#VOR - The big news this week was Annalise Murphy’s decision to ditch the Laser Radial for the new challenge of the 49er FX in her Tokyo 2020 campaign later this year.
But the more pressing matter for Annalise is her commitment to the ongoing Volvo Ocean Race and her team Turn the Tide on Plastic, which arrived in Newport, Rhode Island in sixth place earlier this week.
While Leg 8 from Brazil concluded in a “dgiftathon”, the days previous showed her the more perilous side of offshore racing.
In her latest race diary for The Irish Times, the Rio 2016 silver medallist explains how a small misstep in the midst of a gale could have put her out of commission – or worse.
“I was on the winch grinder on the leeward side of the boat,” she says. “I prefer this as there’s more shelter from the worst of the waves breaking across the deck.
“Normally, I’m clipper to the frame surrounding the steering wheel, but just as I unclipped from here to move forward and clip on to the next strong point, the boat pitched up and I was thrown down to leeward and against a hard corner.
“The pain was instant and I thought I had broken a rib. In the same moment I knew that I was exposed and that the next breaking wave could catch me. I’d be powerless in the deluge of water.”
The Irish Times has more from Annalise's VOR race diary HERE.
