No Time for Weekend Rest in Alicante

It's Sunday...the last day of the weekend where we try to fit in all the "fun" we can before thoughts of work creep into our heads while "Monday" nips our heels. That is, of course, if not working all weekend. In yacht racing, weekends are a mix between working and playing hard while sometime during the week, "weekend pace" may or may not kick-in. This is not the case for those who's lives are revolving around the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race.



There are some long days here in Alicante, especially for the shore crews and race organizers.



Today we headed out to observe and participate in a "dry-run" for this weekend's in-port race. Was lovely to get on the water. Alicante is beautiful from offshore, as the Castillo de Santa Barbara rises above the city: beautiful!



It was bit of an adventure for the VOR organizers to communicate with the Spanish speaking captain(s), big rolling seas and a V70 that no matter the amount of space, there never seemed enough! Ken Read is well versed in avoiding "spectator boats" but if we did not seem to be in the path of potential destruction every time they had up the kite...

However, it made for easy pictures!



The pace is picking up here and no longer have the media room to myself, in fact I am sharing it with a fleet of sailboats! I am surrounded by mini V70s (one for each team) and 12m versions as well. For a sailor, this is like being in the best toy store ever! These boats will be raced as apart of stop-over activities.



Mini Puma!



The V70's, in their cradles stand taller than I (I'm 5'5")

Well, that is all for this Sunday, but a look at the "classics" before calling and end to the weekend: Dear friend Amory Ross's blog takes a look at the complete opposite of VOR...a must read!