning a salary and looking after myself. I’ve done that from time to time, but I’ve always had a campaign approaching somewhere, like a Volvo or an America’s Cup. Now we are going by ourselves.
I don’t know if I’ll miss it so much. Things change as you get older, and now I have a young family and want to spend more time with them. That’s not to say I won’t ever be back. If the opportunity presents itself again I’d love to do it again, it’s just not likely to be in a sailing capacity. If push came to shove, or there was the odd leg available, then it is too early to say ‘no I won’t sail it again’, because you never know. The thing I would like to do more than anything else is to come in and set up a team and put all the pieces in place. ABN AMRO has been a little frustrating in that respect, as some of the things that we have learned from the other races - like how to deal with the travelling and movements for shore crew - have not been picked up on. It’s mostly budgetary in that there wasn’t enough money to do it right, but also a little bit of organisation as well - people learning as they go and getting better - but a lot could have been solved at the start. That’s this race though; you are always learning from experience, whatever your role is.
It was probably experience which went a long way towards winning this last race for us. With ABN AMRO we had a lot of guys who had done this race before. They all had ideas they thought worked. A lot of those got promoted or dropped early on. By the time we started we pretty much knew which ideas worked for us. We may not have been 100 percent right, but we were pretty close a lot of the time.
When I compare that with my first race, back in 1993 with Winston, it was different. We would start the race stacking food, but probably nothing else, and by the end we would be stacking food, crew and whatever else we could. We probably started that race sailing at 20 percent and finished at about 75 percent. But that was really just the second race of the ‘professional era’.
So much has changed since that first race. With Winston we had only one container going round the world, Mick and Cathy Harvey were doing all our shore work and, which is really different from today when everyone has one, we had our own sail loft. We used to hang a bit of canvas over it, but had to take it down when it got too windy! Just eight years on, when we won with illbruck, everyone had a loft, big shore crews and two or three containers. A lot changed just in the four events I’ve taken part in; you just never stop learning. The thing that stands out for me is just how much I’ve learned about offshore sailing. You start and you have no idea. You spend your life until that point sailing around harbours or the coast; you never really know what it is like offshore. You sail two or three days in a Fastnet or a Sydney to Hobart and still don’t really have a clue. Offshore is all about living on that food, the people and the crazy weather for a long period of time.
When you start you’re filled with excitement and knowing nothing, which is probably why I enjoyed my first race the most. It was an adventure. The others became more about competing. In that regard, winning with EF Language was the best memory. No one thought we could win, except probably Paul Cayard. We lost two crew members before the start of the race and Mark Rudiger, our navigator, only joined up two weeks before the start. Then to win was really special. But even that race, only eight years ago, was way behind in development when you think of the race which we have just seen. It’s evolving.
Now there’s a new course, a new future for the race, and I’m in favour of the change. You need money to survive and for that you need a sponsor who feels they can get enough out of it. A lot of people have talked about the heritage of the race and the Southern Ocean, and that’s obviously a key part of it, but I think these guys create a lot of that themselves. You don’t need to be in the Southern Ocean to experience a storm, just look what happened when the boats crossed the Atlantic and the leg up to New York. I think the boats create their own excitement through their speeds and, let’s face it, offshore is offshore wherever you are in the world. To go somewhere where you attract more sponsors, be that the Middle East or Asia, then that’s what you have to do. What’s the alternative? No race. Is that the right route for the event to take? I certainly don’t think so.
This race has given me so many great memories, the fact it is continuing can only be good.
AT A GLANCE
Born in New Zealand in 1969, Mark Christensen is married with two children. A winner of the two previous versions of this event, the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 was Mark’s fourth Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race. An adrenaline-junkie who has competed in, and won, a host of major events, he can also be found running marathons, kayaking and jogging in the mountains when not watching sport on the television.
From past experience he knows the importance of team spirit and was happy to join a crew aboard ABN AMRO ONE of such formidable fellow sailors. From the start, he thought that TEAM ABN AMRO’s chances of winning were very good. “Getting one boat in the water early is a big advantage. Putting the two boats together and confirming what we learnt was a huge advantage.”
HONOURS
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
31fe7773-ad63-4897-95f6-e107551af445ImagePrimaryMovc5ae3d4f-8b8b-4ccb-93cd-71924cbdd406images/assets/portsprize_13.jpgtrueA jubilant ABN AMRO ONE receive the prize for finishing first in Leg 7 ©Oskar Kihlborgportsprize_13.jpg.jpg400600©Oskar Kihlborg8cdefb9e-27ce-4a94-8f59-1e7adedff064images/assets/portsprize_13_thumb.jpgfalseA jubilant ABN AMRO ONE receive the prize for finishing first in Leg 7 ©Oskar Kihlborgportsprize_13_thumb.jpg{Width=600, Height=4.jpg67100©Oskar Kihlborg7Leg0710ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONEportsprize_13,A jubilant ABN AMRO ONE receive the prize for finishing first in Leg 7 ©Oskar Kihlborg2006-05-31T16:44:23.997truetruefalsefalsea38ce0fd-c34d-43a0-bb3a-b75c95214a60ImagePrimaryMovbab9e88e-98f8-48b3-ad77-7521f1155640images/assets/portsmouthinport_14.jpgtrueMike Sanderson skipper of ABN AMRO ONE ©Martin Stockbridgeportsmouthinport_14.jpg.jpg600400©Martin Stockbridge48330016-90bf-4926-9559-b96db58d2438images/assets/portsmouthinport_14_thumb.jpgfalseMike Sanderson skipper of ABN AMRO ONE ©Martin Stockbridgeportsmouthinport_14_thumb.jpg{Width=400, Height=6.jpg10067©Martin Stockbridge7Leg0710ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONEportsmouthinport_14,Mike Sanderson skipper of ABN AMRO ONE ©Martin Stockbridge2006-05-29T14:56:08.467truetruefalsefalsea47f56ae-0fd9-440a-80ab-5fa86a5cb38dImagePrimaryMovff70a64f-9f3b-487a-8ab1-594f5c4026beimages/assets/tough-4.jpgtrueSkipping out of the water like an International 14, ABN AMRO ONE is eager to get to the finish line in Portsmouth © Oskar Khilborgtough-4.jpg.jpg400600 © Oskar Khilborg6bfd8e56-a237-4a2f-8d99-e211151f11e3images/assets/tough-4_thumb.jpgfalseSkipping out of the water like an International 14, ABN AMRO ONE is eager to get to the finish line in Portsmouth © Oskar Khilborgtough-4_thumb.jpg{Width=600, Height=4.jpg67100 © Oskar Khilborg7Leg0710ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONEtough-4,Skipping out of the water like an International 14, ABN AMRO ONE is eager to get to the finish line in Portsmouth © Oskar Khilborg2006-05-21T07:15:43.54truetruefalsefalse0d5ce213-54a0-429a-9570-de0a4c50072aImagePrimaryMove25e53c7-75cb-4165-840b-8a9e180f70f2images/assets/tough-2.jpgtrueExploding through a wave off the Lizard, ABN AMRO ONE takes top points from the scoring gate on Leg 7 © Oskar Khilborgtough-2.jpg.jpg400600© Oskar Khilborge72ed129-671c-435d-b977-4bca3a216fa6images/assets/tough-2_thumb.jpgfalseExploding through a wave off the Lizard, ABN AMRO ONE takes top points from the scoring gate on Leg 7 © Oskar Khilborgtough-2_thumb.jpg{Width=600, Height=4.jpg67100© Oskar Khilborg7Leg0710ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONEtough-2,Exploding through a wave off the Lizard, ABN AMRO ONE takes top points from the scoring gate on Leg 7 © Oskar Khilborg2006-05-21T07:07:52.353truetruefalsefalse247746a1-e984-40b9-b00c-94be43918057ImagePrimaryMov9016fb35-cd52-4734-9430-aaf2f3171e21images/assets/5866_600x400.jpgtrueMike Sanderson (NZ) skipper of ABN AMRO ONE and leader of the Volvo Ocean Race ©Oskar Kihlborg5866_600x400.jpg.jpg400600©Oskar Kihlborg8fb5bffe-8ba3-495f-a6df-d97b0781b192images/assets/5866_600x400_thumb.jpgfalseMike Sanderson (NZ) skipper of ABN AMRO ONE and leader of the Volvo Ocean Race ©Oskar Kihlborg5866_600x400_thumb.jpg{Width=600, Height=4.jpg67100©Oskar Kihlborg6Leg0610ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONE5866_600x400,Mike Sanderson (NZ) skipper of ABN AMRO ONE and leader of the Volvo Ocean Race ©Oskar Kihlborg2006-05-11T18:43:58.313truetruefalsefalsefe3ccf5c-e0a6-4ee0-8c86-ad0b03d3725bImagePrimaryMov29993915-ef28-4633-909c-ea0b7a166ab4images/assets/leg3start_jon_05.jpgtrueABN AMRO ONE after the leg 3 start ©Jon Nashleg3start_jon_05.jpg.jpg400600©Jon Nash40981ecb-8892-471b-b6de-f561c9e957f1images/assets/leg3start_jon_05_thumb.jpgfalseABN AMRO ONE after the leg 3 start ©Jon Nashleg3start_jon_05_thumb.jpg{Width=600, Height=4.jpg67100©Jon Nash3Leg0310ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONEleg3start_jon_05,ABN AMRO ONE after the leg 3 start ©Jon Nash2006-02-13T12:30:15.373truetruefalsefalsec581be6e-8ad8-473b-a9e9-96f7105f2342ImagePrimaryMovf6d4f57a-8f7d-49a1-8096-fd909c7c39adimages/assets/leg3start_oskar_10.jpgtrueABN AMRO ONE crashes through the waves as she heads out of Port Phillip Bay ©Oskar Kihlborgleg3start_oskar_10.jpg.jpg600400©Oskar Kihlborg31205093-3e49-4452-aa3f-e0f6cbe293a0images/assets/leg3start_oskar_10_thumb.jpgfalseABN AMRO ONE crashes through the waves as she heads out of Port Phillip Bay ©Oskar Kihlborgleg3start_oskar_10_thumb.jpg{Width=400, Height=6.jpg10067©Oskar Kihlborg3Leg0310ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONEleg3start_oskar_10,ABN AMRO ONE crashes through the waves as she heads out of Port Phillip Bay ©Oskar Kihlborg2006-02-13T11:31:27.127truetruefalsefalsebb473b73-8f2c-4312-a327-077b86ad3b52AudioPrimaryMovfc68aff7-5f61-489d-ba66-c735f49e7bd3http://content.volvooceanrace.org/audio/leg07/en/0520_mike_sanderson.mp3false4006007f70d29a-b8f4-4bf7-b160-f244b053d5a6transcript/audio9112.rtftrueaudio9112.rtf149.rtf7Leg0712ContentAudio16TeamABN AMRO ONEMike Sanderson reflects on an amazing win that was a childhood dream.2006-05-21T04:30:45.057truetruefalsefalseMike Sanderson described winning the Volvo Ocean Race as his climbing of Mount Everest or his Olympic medal. It is part six of "From the Cockpit" 2006-09-07T16:00:00Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:00:00to, 07 sep 2006 16:00:00 +0200ee3851fc-f79c-4aaf-8f24-daf840e23665/e-mail/20060616/175004/2006-06-16T17:50:04.583QFB Mike Sanderson / ABN AMRO ONE Leg 9 Day 2true9Leg0913ContentEmail From Boats16TeamABN AMRO ONE69b2c886-e40e-4fc1-adf4-49f115a2339cDefault2006-06-16T17:50:28.33311-09-08 1717 GMTQFB Mike Sanderson / ABN AMRO ONE Leg 9 Day 2924b3a47-8a19-40f2-89f4-8837dff888609e262cc0-a4e3-40bb-a85d-5f0b5c314687ImagePrimaryMov6c6905b5-bfa9-4e31-97ba-f8ce87a39e6fimages/assets/VOR3832_ms_183x137.jpgtrueMike SandersonVOR3832_ms_183x137.jpg.jpg137183fa45bcea-4017-4ef3-9243-e3f933ee2d99images/assets/VOR3832_ms_183x137_thumb.jpgfalseMike SandersonVOR3832_ms_183x137_thumb.jpg{Width=183, Height=1.jpg7510010ContentImageVOR3832_ms_183x137,QFB Mike Sanderson 183x1372006-03-02T12:33:15.99falsefalsefalsefalse95609a40-9196-4eda-a2b9-77ca8ac2a1cbQFB Mike Sanderson / ABN AMRO ONE Leg 9 Day 2false3630e1ae-ee5a-4ad5-8ceb-30664ef30816We always knew that the Rotterdam stopover would be big for us: home port, in our home country, it was going to be busy. The reality is though that it far out weighed our expectation - the amount of public support and enthusiasm for the Volvo Ocean race was huge. Whenever we went anywhere with the boats there where hundreds of spectator boats, and there was a constant crowd at the race village which then rose to football stadium numbers for arrivals and departures... very, very cool, thank you Rotterdam and the Netherlands for a wonderful time, just such a shame that it was not for a bit longer, it all seemed to come and go very quickly. aab6872c-8a69-4732-9084-09ea4ae81508The stopover went well for us from a race standpoint on ABN AMRO 1 as well, 2nd in for the leg after a record slow trip from Portsmouth, was a result that we where very happy with and maybe the biggest surprise of any of the Podium finishes so far in the race. 40f7b6e8-e4bb-45cd-a674-c306678e5d21But the most exciting day was the day that we won the In Port race, even though it was the afternoon of the Dutch's first game of the soccer world cup. There where hundreds of boats out on the water and people lining the shore all the way up and down the 20 mile trip of the river. We led from start to finish in conditions that were well under our optimum so it was a very satisfying result, and a great treat to give to our home crowd.ff97d565-44e2-4e9e-90d9-0ce9c3cc8070This leg hasn't been going so well. We were a little over anxious to get a good start and were over the line apparently when the gun went, so had to go back which cost us a few minutes, but then all day yesterday the boat just didn't feel itself. 898acc80-6678-445a-80a1-c4da863221dbThe conditions should have been great for us, normally we are just a bullet in a good 13 to 15 knot beat. We now know why though - since its final inspection in the water we must have picked up or hit something in the water which has knocked off the fairing between the steel and the carbon part of our keel. It's not structural and we have no risk of it causing any more damage, but it is for sure slowing us down. 0cc0daf6-69e0-41d1-881d-9f935580660cWhat a huge relief that we don't need a result in this leg to still win overall, with the conditions so flukey and going against the forecast there must be some stressed people out here. ABN AMRO TWO is currently leading Ericsson so if they finish there then "The Kids" will maintain their 4th spot and even more dramatic is that Brasil 1 is 1st and the Pirates are 5th!!, and if they were to finish like this I believe that Brasil 1 would take 2nd spot off the Pirates. 1c2de985-10d4-4840-8651-91beba12870aSo for us now with our wounds it is all about getting to Sweden as quickly as possible so we can celebrate with as many of you as possible the winning of this version of the Volvo Ocean Race. Don't get me wrong, we will do everything we can to get there first as well, but that ask, I am guessing, is probably a little too big since we have literally got one of our wings clipped.4010a16e-90cb-4618-81f9-c144f082c48bI will write again tomorrow to say some goodbyes, but for now it's back to staring at the B&G instruments to see if I can convince the wind to shift left so that our side of the course pays...b22d6925-d5c3-4969-9007-c84a2dc31ef8Talk sooncfe52b80-2e13-4965-aebf-4c73b3ac19b1Cheersf1d5e7c9-855a-4536-ab3c-367488ba1a5dMikeWe always knew that the Rotterdam stopover would be big for us: home port, in our home country, it was going to be busy. 2006-06-16T12:00:00Fri, 16 Jun 2006 12:00:00fr, 16 jun 2006 12:00:00 +02004386b514-d93c-41c6-8fa5-cc24c313ed11AudioPrimaryMovf51b6b3e-5df3-47ff-917f-fa71af3583eahttp://content.volvooceanrace.org/audio/leg09/en/0617_jan_dekker.mp3false00471f2851-7cb2-4603-a798-faffe48c34b8transcript/audio9148.rtftrueaudio9148.rtf149.rtf9Leg0912ContentAudio16TeamABN AMRO ONEFor Jan Dekker on ABN AMRO ONE this leg was just too slow, but he will take some fantastic sailing moments away with him.2006-06-18T01:28:32.12truetruefalsefalse13f908cc-afe2-41a7-9723-e13d5f5b0e7dImagePrimaryMov79099332-0691-4ed2-8c86-56e6e20f4c2fimages/assets/heritage-183x137.jpgtrueMike Sanderson, left, receives the burgee of the IACH from Roy Mullender © Oskar Khilborgheritage-183x137.jpg.jpg137183 © Oskar Khilborg236836c2-836d-4151-95a4-ab857f52a256images/assets/heritage-183x137_thumb.jpgfalseMike Sanderson, left, receives the burgee of the IACH from Roy Mullender © Oskar Khilborgheritage-183x137_thumb.jpg{Width=183, Height=1.jpg75100 © Oskar Khilborg8Leg0816TeamABN AMRO ONEheritage-183x137,heritage 183x1372006-06-01T21:15:52.183falsefalsetruefalse262b0c61-cf5b-430c-bcb9-6fe768763e4dImagePrimaryMov3dfead5d-1e56-472c-94ad-d1422636e19eimages/assets/tough-183x137.jpgtrueTony Mutter at the helm in rough conditions in the Atlantic © Team ABN AMROtough-183x137.jpg.jpg137183 © Team ABN AMROd025fd25-b332-4521-9500-c66679fbfb0eimages/assets/tough-183x137_thumb.jpgfalseTony Mutter at the helm in rough conditions in the Atlantic © Team ABN AMROtough-183x137_thumb.jpg{Width=183, Height=1.jpg75100 © Team ABN AMRO7Leg0710ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONEtough-183x137,tough 183x1372006-05-21T04:56:41.98falsefalsetruefalse7ee85dc4-3d62-4323-8b00-c826ad00e872ImagePrimaryMov3cef626d-717d-46bb-8833-e22f4681e834images/assets/lizard-183x137.jpgtrueABN AMRO ONE shows her keel surfing on a wave off the Lizard © Oskar Khilborglizard-183x137.jpg.jpg137183 © Oskar Khilborgab02290a-a58f-4310-ae06-1338503ddf57images/assets/lizard-183x137_thumb.jpgfalseABN AMRO ONE shows her keel surfing on a wave off the Lizard © Oskar Khilborglizard-183x137_thumb.jpg{Width=183, Height=1.jpg75100 © Oskar Khilborg7Leg0710ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONElizard-183x137,Home run 183x1372006-05-20T18:33:17.097falsefalsetruefalse6a31db89-cf54-4395-bf5a-b74259268da2VideoPrimaryMov489de542-08f0-4fbc-b4ee-de84d4efebd7rtsp://qtmedia.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_high.movtrue.mov5760518e6f397-5591-4183-9cc9-e93423866abdrtsp://qtmedia.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_low.movfalse.mov57605bb5d7c20-3ef1-4ac0-be12-f698e3ff1083mms://wm.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_high.wmvtrue.wmv57605ad66101f-3387-4391-a384-e16154eae884mms://wm.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_low.wmvfalse.wmv5760515bfc811-12a5-40ac-b3f0-c28a288620detranscript/4012_Transcript.rtftrue4012_Transcript.rtf3445.rtf16TeamABN AMRO ONEBlack Betty (ABN AMRO ONE) in action during the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-062006-12-23T12:59:54.023truetruefalsefalse4386b514-d93c-41c6-8fa5-cc24c313ed11AudioPrimaryMovf51b6b3e-5df3-47ff-917f-fa71af3583eahttp://content.volvooceanrace.org/audio/leg09/en/0617_jan_dekker.mp3false00471f2851-7cb2-4603-a798-faffe48c34b8transcript/audio9148.rtftrueaudio9148.rtf149.rtf9Leg0912ContentAudio16TeamABN AMRO ONEFor Jan Dekker on ABN AMRO ONE this leg was just too slow, but he will take some fantastic sailing moments away with him.2006-06-18T01:28:32.12truetruefalsefalse13f908cc-afe2-41a7-9723-e13d5f5b0e7dImagePrimaryMov79099332-0691-4ed2-8c86-56e6e20f4c2fimages/assets/heritage-183x137.jpgtrueMike Sanderson, left, receives the burgee of the IACH from Roy Mullender © Oskar Khilborgheritage-183x137.jpg.jpg137183 © Oskar Khilborg236836c2-836d-4151-95a4-ab857f52a256images/assets/heritage-183x137_thumb.jpgfalseMike Sanderson, left, receives the burgee of the IACH from Roy Mullender © Oskar Khilborgheritage-183x137_thumb.jpg{Width=183, Height=1.jpg75100 © Oskar Khilborg8Leg0816TeamABN AMRO ONEheritage-183x137,heritage 183x1372006-06-01T21:15:52.183falsefalsetruefalse262b0c61-cf5b-430c-bcb9-6fe768763e4dImagePrimaryMov3dfead5d-1e56-472c-94ad-d1422636e19eimages/assets/tough-183x137.jpgtrueTony Mutter at the helm in rough conditions in the Atlantic © Team ABN AMROtough-183x137.jpg.jpg137183 © Team ABN AMROd025fd25-b332-4521-9500-c66679fbfb0eimages/assets/tough-183x137_thumb.jpgfalseTony Mutter at the helm in rough conditions in the Atlantic © Team ABN AMROtough-183x137_thumb.jpg{Width=183, Height=1.jpg75100 © Team ABN AMRO7Leg0710ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONEtough-183x137,tough 183x1372006-05-21T04:56:41.98falsefalsetruefalse7ee85dc4-3d62-4323-8b00-c826ad00e872ImagePrimaryMov3cef626d-717d-46bb-8833-e22f4681e834images/assets/lizard-183x137.jpgtrueABN AMRO ONE shows her keel surfing on a wave off the Lizard © Oskar Khilborglizard-183x137.jpg.jpg137183 © Oskar Khilborgab02290a-a58f-4310-ae06-1338503ddf57images/assets/lizard-183x137_thumb.jpgfalseABN AMRO ONE shows her keel surfing on a wave off the Lizard © Oskar Khilborglizard-183x137_thumb.jpg{Width=183, Height=1.jpg75100 © Oskar Khilborg7Leg0710ContentImage16TeamABN AMRO ONElizard-183x137,Home run 183x1372006-05-20T18:33:17.097falsefalsetruefalse6a31db89-cf54-4395-bf5a-b74259268da2VideoPrimaryMov489de542-08f0-4fbc-b4ee-de84d4efebd7rtsp://qtmedia.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_high.movtrue.mov5760518e6f397-5591-4183-9cc9-e93423866abdrtsp://qtmedia.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_low.movfalse.mov57605bb5d7c20-3ef1-4ac0-be12-f698e3ff1083mms://wm.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_high.wmvtrue.wmv57605ad66101f-3387-4391-a384-e16154eae884mms://wm.volvooceanrace.org/video/postrace/en/2312_ABNhobart_low.wmvfalse.wmv5760515bfc811-12a5-40ac-b3f0-c28a288620detranscript/4012_Transcript.rtftrue4012_Transcript.rtf3445.rtf16TeamABN AMRO ONEBlack Betty (ABN AMRO ONE) in action during the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-062006-12-23T12:59:54.023truetruefalsefalse16TeamABN AMRO ONE