Rough seas in the North Atlantic, onboard Green Dragon, on leg 7 from Boston to Galway. Image copyright Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race.
by Ian Walker (skipper)
This may well be my last blog of this leg. I am planning to get some rest now and save my energy for the tense battle into Galway Bay.
Nobody could have written this script any better. When we started this project one of our goals was to try and capture the imagination of the Irish people and attract sailors and non sailors alike to the Volvo Ocean Race. The boat and sailing team was a crucial ingredient to help the stopover itself to be successful.
I knew from the start that the best way of getting masses of public to swarm to Galway was to have a boat they could connect with, preferably through its success. This race hasn't been easy for us - but our whole race now comes down to the next 12 hours. We want to get on the podium on the leg into Galway more than anything.
We have thrashed the hell out of the crew, boat and sails over the last three days to catch up lost miles. Now we lie tied for second with 250 miles to go. The last 12 hours has been especially hard as yesterday evening we destroyed our fractional reaching spinnaker when the tack line broke after so long on one tack. This is the sail we would have used all day today by choice. Instead we have clung on to our bigger spinnaker right on the edge of control and often having to sail up to 30 degrees off course to avoid wiping out.
It has taken two extra guys on deck to keep up with the constant trimming. Now the wind has shifted and we can use a reaching headsail so we are less on a knife edge. I am waiting for every position report like never before.
One would expect the faster reaching boats to pull us in but maybe they have difficulties too? Can they catch us quickly enough? Maybe we will have more wind or better waves. All we can do is push ever harder and hope that will be enough.
This is sport at its best.
Volvo Ocean Race
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