Leg 7 The way Home!!

Hello to everyone out there again.

We are now making our final preparations for our sprint home!!! Wow how exciting is that, its amazing to think that after 10 months away we will be back home on Saturday. The crew is very excited we are all looking forward to the final leg, what a contrast it is preparing for 3 day sprint in the sun compared to a six week voyage in the Southern Ocean. We had a very good prize giving here last night in La Rochelle in the open air. However the next one will be even better as we aim to lift a trophy in Portsmouth, one more chance and we want and will be working our socks off to achieve it! The crew worked exceptionally hard and performed very well in the last leg, we could quite easily have had 2nd place, it was so close. So we have proved we are contenders and we will be racing very hard, this is no cruise home!!!!!

Its truly been an awesome experience one, hugely enjoyable but at times just damn hard work. Its been everything and more than I could have imagined. I don’t just mean the race its self, this is the finalie to a 5 year project. It has been tough though, and the hardest thing for me has been being away from my wife family and friends. I cannot thank you enough for your support, truly I could not have done it without you. I cannot explain the power a little email from home can have …so up lifiting. THANK YOU!

And this thanks extends to all of you, friends families, all at CB , Supporters, its been a wonderful experience and your support has been superb.

All the talk is about the weather at the moment, it could be a frustrating trip home with light winds blowing us slowly home. It really will be quite something when we see England again, back into the Solent. I feel I have unfinished business in Portsmouth, last time is was there, I was miserable about going and very nervous, this time the smile on my face will be beaming…I simply cannot wait!!! It will be an emotional day I feel a few happy tears might role!!!!

We leave the Marina here on Wednesday at around 7 / 8 am so its an early start.

See ya on Saturday get the champagne on Ice, ( Its really great to be able to finally say that)

Thanks

Bungle. M Dolton

Top

The time has come; the band has stopped playing, the fireworks display has thumped it's last big explosion high into the sky over the yacht basin and now we are ready for the final sprint race home to Portsmouth.

Just over a week ago, the fleet raced into this fine French sailing town to the closest finish of any trans Atlantic race. We had a side by side duel with BP all the way to the finish line with first placed Stelmar and seventh placed Sark still in view.

Since then the Olympic bid has been snatched from under the noses of Paris by London, stunning the huge crowd gathered for the announcement here at the sailing venue for the Paris 2012 bid. We have been shocked to hear about the bombings in London and relieved that none of our friends of family were hurt, then saddened by the unfolding reports about how many had.

The hospitality of La Rochelle has been superb, with parties which have made it into the annals of Global Challenge history. Last night the town rocked to the start of their local music festival with bands pounding out the decibels, a laser show using the Challenge yachts as a stage put on by BP and a stupendous fireworks display which blasted tons of pyrotechnics in a rapid volley into the midnight sky over the yachts.

The morning is comparatively calm and peaceful, which belies the intensity with which this last leg of the 2004/5 Global Challenge is going to be fought out.

Portsmouth - ready or not, here we come…

Ricky

Top

Back in the English Channel for the first time over 9 months! The realisation that we are nearly at the end of the race is well and truly setting in. What really did it for me was hearing the English shipping forecast over the radio. What is normally very dull listening back at home on the mainland was in fact music to my ears! (Yes it has been a long time at sea!)

It's been a fairly frustrating day's sailing. The wind has been light and patchy for most of the day, meaning that we've been moving closer to the pack in front, and then watching them sail off again. The worst moment was when the wind disappeared completely just before rounding one of our waypoints. The boats just in front had already rounded it, leaving us to start drifting towards the wrong side of it. We had to battle to stay the right side, losing valuable ground in the meantime. However during the night we managed to regain much of the ground, and now have a few of the boats ahead firmly in our sights. We've not got much time left to move up the leaderboard, so we need to make our move soon!

It's hard to believe that we're due back into Portsmouth tomorrow. I'm trying not to think about it too much for fear of getting too excited! It's going to be one of the most amazing days, fantastic to be home and to see all our partners, friends and family. Only when we get back to Gunwharf Quay do I think that what we have achieved will really begin to sink in.

So look forward to seeing all our supporters soon. Put the champagne on ice!

Bobs

Top

This time yesterday we were wondering if we were going to make it back in time. We'd spent the night dodging huge ships near the Ushant Traffic Separation Scheme, while having virtually no wind (we have a photo of the instruments showing zero across the board). On occasions we were so close to the ships we could see what the crews were watching on telly.

Nic's birthday yesterday (can't tell you how old, but her biog on the website should reveal all) was celebrated with champagne (thanks to her parents) and of course a Tatty Teddy present (also from her parents) which would reveal her age too.

However, the weather forecasters don't always get it right and we've been romping along ever since. The South Coast of England came into view and since then we've been ticking off familiar landmarks and lighthouses. Better still we've been ticking off a few of the old enemy - Kids and Sark are currently to be seen behind us having spent most of the last twelve hours distracted by fighting each other at close quarters in front of us. Samsung and Pindar are not too far ahead.

Wherever we end up, the last day racing in this fantastic event has been awesome and we're all beaming from ear to ear. Racing doesn't come much closer than this and it's a testament to all the crews and skippers that it can be like this.

The beaming will continue this afternoon until our faces ache, for which we will be administering champagne and beer as a cure. I guarantee you will never see happier people than this afternoon at Gunwharf Quays. For myself I can't wait to see Rachel and my family (might have mentioned that before) and being a local look forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight which is within crawling distance from the marina.

Personally, I'd like to thank Sir Chay for enabling me to do this. Like most people, I doubt I'll ever be a part of a Volvo crew, nor have any desire to do a Vendee. If you ever see him, ask him to tell you a story, he has plenty and some are fit for public consumption.

I hope The Fat Lady is warming up, we're looking forward to hearing her performance later. Failing that, we'll sing for ourselves. See y'all later, probably before you see this.

Chas

Top