There’s no better way to celebrate a good day on the water than with a cold beer. On any other boat, the crew can do this on the dock, chatting about the day and telling lies the way we always do. This, however, wasn’t just another day, and it certainly wasn’t any old boat. Not by a long shot. Today was the day I was invited to be a crewmember on the VO 70 Green Dragon for the Pro-Am Race in Boston’s Inner Harbor. How could I say no to this? The forecasted winds in excess of 20 knots had materialized, along with thousands of people, hoping to see some fast boats and lots of carnage. In consideration of the high winds and limited sea room, Volvo Management and the skippers wisely decided to change the format of the Pro-Am day to two boat drag racing, instead of a more traditional full fleet buoy race. Fastest elapsed time over a reach to reach course would win a big bottle of Moet champagne. This had never been tried before, but we were all excited to give it a go.
I’ve sailed lots of races in my life, but this was the first time I’ve had a send off from the dock with hordes of screaming people and U2’s Elevation being blasted over the PA. Puma may be the hometown boat, but Green Dragon is a sentimental favorite, and plenty of well wishers were decked out in Dragon gear cheering us on to impending victory. Skipper Ian Walker, along with Johnny Mordaunt, Tom Braidwood, Damian Foxall, Andrew Mc Lean, Phil Harmer, and Justin Slattery seemed to truly enjoy sailing with each other and their enthusiasm was quickly spread to a mix of sponsors, Volvo dignitaries, and even a hack like me. Anyone was allowed to drive, even during the races. In contrast, some of Puma’s “amateurs” included the likes of Paul Cayard and Michel Desjoyeaux. Even though we sailed with a reef and J-4 only, the sailing was amazing. Legs were about .6 miles each and the fastest elapsed time for the 4 leg course was around 6 ½ minutes by Puma. We averaged mid teens, topping out at near 20 knots in a 32 knot puff. We even won our last race to finally exercise the “curse of the Dragon” that had been following the team since Rio. Ian thinks this is the start of a new trend for the team and even the pros onboard were excited to hand a defeat to Delta Lloyd. The race format was perfectly suited to shoreside spectating. It was short, exciting, and easy to understand. Maybe the sailing establishment needs to understand that instead of getting people to understand sailing, sailing should begin to understand people. To that end, dock talk amongst team bosses and Volvo management was that this format of racing will be adopted as the new standard for pro-am races at all future stopovers. Not only that, it was fun. After a career of windward-leewards, drag racing was a refreshing change that brought smiles to all of our faces, pros and amateurs alike.
So back to the beer. I had brought a case of suds to the base in the morning, but when we hit the dock, we found out that Volvo sailors aren’t allowed to be seen drinking in public. This needs to change. One of the biggest complaints of this edition of the Volvo is that the sailors are too sanitized. Rumors are rampant that the media crew members are often asked to wipe footage of onboard incidents. Ideas are being circulated to correct this in the next edition of the race, including having MCM’s employed by Volvo that will rotate boats during the stops to keep them from getting too close to their crews. The sailors, not the boats, need to be the stars of this event. By and large, they are all very approachable and eager to take time in the race village to stop and talk to anyone who recognizes them. That’s the beauty of sailing. How many other major events can you just walk up to the athletes and say hello. Now if only we could share a beer……
After saying my goodbyes for the day, I was off to home by way of the local liquor store near Fenway. Still dressed in team kit, people on their way to the Sox game were driving by and honking their horns and shouting support for the Green Dragon. People would stop me in the street and ask about the race and how we were doing. One guy even asked me to autograph his baseball. None of these people had been to the race village, but they know the teams and were excited. Other people were shouting their support for Puma. I was blown away. Volvo and Premiere Racing had done it. They’ve connected with a city that many thought would never embrace sailing. 20,000 people welcomed the fleet to the city. Nearly 10,000 people took part in the in-port race, and many thousands more saw great sailing today. In a city with an over abundance of sports choices, professional sailing is relevant here. Puma City is THE social scene. Turnout has exceeded expectations tenfold. While the Volvo Ocean Race may have its flaws, it is certainly a commercial success. 3 teams are already confirmed for the next race, and Green Dragon organizer, Jamie Boag, is confident that at least 10 teams will be on the starting line in 2012., with most of the current teams renewing their sponsorship. As for me, I’ve been able to sail on one of the fastest boats in the world and be treated as a peer by some of the world’s best sailors (even Paul Cayard who either forgot or overlooked the fact that I asked him for a Sailing Anarchy interview) Who could ask for anything more. Except maybe a beer?
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