Still Have a Race to Win

Couldn`t agree more with everything you have said Amory. It must have been a real blow to Groupama, you are all sportsmen, and have suffered this experience yourselves, and I`m sure you must miss the thrill of the chase (Cat and Mouse). Anyway good luck,and gives us all a thrill this time PLEASE!! Watch out,you`ve got Telefónica creeping up the rear!! Don`t worry Michi soon you will have a beer in your hand, a steak on a plate.....and a comfy bed........dreaming of it all of you no doubt!! Saludos de Alicante.

I can't sleep and have missed some work, checking and reading the web news . . .I am pushing the wind toward you guys. My fingernails are gone, down to the knuckles now. . . what a race! Keep 'em trim boys.

You can progress due to your POWER of PRAYERS...Keep in Touch to our dear GOD. Thank you

Seeing that my reactions don't get posted, a good luck must do.

Mr. Volvo is going knuts. While listening to the news on his Sanya radio, wearing his red ballerina camper shoes, dancing a belly dance with his coach abu dabi, while Mr. skippy the sailorman is playing a tango with his jellyman and his “good vibrations” body weight paddling in his bunk bed, and jonny k “looking up in the sky with diamonds” with a hoolah hoop to the French insurance to see who pays, while finding out that his Spanish “students” are cheating on the final “exam” of leg 5 practicing the famous Spanish “picaresca” while others are distracted , finding loop holes in the rules dumping sportsmanship by, unloading “useless” body weight of 90 kg plus a suitcase of foul weather gear and heavy sodden clothing 50 kg, plus dumping weeks of heavy garbage, plus dumping dead batteries from two weeks, plus planning pit stop only to stock food and water for 10 guys weight in the atlantic x kgs, plus dumping sails, equipment and gear specific to southern ocean, not needed for brazil warmer weather, getting away taking a day off vacations in South America for free to use better wind conditions and “tire out enemies” who can stop but practice and carry through the true spirit of sports and seamen of the great southern ocean non-stop cape horn sailing. And in the background of the Atlantic Ulyses sending him a choir of sirens singing “Oh Lord, won´t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz…” And he asking himself on a margarita samba” “What is a nice boy like me doing in place like this” well now that it´s Easter week pray for a miracle and sing together ”this is the age of aquarius” and ”oh lord please don’t let me be misunderstood”. ¨Cuz there are dangerous friendships, Volvo and jonny k don´t have the same values with security, safety of human beings and speed priorities. VOR has become “push push push” and “the show must go on” in a “big brother “ reality show in front of somaly´s pirates sponsored by a.q. in offsore international waters and pictures of novice guys “caught” in dirty underwear. No good pictures of pure sea and sky only videos of incredible southern ocean swells offshore sea conditions lasting minutes, and no channel forum for experts only comments (naval engineers, designers, sailors and seamen who love the sea, diplomats from area of somaly, experts on rules and penalties and abuse of pit stops, experts on penalties for design breakages not due to seamanship but to carbon laminates and nose dive design with the “zara” touch (meant only to last a sea washing machine wash cycle (less than one VOR leg ) which jonny k. boats afterwards falls apart, (except biased strong building security design for his Spanish phone co. with majority spanish crew; see camper crew and their moral damage in stu´s and skipper face parked boat now with racing alone 3000 m future stress against time), and rigging shrinks and “seams” tear apart and buttons fall off. Not even bolts nor impressive abi dab i and haut- cuture impressive crew can mend drilling holes in the hull “fabric” risking sinking while going 50mph in a 5 meters bumpy “road” and risking their lives alone in the fearsome Southern Ocean, for nothing, because they had to cancel racing leg 5, without engineers nor clever marketing salesmen having to pay penalties for moral damage to top sailors for forcing the crew to go against their survival instinct: drilling holes in their hull to survive! and for 3rd time cancelling leg 5 and forcing the sailors to deny sailing and racing which is what they are out there for! And not to mention naval engineers cleverly staying silent not advising French team to check out for their rigging fatigue “stretching” in order to prevent mast breakage right before winning tie match and of course they prevented their legal responsibilities for moral damage and sailors´lives safety saying in video jonny k ambition to fame” it´s the sailors who asked for that while building Volvo boats. Mr. Volvo is going knuts. Suggestions for leg 5 2012 volvo race: History Winners taking holidays break eating fresh steaks and sleeping in heated boat with locals speaking Spanish and similar culture Chilean moral support and colleagues onshore moral support, and unloading crew and equipment and garbage for less weight to go faster, “Ben Hur” race attitude (“poor groupama” comment after competitor dismasting fatigue out of the race ) and 1st place Top History Winners leg 5 non-stop overcoming human fatigue and non-stop sailing hunger and sleepless bashing nights and stress build up as approaching finish line and merits for tie match show after rounding Cape Horn non-stop without receiving face to face moral support other than themselves and the albatross offshore. Let´s vote. “Volvo Ocean traditional Race” sportsmanship winners. So be it.