Friday was a bittersweet day in the BMW ORACLE Racing team campaign. Our time in San Diego is coming to a close, and during the afternoon, one hour ahead of schedule, the BOR 90 was moved from the team base to on board the cargo ship the Ocean Lady, which will transport it to Valencia.
At 14:00 today, one hour ahead of schedule, the BOR 90 was lifted up into a grey, misty sky. She's now being loaded aboard the Ocean Lady for the journey to Valencia. Shannon Falcone (ANT) called it "one of the decisive moments" of the campaign.
Filling in for us on the blog today, video producer John von Seeburg was on site, and filed this report:
"San Diego has been great to the team so we're sorry to be going. But Valencia has been home to a lot of the guys, so at the same time we're looking forward to being 'home' again."
Julien Di Biase (SUI), who's been integral to the operation, said that loading the ship has been, "a smooth operation so far because we have highly skilled shore crew and sailors - the right people in the right jobs, starting with Scotty."
Here of course, he's speaking of Scott Sandford (NZL), who has been directing the action on the day. John von reports that Scotty appears to be a three places at once, and in each of them, he's on the phone and radio simultaneously!
Packing will continue on Saturday, weather permitting.
And finally, here's a story about the team on the Port of San Diego website. Thanks guys, we'll miss you.
