![]() ![]() CEO Mark Towill hasn't moved or reacted, he's just staring blankly at the screen, waiting for confirmation of what everyone in the room knew, deep down, was inevitable. The 11th Hour Racing Team shore crew look panic-stricken, some with their hands on their heads and others grabbing the closest person. "Whoa, WHOA," shouts Irish as the broadcast suddenly cuts away leaving the entire room guessing what had just happened. Out of nowhere the room collectively gasps and those loosely paying attention to the TVs jerk their heads up to look at the screen just in time to see GUYOT environemment - Team Europe's bow very clearly heading straight for the aft section of 11th Hour Racing Team's port side hull. The first 17 minutes of the race were relatively uneventful, the various Ocean Race teams watched the broadcast together at the beginning of a traditional gathering unofficially referred to as the 'Thank God They've Gone' party. "Well, well, well," begins James 'Irish' O'Mahony, Boat Captain of 11th Hour Racing Team shoreside holding a beer. Shortly after dock-off the remaining non-sailing members of the team all gathered in the Sailors' Terrace to watch the start of the race. Because 11th Hour Racing Team was flying. A win that has been a lifetime in the making for Charlie and Mark, a decade in the making for 11th Hour Racing and three years in the making for this team.Ī win for either the leg or the race wasn't guaranteed of course, Team Holcim - PRB are fierce competitors and more than capable of putting the two boats needed in between them and 11th Hour Racing Team to steal the trophy, but it would have been exactly that - a steal. After all, the big win is finally within their sights. The countdown begins and the crew are waved off the dock by an excited team. ![]() The two embrace briefly and Mark grabs Charlie by the shoulder and simply says quietly "You've got this." Skipper Charlie Enright finishes his routine dockside interview with Eurosport and immediately starts searching the pontoon for his best friend and the team CEO Mark Towill. "Do the Dutch clap like this all the time?" one of the shore team members asks Anje Marijcke van Boxtel, the team's (Dutch) mental coach in awe. The excitement was palpable and the crowds were wild. The atmosphere during dock off in The Hague was insane. We're pushing for everybody else."ĭo the Dutch clap like this all the time? When we're racing, in the moments that are tricky, we use the strength of our wider family to keep pushing because we're not just pushing for ourselves. "Do I want to win this leg into Italy, yes. I think of the wider team, the shore team, 11th Hour Racing, our friends and families who allow us to do this and you realize, it's just one big family. "But when I look at the position we're in as a team going into this final leg, I think about everyone behind the scenes. "This is a big event that takes a lot from people, takes them away from their homes and family and friends," she continues. Not only was 11th Hour Racing Team leading The Ocean Race overall, with closest competitors Team Holcim - PRB needing a two boat difference to gain on points, but the final destination of The Ocean Race was in Genoa, Italy, Francesca's home country - making this leg extra special. "How do I look in my new sunglasses?" asks an excited Francesca Clapcich in the team base ahead of the departure for Leg 7 of The Ocean Race. ![]() A pendulum of emotions ensued as high hopes for a big win were shattered, and the team were left picking up the pieces of a broken boat, and broken hearts. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice.It was supposed to be the highlight of the race for 11th Hour Racing Team, but just 17 minutes into the final leg, disaster struck. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie Preferences, as described in the Cookie Notice. ![]() Click ‘Customise Cookies’ to decline these cookies, make more detailed choices, or learn more. Third parties use cookies for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalised ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. This includes using first- and third-party cookies, which store or access standard device information such as a unique identifier. If you agree, we’ll also use cookies to complement your shopping experience across the Amazon stores as described in our Cookie Notice. We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so we can make improvements. We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie Notice. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |