Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Big weather, that's the challenge and excitement

At a briefing with the media today, skipper Jimmy Spithill was asked about sailing the USA in big weather.

Today for example, the team was prepared to have a short sail, but with gusts over 25 knots, the sailors elected to stand down. Spithill said if it was the same conditions on a race day, they would have gone out, but with a race tomorrow, it was prudent to stay on the mooring.

"We’ve sailed our boat in heavy seas in San Diego and sailed here in some rough stuff. We’ve put it out around 20-25 knots of wind with a decent seaway going," he said. "

"Like any boat, as you get towards the higher end, seamanship comes into play. And that’s part of the challenge, being able to handle those conditions. That’s part of the excitement of sailing these boats."

Here, the crew is on board, hoping the wind would ease a bit...


But when it didn't, the sailors returned to shore and the afterguard briefed the media.