[Ventarrón]

Hola a todos

acabamos de recibir un articulo escrito por Boris Herman, capitan del barco aleman, y creo que es un lindo resumen de lo que ha sido esta Vuelta al Mundo.

Ahi va...

"American circumnavigation accomplished"

(B) We just broke through the 500 miles barrier this morning. It feels like
being almost there, two days to Charleston the final stop-over of our round
the world race. We are so used to spend weeks out here on our Class40. For
me it's more than a year and 36.000 Miles that I lived and worked on this
boat now. May 28th last year I arrived in Marblehead near Boston with a
podium finish in the singlehanded Artemis Transat. May 28th this year we
will celebrate the leg4 price giving in Charleston. A circle then closes:
Beluga Racer has raced around the world from the US to the US.



Things ashore could not have changed more dramatically while we were
accomplishing this circle. A new political era, a new president, a crisis
and rough southern ocean like storms blowing millions out their homes and
jobs.

Especially on this background I have to realize what a privilege this
endeavor means, taking on to discover the southern ocean, cape horn, a race
around the world on this incredible boat, backed and sponsored by an
innovative and successful shipping company, that beside core business
explores the north-eastern passage, develops kite-sails for cargo ships,
creates education programs in Thailand, backs the Bremen soccer team and us.
The best thing is that they keep us in business and prolonged the
sponsorship regardless the economic downturn, allowing us to fully
concentrate on getting better and hopefully winning more races in the
future. Winning... did we win this one? I keep my mouth shot.



Yes, we definitely won!! We realized the big dream of racing around the
world short-handed. We sailed pass cape horn in dusty morning light. We feel
now confident at sea on a class40. Passion to steer her downwind, to glide
down waves and carefully search for the past through the next couple of
waves... this passion is more alive.



Most important - in our Chilenean competitors we won friends for a lifetime.
The central lesson I learned during this race I learned from them: Passing
the Falklands we quickly gained 150 Miles advantage on them. They ran out of
fuel which meant no weather data, no autopilot, no routing no water.
Realistically a hopeless position. But two weeks later and 50 minutes before
the 3rd leg finish in Ilhabela they took the lead despite these
disadvantages - giving true sense to their saying: "never surrender!" This
incredible achievement could serve as a source for good spirits to everyone
who is in a difficult situation in life.



For us it was a lesson. And that`s why I don't try to guess the result of
this leg. Did you see their speed on the race tracker? They are sometimes
faster than us although their boat is only left with the windward rudder
after they broke the leeward rudder three days ago. Guess what they write?
Hopeless situation? Surrender? Not possible to win? No way!! They speculate
about us being stuck in the light air high pressure ridge lying ahead, wind
turning SW so they can attack on the other gybe. I keep my mouth shot. We
will have won this race, when we will have finished first in Charleston, but
we have another 500 miles to go, to look back with huge respect for these
two young guys.

You may guess it was a relief for us to see them breaking their rudder? I
assure you we would rather become second in Charleston than losing our match partner.


Charleston used to be a stop-over in the Around Alone race. I am very sure
that our race and this class will remain in the landscape and become an
unseen platform for aspiring amateurs and Figaro like sharp professionals,
willing to race around on evenly matched machines. Keep this in mind when
you come down to the docks and see our small fleet. It's just the first
seed.
www.beluga-racer.com www.portimaorace.com

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Cheers

Boris=



Que grandes marinos ...
Que buen ejemplo ...


La negrita es mía ...


A su salud