10 June 2006
ON THE DOCKSIDE IN ROTTERDAM WITH PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, BRUNEL AND ABN AMRO TWO
On the dockside with fourth placed Pirates of the Caribbean, fifth placed Brunel and sixth placed ABN AMRO TWO
Pirates of the Caribbean
Paul Cayard, (USA) – Skipper
“It is fantastic to see everyone here and to see the enthusiasm that the people of Rotterdam have for the race.”
“We have enjoyed six podium finishes in a row and I think we had it coming. Fourth is okay, we are still second overall and we have a couple more races to go.”
Dirk de Ridder, (NED), Crewmember
“I am really amazed by the reception and surprised to see this many people turn out. Sailing in Holland is not that big, but in this last year and a half it seems to have made a big jump which I would largely put down to TEAM ABN AMRO - it is just great to see.”
Jerry Kirby, (USA) – Bowman
“I think you have to be a little philosophical about our performance and look at the whole team effort. It was an uphill battle from the start and considering the circumstances and problems we had we are in a good position. You also can’t forget that there is a great fleet out here with the likes of Torben [Grael] competing.”
“Unfortunately we never managed to get away on this leg. We found that the front runners kept extending their lead and every time we thought we had escaped we would then hit a brick wall. We just never managed to extend our lead and hold onto it.”
Brunel
Matthew Humphries (GBR) – Skipper
“It was an unbelievable welcome. I must say that living in Sweden, I thought the Swedish welcome was fantastic last time at the finish in Gothenburg but Rotterdam has done wonders for us today.”
“This leg was another chance for us to review our performance and the guys dug deep.”
“We fought well. We made some smart moves and sailed well but we also had a run of bad luck and made some mistakes. We felt that we had relatively good pace and managed to finish in front of a fast boat, so I am happy about that.”
Will Oxley (AUS), Navigator
“That was such an amazing welcome we received in Rotterdam. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many spectators out to greet the yachts and I have sailed around the world and finished in many places. There were so many people all the way up the Maas. It was incredible.”
“It has been so light all the way round but that made for some great tactical sailing and I think we made some very good tactical moves on the way round.”
“I didn’t get that much sleep and was tired for quite a bit of the leg but it was great to keep up with the other boats. That was one of our big aims and we achieved it and it produced a very interesting race all the way to the finish.”
ABN AMRO TWO
Simon Fisher (GBR), Navigator
“It was a bit of a light one for us and pretty tough. We just had to keep battling away and try and keep pace with the fleet.”
“It was an incredible greeting and from ten miles out we had boats following us in.”
“Sixth is a disappointment but the guys did a great job and we are looking forward to going back out there tomorrow.”
Gerd Jan Poortman (NED), Bowman
“It was crazy but absolutely amazing. There were about 20,000 people on the shore at the Hoek van Holland and hundreds of boats out there to greet us. It was beautiful but being last in the race was a disappointment. I think just participating and finishing the leg is an achievement. It was a good race but you win some you lose some.”
Nick Bice (AUS), Watch captain
“It is a bit disappointing but we know we don’t have a fast boat in that stuff. It is sticky in the light and you don’t have to be a Naval Architect to work that out.”
“We managed to catch up but not enough. For the first few days it was a relief to be sailing in nice weather. We predicted it would take six days and it ended up taking eight. But it was enjoyable and it is just a great boat to sail.”
“We are looking forward to racing tomorrow. It is what the race is about. The boat is ready, and we are ready.”
For media enquiries please contact:
Sacha Oswald, Press Officer in Rotterdam
t. +31 618 092 201
e. sacha.oswald@volvooceanrace.org mailto:sacha.oswald@volvooceanrace.org
Sophie Luther, Press Assistant in Rotterdam
t. + 31 618 076 129
e. sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.org mailto:sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.org
The Volvo Ocean Race
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