Un des derniers jours 1 d'étape de la course

POSITION : 50 milles à l'est de Cape Canaveral, en Floride
CAP : 030 degrés
VITESSE DU VENT : 10,4 nœuds
VITESSE DU BATEAU : 10,7 nœuds

Étape 7, jour 1… C'est un des derniers jours 1 d'étape avant Galway. Mais nous revoilà en mer, avec chaque jour qui passe qui nous rapproche de la fin de cette très longue course. Alors que nous quittons Miami pour rejoindre le Portugal, certains détails nous viennent à l'esprit :

1. Départ de Miami = fantastique. La foule est arrivée au bon moment pour nous regarder partir et nous avons trouvé en elle certains des spectateurs les plus sympathiques et sociables jamais rencontrés jusqu'à présent. While it was always going to be tough to match the enthusiasm of Brazil and New Zealand, Miami's light arrival attendance and general fanfare left a little to be desired. Fortunately, the numbers spiked this weekend and we left downtown Miami to a raucous send-off amidst a large armada. A huge thank you to all who came out - you did an incredible job closing what has been a really fun few weeks on a high note. All that was missing was a few more knots of wind and a better start on our part!

2. Lisbon. Great city and we're all really excited to get there! They love sailing and it should be a great place to mark our return to Europe.

3. Who's actually counting? Some of us :) There are only 18-20 days left at sea on this fine yacht; is it time to cherish or celebrate!? This leg is expected to take 10-13 days, our shortest yet, and it only gets shorter from there. Could we really be that close to finishing? It sometimes feels like this race will last forever, but in reality it will be over soon and with it so too the days of the venerable Volvo 70. We are a lucky few who get to sail the last breed of these crazy creations…

4. Points. There are tons of them out there and it would be an understatement to say that we are sailing to win. It's doable and we feel confident in our team, our boat, and our chances. We have to. If you had told us that we would be 14 points back from the leader after losing our rig on leg 1 (and subsequent third and fourth-place finishes on the next two legs), we probably would have called you crazy, but that's where we are and we have a huge opportunity to do something special here.

5. Acclimating to boat life following a stopover is getting easier with each one. Packing food, sorting personal gear (organizing camera equipment)… After six legs of doing it I think everyone is finally comfortable with whatever it is that needs doing before we leave, and it makes the early stages of a leg more relaxed and enjoyable. What used to be a very stressful 12 hours has become more routine than anything else, and I think we all in some ways look forward to leaving the dock, along with the distractions of land-life with it. Once that last line is tossed, it's us and us alone. Our world gets very small, very quickly.

6. Six boats. Great to see Sanya back out here and the fleet together again for the first time in a few months!

Okay. Off to bed for some much needed rest. One thing is certain after some vacation time in Miami and South Beach: sleeping is not an endorsed activity!

- Amory

Amory Ross

Membre de l'équipe médias

PUMA Ocean Racing soutenu par BERG

“Nothing like going upwind in the Gulf Stream.” (slamming into a big swell) – Tony Mutter