Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 hahahahaha. send em through the southern ocean and then the cap asll in one leg wihtout a stop. That will be a lot of fun watching the boats pull out one by one. in other news heres something from groupama On Wednesday morning, at 0530 UTC, the start of the second part of leg two in the Volvo Ocean Race will set off from Sharjah bound for Abu Dhabi. Over a course spanning 98 nautical miles, the battle promises to be fierce between the five competitors, who will all be keen to get the upper hand in the Persian Gulf. Unloaded last night from the cargo ship which enabled the fleet to avoid this pirate-riddled section of the Indian Ocean, Groupama 4 is preparing for a "drag race with only a few manoeuvres. It's rather special but those are the rules" explains Franck Cammas. "We're tackling this course as if it's a new leg, which is worth as many points as an In-Port. We'll be racing flat out, with everyone on deck, hiking out and trimming, with the exception of the Media Crew, who'll be filming it all and sending the images back to shore. It'll come down to a matter of metres". The forecast wind augurs rather well: "There's likely to be around twenty knots of north-westerly. They're the kind of conditions where Groupama 4 can make fast headway as we're at ease in the breeze", continues Franck. "We'll be racing flat out". However, six sailors had to climb aboard the cargo ship last night to carry out repairs to a crack on the hull bottom, which was uncovered during the hoisting process in the secret port, mid Indian Ocean. The sailors rallied together, without assistance from the shore crew, so as to effect repairs. Indeed, race rules prohibit any outside assistance, either human or material, for carrying out repairs during this interruption in the leg. Without a ladder at their disposal, bowman Brad Marsh had to be suspended beneath the hull with his harness so as to successfully complete the repairs. "Martin Strömberg and Martin Krite used ropes to ensure I was secure and in the right position beneath the hull. Damian, Phil and Charles prepared the different elements necessary for the repairs. It was an uncomfortable position to be in and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to carry out the work correctly but everything went very well. It was real teamwork". The skipper of Groupama 4, Franck Cammas, confirmed during a videoconference this lunchtime that "the boat will sail tomorrow at 100% of her potential and that the repairs would have minimal impact on Groupama 4's speed". Early birds can tune-in tomorrow then from 0530 UTC. A communication's project to support the group's internationalisation. For more than 14 years, Groupama has chosen sailing sponsorship as a lever to support its strategy in the service of its clients. One of France's leading insurance firms and the 15th largest insurer in Europe, the Group boasts a turnover of 17.6 thousand million Euros (2010). Established in 14 countries, the Group comprises 38,500 employees, including 11,000 overseas, where it achieves 30% of its turnover. The commitment to a more international sporting project has to support the construction of a European insurance group and a bank which is a creator, a humanist and something that lasts. www.groupama.com Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 The five Volvo Ocean Race teams sailing in Leg 2 Stage 2 will be scrambling for overall leg positions as well as vital points on Wednesday when they reconvene for a 98-nautical mile speed race into Abu Dhabi (provisional start time 0500 UTC). Team Telefónica and CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand will contest the overall victory in a leg split into two parts because of the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean. The other Leg 2 finishing positions are also up for grabs, with 20 percent of the points still available after a first stage, raced from Cape Town to an undisclosed Safe Haven, that ended with a knife-edge victory for Telefónica over CAMPER. Wednesday’s second stage will see the boats sprint in from an unloading point off the Sharjah coastline into the race´s first Middle Eastern Host Port at Abu Dhabi. It could be a spectacular race, with forecasts of winds up to 25 knots. The course takes the fleet initially out from the Sharjah coast before turning for a fast run parallel with the shore. After rounding the final mark, the fleet will power directly towards the finish line at Abu Dhabi. “This is pretty unusual,” said Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker, who is looking forward to racing into the team’s home port. “We’ll be going for a bit of glory in Stage 2. They’ve done a fantastic job here and I’m sure whatever the result there’ll be a fantastic reception not just for us but for everyone.” Despite their last-gasp victory in the first stage from Cape Town to the Safe Haven, Telefónica are not yet certain of overall leg honours. Overall leaders Telefónica scored 24 points for that victory, against 20 for CAMPER. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG scored 16 points for third, with Groupama taking 12 and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing eight. The winning team on Wednesday will scoop six points, with five for second, four for third, three for fourth and two for fifth. If CAMPER were to win and Telefónica finish fifth, the teams would be level on 26 points for Leg 2. In that situation, the tie would be decided in favour of CAMPER as the team with the best result in the most recent scoring opportunity. “It’s a day-long race and we’ll be thinking about it more or less like an in-port,” said Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez. ¨We´ll have to be very focused.¨ CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson predicted that slick work on sail changes could hold the key to victory. “We will need to change headsails for the long reach along the coast and then change again for the last leg to the finish,” Nicholson said. “Getting each of those choices right could be the key moments for everyone.” PUMA skipper Ken Read, whose team are in fourth place overall after their Leg 1 dismasting, said the short race would be as competitive as any other. “You won’t see anyone letting up and you’ll see everyone pulling out all the stops,” Read said. “In the position we’re in we need the points,” he added. “It’s not that anyone can say they don’t need the points but there are a couple of boats up there that are sitting fairly comfortably right now, and we’re chasing them so we need every point that we can get.” Groupama’s sailors had to carry out a minor repair on the hull themselves at the unloading port late on Monday. A more comprehensive repair will have to wait until the shore crew have access to the boat in Abu Dhabi but skipper Franck Cammas said it would not be a significant problem in the race. "The boat had a crack on the ship,” Cammas explained. “There is a little plaster on the hull that the team had to fix. It's always annoying from a mood point of view, but we won't think too much about it. It will anyway be a minor brake to the boat's performance.” Team Sanya, forced into port at Madagascar to fix a rigging problem, did not make the ship that transported the boats to the northern Emirates and will not sail in Stage 2, though they can still pick up points assuming they go on to finish Leg 2 Stage 1, as is their plan. Organisers expect the boats to arrive at the race village between 1100 and 1200 UTC and fans will be able to track the boats in real time, with the tracker at www.volvooceanrace.com updating every 60 seconds. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 leg 2 part 2 is just about to get under way. you can watch photo updates of what is happening from http://new.livestream.com/volvooceanrace Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 This just in from CAMPER's MCM Hamish Hooper: Well here we go again... It all seems a bit surreal to be back onboard CAMPER fighting it out with our competitors. It's one of those, 'Where am I moments'. All of the guys again just seem to be able to flick that switch at the drop of a hat and away we go. We had a good start, the goal was to start to the right, as being furthest right is forecast to pay dividends later on in the day, so the guys are happy with our position right now. Its bumpy out here which has made for an uncomfortable start. There are fishing nets and pots all over the place, so it has been a bit of a minefield trying to work our way through those and not get any tangled on out keel or rudders. So far so good but this will be a close and full on sprint right all the way to Abu Dhabi. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 eg 2 Stage 2 sprint to Abu Dhabi is underway. Latest positions with distances to finish: 1. Team Telefónica 79.73 nautical miles 2. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 79.84. 3. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG 80.05 4. Groupama sailing team 80.18 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 80.26 Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crafty 1 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I don't mean to be a killjoy, and Stephen C is doing a great job with this thread, but, this race is a bit of a "non event" for me involving 5 (3 really?) boats on a corporate promotion (under the guise of a series of sprints around the planet) making out that this is a great around the world race. i just can't get excited about this race (or the last one as well to be honest) For me this does not compare to the larger fleets of yesteryear and the long legs they endured to prove their seamanship. maybe i have got this wrong but it appears to be all about media profile / exposure and bugger all about a good fleet of boats (and great sailng names) doing the hard miles around the world. It also appears that "joe average" cannot enter this event any more and race just for the "pure Challenge of it"?... Q. -Can a "non Pro" / Non Sponsored boat sail in a "around the world race" anymore or is this just a professional "circuit event" now?. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Telefónica are less than 0.9 nm in front of Groupama, who have steamed into second place. CAMPER trail the French team by 0.06 nm in third place. PUMA are fourth, trailing CAMPER by 0.12 nm and Abu Dhabi are in fifth place, trailing PUMA by almost 1 nm Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I don't mean to be a killjoy, and Stephen C is doing a great job with this thread, but, this race is a bit of a "non event" for me involving 5 (3 really?) boats on a corporate promotion (under the guise of a series of sprints around the planet) making out that this is a great around the world race. i just can't get excited about this race (or the last one as well to be honest) For me this does not compare to the larger fleets of yesteryear and the long legs they endured to prove their seamanship. maybe i have got this wrong but it appears to be all about media profile / exposure and bugger all about a good fleet of boats (and great sailng names) doing the hard miles around the world. It also appears that "joe average" cannot enter this event any more and race just for the "pure Challenge of it"?... Q. -Can a "non Pro" / Non Sponsored boat sail in a "around the world race" anymore or is this just a professional "circuit event" now?. Your not the only one as there are many on this site who are not interested in the volvo compeered to its glory days. The boats might be quicker, but are fragile and there would be a number of us who would not sail these boats in the southern ocean in fear of dying. Theres still interest in it, but not as much as what there should be, or could be and the race organisers have some thinking to do especially with the mod 70's doing a world race every three years. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Leg 2 Stage 2 sprint to Abu Dhabi positions at 0840 GMT: 1. Team Telefónica 61.07 nautical miles to finish 2. Groupama sailing team 61.96 3. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 62.02 4. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG 62.14 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 63.11 CAMPER with Emirates Team NZ update: How things change so dramatically in this game. Groupama now are showing some real pace. They have abruptly put on the after burners and are sailing on past to windward of us. As Rob Salthouse says, "Groupama seem to be sailing right in their boat's sweet spot right now, ideal angles for them and are sailing right on by, we just have to hang in there and sail as fast as we can. There is a long way to go yet." Link to post Share on other sites
khayyam 77 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 looking like that same shy reach where camper just doesn't have the pace... Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 looking like that same shy reach where camper just doesn't have the pace... and in 20+ knotts. I think your bang on here, but there going well compered to abu dhabi and Puma. Still 20 odd hours to go in this sprint. heres hoping for a close finish Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 this will be all over by the time I wake up in the morning. Its still anyones game, but my money is on telefonica and Camper to have another top 3 finish. Distance is to the finish line 1. Team Telefónica 45.5 2. Groupama sailing team 45.74 3. CAMPER 46.59 4. PUMA 46.88 5. Abu Dhabi 47.96 CAMPER with Emirates Team NZ - Update Part II: The sail stack on deck has had a few repositions- but that's nothing out of the ordinary when racing these boats. The miles are ticking down fast right now we are doing about 17kts of boat speed. Hopefully we can keep things close enough to mount an attack on the leaders in the final 10 miles or so once we turn for Abu Dhabi. There is certainly no lack of enthusiasm onboard! - Hamish Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 The format of this race is really starting to disappoint me I'm afraid. Round the world? Bollocks. Sponsors tour and catch a lift where you can. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crafty 1 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 The format of this race is really starting to disappoint me I'm afraid. Round the world? Bollocks. Sponsors tour and catch a lift where you can. Have to agree. this is looking like a "sponsors tour" and is quite degradeing to the history of the around the world race. I think these boats would struggle to survive the old 4 leg format. In Cricket terms - This latest VOR version is a 20/20 version, the old race was a test match. In other words this race is"all show and very little substance". As for Camper Another 3rd today - this boat, or the way it is sailed, is showing that they are off the pace. But.... Stephen C's dedication is more stunning than the event. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Excellent summary Crafty! Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 bang on crafty. The volvo would not be going to ports like Abu Dhabi, sanya and Auckland if it wasnt for boats from that area being entered into the race. I said it a little while ago and now camper have come out saying that they lack speed on reaches and I would also suggest anything over 20+knotts. The final part of Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race has provided plenty of positives but also a few areas of improvement for CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand. The short 98 mile sprint along the United Arab Emirates coast from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi delivered the promised close quarters sailing spectacle with the entire fleet finishing within minutes of each other after an intense battle down the coast. In a strong westerly/north westerly of 20 to 25 knots CAMPER made a faultless start and picked the right side of the course to lead the fleet at the first and only windward mark. However, on the long reach to the finish superior boat speed from Telefonica and Groupama saw them pull CAMPER in and left them having to settle for third place. Groupama and Telefonica went onto a thrilling battle for first and second with Groupama securing victory at the last minute by just 57 seconds. CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson says that it was a hard fought race and while happy with the way the boat was sailed he’s disappointed with the result. “It was a tough one for us – we did everything we wanted to do, our game plan was spot on, we won the start and we picked the right side of the course but we then got passed on the drag race to the finish. There’s wasn’t a huge amount of speed difference in it but there was enough for them to roll on past us in this short type of leg. “I always look for faults in our performance and when I look at today it’s hard to find them other than we were a little bit slow. “We have our strengths there’s no doubt about that, but the reality is that at the moment in a 20 knot tight reach Telefonica and Groupama would appear to have a slight edge over us. “There’s a range of conditions which suit us better and we think we’ll have a speed edge in over the rest of the fleet. We just need to bide our time for those conditions. “We aim to win every race but if we can get podium finishes in legs dominated by conditions that we’re not optimised for then that’s not a bad place to be.” The result means that CAMPER secures second overall for Leg 2 and maintain their second place on the overall leaderboard for the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race, 5 points adrift of race leader Telefonica. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Team Telefónica secured overall victory in Leg 2 with a strong second place but there was joy too for Groupama sailing team on Wednesday as they notched their first win of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, snatching top spot ahead of their rivals in the dying moments of the sprint into Abu Dhabi. Franck Cammas’ men edged past Telefónica with just over 10 nautical miles to go to the Abu Dhabi finish line, claiming victory in the 98-nautical mile sprint from the northern United Arab Emirates by just 52 seconds to take a maximum six points. Their victory came despite the fact that six of their sailors had to carry out a repair job on hull damage sustained in the first part of the leg. Telefónica, the overall race leaders, are the Leg 2 winners with 29 points following their first place in Stage 1 from Cape Town to the undisclosed ‘safe haven’ in the Indian Ocean. That finished on December 26 with a thrilling head-to-head between Telefónica and CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand. Telefónica lead the overall standings with 66 points followed by CAMPER on 58 after they finished third in Wednesday’s sprint stage to clinch second place overall in Leg 2. Groupama remain in third overall on 42 points. “We were very fast today,” said Cammas, who saw his team home to victory at 12h22’09” UTC. “This morning we were a little worried about the repair. Now, I think we were so fast we will leave it. It was a very good day for us, good for our confidence. It doesn’t give a lot of points but it is an important win.” Groupama watch captain Thomas Coville added: “It was a fabulous fight until the end. For me, that's what the Volvo Ocean Race is: never give up! We had a great confrontation in amazing conditions.” CAMPER picked up the final podium position in Leg 2 Stage 2 to score four points finishing at 12h27’48” UTC, 50 seconds ahead of PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG. PUMA’s position to seals third place overall in Leg 2. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing were fifth, crossing the line at 12h32’21” UTC. Skippered by Spanish Olympic gold medallist Iker Martínez, Telefónica led the second stage of Leg 2 from the northern United Arab Emirates to Abu Dhabi from the start, but were unable to hold off the attack from Groupama. Within 20 miles of the finish, Cammas’ men drew neck and neck with Telefónica as the pair battled it out in choppy seas and winds of 15 to 25 knots. A sloppy rounding of the final turning mark gave Groupama their opportunity to pounce – and they did, snatching the lead with just over 10 nautical miles to go and ending Telefónica’s winning streak of three consecutive victories. While Telefónica were left licking their wounds at their narrow defeat, they can take some comfort in extending their lead overall to eight points. “We can’t be disappointed, we still have an advantage overall,” said Martínez. “We sailed well, but Groupama sailed very well and at the end they sailed better than us. All we can say is congratulations to the Groupama guys, this is their first victory so we are happy for them.” Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker, speaking just before a firework reception for them and the other teams, said: “This obviously wasn't the result we wanted but we had a very tough time to get here. We broke the mast and at that point it didn't look we would get to Abu Dhabi. To arrive to this amazing reception is just fantastic.” Abu Dhabi crewmember Adil Khalid, the first ever Emirati to compete in the race, added: “It’s a great day for Abu Dhabi and a great day for me. It's amazing to be back home and I can't believe all the people who have come out here. There's a long way to go in the race. Today was just not our day. It was very fast out there.” As a safety measure to deter piracy, race organisers split the second leg into two stages. After racing the safe haven port, the boats were loaded onto a ship and transported through the worst affected waters to the northern United Arab Emirates. They were then unloaded with racing resuming with a 98 nautical mile sprint into Abu Dhabi, the first time the race has visited the Middle East in its 38-year history. Team Sanya, the sixth team in this edition of the race, are currently in Madagascar making repairs to their rig, which failed on the ninth day of the first stage of Leg 2 while they were leading. Once the rig is repaired the team will race to the safe haven port where they will meet the fleet for the second stage of Leg 3. The fleet will return to action on January 13 with the Etihad Airways In-Port Race with Leg 3, from Abu Dhabi to Sanya, starting on January 14. Leg 2 Stage 2 results*: 1. Groupama sailing team, 6 points, 12h32’21” UTC 2. Team Telefónica, 5 points, 12h23’01 UTC 3. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, 4 points, 12h27’48” UTC 4. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, 3 points, 12h28’38” UTC 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, 2 points, 12h32’21” UTC Overall Leg 2 results*: 1. Team Telefónica 29 points 2. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 24 3. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG 19 Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Leg 2 : Cape Town - Abu Dhabi First victory for Groupama 4 There was a good breeze for this second part of the second leg, between Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, which formed a 98-mile coastal course raced under the influence of the Shamal desert wind. After a prudent start, Groupama 4 was really firing on all cylinders during the two long reaches and ultimately overtook the Spanish leaders thanks to a final solid sprint under spinnaker… There were rough, short seas for today's race start at 0530 UTC off the Arab Emirate of Sharjah: around twenty knots of westerly wind with three metre waves and a beat to hunt down the first mark positioned some 18 miles ahead. The New Zealanders on Camper and the Americans on Puma got off to the best start at the end of the line, whilst the Spaniards on Telefonica and the French on Groupama 4 quickly put in a tack to reposition themselves a few hundred metres to weather of the fleet. A long port tack lay ahead as it took over an hour and a quarter for Telefonica, then Groupama 4, to put in their first tack change. The two VO-70s were slightly below the mark and had to make two additional manœuvres to get around it. The same was true for Puma and Abu Dhabi… A long leg with eased sheets The Spanish led around the first mark, boasting a very slight edge over the New Zealanders, whilst the Americans managed to slip under Groupama 4's bow and Abu Dhabi brought up the rear. The deficits between the five boats were extremely minimal at that point as they prepared for another very long upwind sprint with sheets slightly eased to hunt down mark 2, moored around fifty miles further down the racetrack to the West-South-West. Three hours later, Franck Cammas and his men were right on Telefonica's stern as the latter led the fleet around the second course mark: the two sisterships were unquestionably the most at ease in these sailing conditions (17-22 knots of breeze at 70°) since the New Zealanders were relegated to 1.1 miles astern, the Americans 1.3 miles astern and the Emirati boat 2.8 miles shy of the leaders! There were still 23 miles to go and the fleet were continuing to sail with eased sheets as they homed in on mark number 3 offshore of Abu Dhabi, before bearing away sharply for a final twelve mile sprint, on a broad reach to the finish line. 1hr20 later, the Spanish on Telefonica were first around the final course mark of this 98-mile course, though Groupama 4 was closing fast, less than a hundred metres astern of her, whilst the other three VO-70s had dropped back. As such there was just one fast reach under spinnaker to the finish of this drag race, where the two Juan Kouyoumdjian designs were able to show just what they were made of in the breezy conditions which continued to punch into them providing 20 knots or so of wind. Overtaking under spinnaker Just after the manœuvre to hoist the spinnaker, Franck Cammas and his crew screamed into the lead and held onto it to the finish off the port of Abu Dhabi. The final sprint proved to be extremely close since Groupama 4 crossed the finish line just 52 seconds ahead of Telefonica after a little less than seven hours of racing! This victory for the French boat doesn't alter the hierarchy in the overall standing but it does demonstrate that the French team can make the right choices when it counts, and above all that the crew has made considerable progress in this format of short races and is capable of linking together manœuvres smoothly. The shore crew now have eight days to prepare the boat in preparation for the next “In-Port” race off Abu Dhabi, on 13 January, then another short leg before once again being loaded onto the cargo and shipped to the secret port in the Indian Ocean… Quotes from the Boat… Franck Cammas at the finish in Abu Dhabi “Telefonica defended itself very well as we were a touch quicker and they gave their all to prevent us getting past them. We had one last chance because we managed to position ourselves to windward of them and thanks to a gust we were able to overtake. They are a very good crew with a very good boat and we're very happy to have been able to get past them. It has to be said that the conditions were perfect for Groupama, which is particularly fond of reaching in breezy conditions. It was nice to get a bit of revenge after the first part of this second leg, because we were in a winning position at one point and were very frustrated not to pull it off. This morning we were still a bit concerned about finding our bearings, but I think we were so fast that the anxiety didn't even have time to surface. It's a fantastic day for the whole of Groupama sailing team, and it's been a real confidence boost. It may not have given us many points, but this victory is important for the next stage…” Thomas Coville “It was a fine battle, all the way to the finish. On a personal level, this is what the Volvo Ocean Race is all about for me: never give up on anything! We enjoyed a very fine match race in some fantastic sailing conditions… Even though it was very wet on deck! We were with Camper at the start and Laurent (Pagès) viewed the race zone brilliantly. Thanks to our speed, we were gradually able to make up ground on Telefonica. We were spoilt by the warm wind and the sunshine and the sea was rough and vigorous but okay.” Charles Caudrelier “The course was pretty simple in terms of navigation: it was only the first part which required some tacks. We didn't go off on any fliers and remained with the fleet as the aim was to stay in contact for the big sprint with eased sheets where we knew we were pretty quick. The success of this leg is the result of the work carried out by all the technical team: we have a research department, guided by Franck (Cammas), which analyses the different parameters. It's a good feeling to rack up this victory! Indeed, though the boat is quick, it's also down to the crew which was superb today…” Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crafty 1 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I guess the only way to keep this event, if you can still call it that, going is to sell "port stopovers" to the highest bidders. With the Reccession in europe / America i can see the next event being called the around "the World race" starting and finishing in Dubai and all the ports of calls being in Dubai (eg - that bunch of man made islands called the "world" ) What has happened to the amateur spirit and the adventurous spirit?... ...or does money do all the talking in sports now... I see Wayne Rooney gets $447,000 pounds per week to kick a round ball Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I guess the only way to keep this event, if you can still call it that, going is to sell "port stopovers" to the highest bidders. With the Reccession in europe / America i can see the next event being called the around "the World race" starting and finishing in Dubai and all the ports of calls being in Dubai (eg - that bunch of man made islands called the "world" ) What has happened to the amateur spirit and the adventurous spirit?... ...or does money do all the talking in sports now... I see Wayne Rooney gets $447,000 pounds per week to kick a round ball It will be interesting to see who wants to sail in the next event because money is not in surplus and you could be very right. You didnt here about much trouble with the clipper race and that was done by mainly armatures and could be a option. Heck, it would save money. Link to post Share on other sites
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