© Bill Records

Ideally you should not only beat your guy at the start but also have a good start yourself.

The fall college sailing season has come to a close, and as the spring approaches so does the exciting challenge of team racing. For college crews, there are varying levels of understanding of what exactly is happening during a team race; a freshman crew is a lot less likely to recognize the patterns and plays than a seasoned upperclassman crew. A huge responsibility for every crew, however, is to keep in mind the fleet-racing aspect of team racing.

© Guilain GRENIER

Brad Webb, lying down on the job, literally, if not figuratively. The AC45s and AC72s are beasts to sail, and they go so fast, that reducing windage, even on the sailors, is crucial to victory.

Brad Webb is one of Oracle Racing’s longest standing crew members. He signed his first contract with the team in November 2000. He was bowman on BMW Oracle Racing ‘s monster tri USA-17 that was victorious against Alinghi in the 33^rd challenge for the America’s Cup.

© VINCENT CURUTCHET / DPPI

Jean Pierre Dick, often touted a favorite to win the race, will sail the Virbac Paprec, one of the newer boats in the fleet.

I would not describe it as NBA-style trash talking, but some past and present Vendée Globe sailors have very opinionated ideas about who will most likely win the Everest of offshore solo races. Most agree on the obvious conclusion that one of the more experienced sailors with a technologically advanced boat (and who is also very lucky) will be the first to arrive back to port at Les Sables d'Olonne after surviving the Vendée Globe’s around-the-world route. The general assumption is also that only about half of the fleet will even finish the race.