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| www.volvooceanrace.tv |
| Vlad Murnikov raced in the 1989-1990 Whitbread Round the World Race on a meager budget with Fasizi, the event's first Soviet entry. He's rooting for Team Russia in the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. |
Twenty years ago I was part of it, now I'm just a spectator. Then, I crossed the ocean on a fast, sleek, and very wet boat nicknamed "The Russian Submarine." Now, in an armchair next to a fireplace, I watch the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race live on my laptop, looking on as a powerful racing yacht hits a 25-foot wall of water at speeds approaching 40 knots. We thought our ride was wet, but apparently we didn't know what "wet" means. Then, it was spray rushing across the deck with the speed and power of a fire hydrant. Now, I feel miserable just watching these guys, strapped to the boat flying through the water, totally submerged at times. How could anyone survive this day in and day out?
Mercifully, even the toughest leg at sea eventually comes to an end. In sharp contrast to the fury the ocean unleashed on sailors throughout much of Leg 1, a bright, sunny morning greeted first-place Ericsson 4 at the finish line in Cape Town, South Africa, earlier this month. I had to wait another 31 hours until Team Russia, the boat I've been rooting for, sailed in to the harbor. Team Russia was sixth to finish; the only two boats it beat had been handicapped by damages.
I may have been more disappointed than the guys on the Russian team. After all, they had something to celebrate-- a lot actually-- a safe arrival after an extremely difficult leg of the most challenging sailboat race in the world. I guess I had hoped they would do much better-- at least better than my team did two decades ago.
