#VOR - Annalise Murphy’s Turn the Tide on Plastic received a heroes’ welcome despite a disappointing sixth-place finish in Leg 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race this morning (Tuesday 29 May), and skipper Dee Caffari found some bright spots to celebrate once the team was dockside.
“We had some of the best sailing the guys have done the entire race so they were buzzing,” Caffari said, referencing the record-breaking conditions mid-leg that saw some of the highest 24-hour runs in the history of the race.
“They have all now circumnavigated the globe and none of them had done that when we left. We have crossed our track from Leg 0, they’ve all gone round the world and I’m really proud of them.”
For Caffari, this race marks her fifth time around the world, including three non-stop circumnavigations.
For one of Annalise’s crewmates, Bleddyn Mon, the finish line in Wales represented a homecoming of sorts, as he grew up sailing in Anglesey.
“This is a day I’ve looked forward to from the beginning of the project,” he said dockside just after finishing. “For me, offshore sailing is quite new and I was in at the deep end with the Volvo Ocean Race … But I’ve learned so much about how to manage myself offshore.”
In addition to Caffari, the rookies on board Turn the Tide on Plastic can profit from the experience of another one of Britain’s most accomplished offshore sailors.
Navigator Brian Thompson became the first Briton to set the Round the World record twice and to sail non-stop around the world four times. He says he thinks the team has the ability and drive to earn a podium position on one of the remaining two legs.
“We’ve been so close on several occasions, Thompson said. “If you had taken the halfway point on some of the legs we’d have been on the podium or in the lead,” he noted.
“But I think we need a little bit of good fortune. We’re all getting better every leg… we’ve really learned how to sail the boat and we’re all getting more experience. So I think in the nice tactical close racing we can hold our own with everyone, so we’re looking forward to the last couple of legs.”
Leg 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race was won by Team Brunel, who are making a late charge for the top of the leaderboard. But Dongfeng Race Team are the new overall race leaders, just one point clear of MAPFRE and three points ahead of Brunel.
One boat remains racing at sea: Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag is expected to finish overnight tonight and into Wednesday morning (30 May).
