Sunday, August 29, 2010
This is the questions both teams have been deliberating on today, after enduring some pretty tough conditions at the top of the British isles. The euphoria that Puma faced on rounding MF has turned to slight depression at the reminder that they are at the back of the fleet and have an awful long way to catch up. The team is working so hard to try and claw back some of the deficit but with the conditions as they are, this is proving a herculean task.
They are so please that Groupama have won and got the course record but it only goes to emphasise just how far behind they are, it will be some 5 or 6 days before they reach Cowes, and this is preying on their minds all the time now. I don’t think they understand how proud we are of them carrying on when most teams would have thrown in the towel long ago. Philippe’s blogs are inspirational and it shows just how strong mentally they are all being, but they are still human, and the natural instinct is to win – when that is a very distant prospect, ot is hard to motivate, to push yourself, and to give that little but extra. They are making in-roads, they are making progress, little by little, slowly but surely they ARE getting there.
Meanwhile, Playing Around Logic have not been without their dramas over the past 12 hours. They are still 3rd in class and 9th overall, doing fantastically well, but suffering with the confused sea state and fatigue. They are slowly gaining on Class leaders Encore, who’s deficit is now just 26 miles, compared to 24 hours ago when it was nearly 40 so they have been clawing back the miles again, which is fantastic to see. To put it into perspective, Playing Around have to only be 0.5 knots quicker that Encore from now to the finish and they will overhaul them…an interesting fact … this means every sail change, every manoeuvre had to be done better and quicker than their rival, and tactics have to spot on. It is not unthinkable, it will just take determination, lots of effort and a strong will, we know they can do it!!!
