© Dave Reed

A Lighter Bulb

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Activity in the Volvo Ocean Race compound kicked into hyperdrive today
as teams either hauled boats or loaded stores. For the Australian
Premiere Challenge it was an even more important milestone as the boat
is now floating with a keel bulb some 1,300 pound lighter. Even the
mast was stepped before the sun went down, but skipper Grant
Wharington, couldn't even begin to describe what was on his team's
to-do list. At the top of it, however, was a delivery of sails, for
which he had to charter a private plane from Heathrow. Customs in
Spain, could be his ultimate enemy, but he was buoyant his Whartington
way, a standout among the hordes of uniformed crews and VIPs swirling
around the compound. Bare bones budget it is, and a respectable first
leg showing is what he's hoping for to put an end to his uphill climb.

Deeper within the containers, there's a fair bit of tweak projects
happening, partly little details picked up from other boats, and partly
some afterthought improvements to anything that does not require major
boat work. In another sense, it's a subconscious way to stay focused in
the long leadup to Saturday's start. "It's tempting to want to start
doing too much and the work list can grow longer," says Ericsson
crewmember Jason Carrington, who built his team's boat. "But at this
point you really don't want to take on too much." Easy for him to say,
his boat's been loaded-food and all-since yesterday, and he says
they're ready to go. There seems to be a fair bit of tweaking on the
Pirates of the Caribbean, as Cayard's "Team Pimp My Ride" wet sanded
rudders, sealed its mast base and tended to an assortment of issues
below decks, especially at navigator Jules Salter's place of business.
They're double checking systems and plugging any known leaks, which are
par for the course on freshly launched raceboats like these.

In the container of ABN AMRO, Andrew Lewis' mind was clearly pacing.
They've done all they can to the "white boat," it having been around
the longest, and he was simply waiting to load on the food and other
stores and "get the hell out of Sanxenxo." For this first leg, Lewis
has packed 25 days of food, which in comparison seems slim to that of
Ericsson with 21 days. Across the fleet the predicted leg duration
falls anywhere between 18 to 20 at the low end, and 26 at the high end,
and Lewis admits he's probably over packed, but the weight is good
movable ballast, and for power reaching, which is the preferred mode
for the boat, he says anything to flatten the boat's heel angle helps.
Lewis has an appetite matched by few, so it's no doubt a reflection of
his caloric demand, too.

More of the same tomorrow, but with a Parade of Sail down the coast to Vigo on Friday, tomorrow will be the big push for sure.