Well, It’s Over.... Leg 5 That Is

After 40 + days, everyone in the Volvo Ocean Race has made it to Rio. There were a lot of things that I’ve wanted to comment on as this leg evolved, but in the end, I though it would be fun to reflect back on the highlights (plus I don’t want this blog to be all VOR all the time…I think they have a website for that and actually pay the person that writes that blog).
Here are my top 3 moments of the leg.

Well Crap
Not even to the first scoring gate and Telefonica Blue breaks it’s forestay. What a total burn! I like these guys and I love Bekking’s determination in the VOR (we all recall Movistar 05-06). This man clearly loves this game, and I give him, and the whole team, major props for finding a solution and making it work all the way to Rio. Impressive and quite admirable.

Ballsy Moves
Sure it was calculated, but we’ve all heard, when in the southern ocean, head south. However, the guys on Ericsson 3 and the young navigator, AKSEL MAGDAHL, challenged this age-old philosophy. They hit the scoring gate off New Zealand and TACKED!!! To put it rather bluntly, this took balls. I dig it. All of us who ever have to make critical choices can take a note or two from this situation. It was a big risk that would yield a big reward. At one point heading to Cape Horn, these guys were 300 MILES ahead of the second place boat! How stoked am I that these guys went on to win the leg. I’ve got to say, I was stoked for them at the first scoring gate, being 2nd after starting 7 hours behind, and then I was thrilled when I checked the VOR site and learned that even with them and E4 going into “stealth mode” in tricky and light conditions off Rio, Ericsson 3 managed to pull out a well deserved victory. I loved it…I would like to say it was the balls-ist move of the leg…but then what would I say about my last favorite moment?!?!?

Naked
Spinlock, listen up! Casey Smith is running around NAKED in the Southern Ocean… but he’s still wearing your deck harness….when you only have ONE equipment choice. I’m heading off to Boston in a few weeks for the in-port race and restart, if I only meet ONE person, I want to meet Casey Smith, Bowman on PUMA. Dude rounded Cape Horn naked!!! AND IT’S ON FILM!!! I’ve got to say, this is the kind of footage we need more of in sailing. People doing fun and crazy things (believe it or not, it is relatable! We’ve all done something crazy!) This move took some serious balls…pun totally intended, and I think everyone loved it! It shows what sailing is all about….Fun crazy shit!

The southern ocean leg and rounding of Cape Horn will forever be my favorite part of the Volvo. Something magical seems to happen down there, signs are made, family photo’s are taken, cigars and drinks are had, and sometimes someone even gets naked. It just seems that regardless of if you are first or last, you are happy to get there, and happy that Neptune can give you safe passage. It seems like the most sentimental part of the race, and I think that’s what makes it so cool. Everyone is just stoked to be where they are and be sharing that moment with their friends. That’s epic…and totally what our sport is all about. If you had to ask me why I want to sail the VOR, rounding Cape Horn would be damn near the top, and not because I want to knock it off the list, but quite the opposite! I want to experience it, with an amazing group of people, and just be in that moment, where nothing else matters, it’s just you, your friends, your boat, and the Cape…

Stoked

Well, it is almost April here in Milwaukee, WI and of course, it is supposed to snow. I received this bleak weather updated on Friday morning, and needless to say, was very disappointed. This is typically the time of the year where I start itching to get back out on the water, and I was actually contemplating taking my laser to Chicago, but alas, Mother Nature is putting a stop to that plan.
Taj Burrow : photo Steve Robertson

I had to do something to get my mind off of the inevitable cold front that was looming a mere 12 hours away, so I threw on “Step into Liquid”. I’ve never surfed before, but believe me, it is high on my list of things to do before I turn 30 (I’m about to be 25, so the big 3 0 seems to be creeping up on me). Anyways, if you haven’t seen “Step into Liquid” I suggest you stop reading this…go to the Blockbuster and get this movie. Epic only begins to describe it. The first time I watched the film I finished it @ 2a.m. and pressed play again. It’s that good. The thing that gets me about this film every time is how stoked people are about surfing. It seems that it is just about them being in the moment, with the energy of the waves looking for that one sweet ride, and the feeling that ride creates just keeps them coming back, looking for that perfect wave. I get stoked just watching this movie, and I can only imagine that was what the director was going for. It makes me wonder if that feeling that I get when I go sailing is the same thing. All the more reason to try surfing and find out!

I think one of the most interesting things about sports in general is that everyone is getting stoked about their own thing. I only hope there are people out there as stoked about something as I am about sailing.

The Simple Pleasures of Sled Racing...Dog Sled Racing That Is

This evening I found myself drawn into the Versus channel. No, I wasn’t watching the Volvo coverage that I missed; I was actually watching the first two episodes of the 2009 Iditarod. I was mesmerized watching the programming, and to be honest, I just finished checking out the website and seeing who won, which was really exciting (mainly because I watched the TV shows and was itching to find out)! Apparently the Iditarod has been coined, “The Last Great Race on Earth”. Needless to say, I was intrigued by this boastful claim; what I’ve come to find is that the Iditarod, is an epic race. (Check it → www.iditarod.com)

The race traverses Alaska, East to West (Anchorage to Nome) and covers 1150 miles. With a 24-hour mandatory rest point, the winner finished in 9 days, 21 hours, 38 minutes and 46 seconds. Second place was a full 8 hours behind! I find this REMARKABLE. I will likely never come close to doing the Iditarod, I’ll be lucky if I get to be pulled on a sled by 16 racing machines (how cool would that be), but I do hope to accomplish something epic like that one day. What I think hooked me in during the two hours of sled racing that I watched, was that I learned about the rivals, about the dogs, the terrain, and about the men and women who compete in the Iditarod every year.There are favorites just like any other sport, and there is strategy, but most of all there is an overwhelming since of pride and accomplishment that comes with competing, and if you’re lucky, winning. At one point I caught a glimpse of a trophy, but it was brief. I don’t even know if these people win money, what I do know is that all the people are passionate about the Iditarod and dog sled racing, they love their sport at it’s core, and I find this so refreshing.

Now, I can’t imagine that being pulled by 16 dogs across Alaska is something that many people can relate to…I certainly don’t relate…but this is prime time television for Versus. I would like to think sailing could take a hint from this, but I like to think that in the end, we are all out there for pride. Maybe instead of our media focusing on the court battles, and the millions of dollars being spent on AC and Volvo programs, we can really get back to why we all race sailboats, for the opportunity to succeed, and the joy of being on the water…for the passion and pride of a sport that we love. So in my media plea…PLEASE tell us the stories of the people sailing these races, don’t sensationalize it…simplify it. When I watch the AC (if it ever happens) tell me all of Dean Barker’s resume, but then actually tell me about HIM, and tell me about the grinder and the bowman on Team Origin, not just about Ben Ainslie and Ian Percy. Make our rock stars relatable people, and don’t worry, the fans of the sport will still put them on a pedestal (I know I will)! And who knows, maybe the people looking in won’t think we are all blazer wearing yachtie’s, maybe they will see the similarities rather than the differences, and this will draw them in. And hopefully they will recognize, that in the end, no matter what we are competing for, we are all in pursuit of the same goal…the joy of participating in something we love, and the pride that comes along with hard earned success.

Is that a Mt. Gay Rum Hat? Do you sail?

The other day I was staring at the pile of clothes on my floor thinking, "wow, I should clean", then I went home for the weekend with my best friend Meg (clearly not cleaning). While home Meg let my mom in on the fact that my room looked like a bomb went off, so I actually did clean (I promise mom!) when I arrived back home. In cleaning I started to pick up the multitude of hats that I have. Not winter hats (interesting fact: winter hats are call Tuks in Canada...strange) and not girly hats, just normal hats. I suddenly realized; I have a ton of hats! I was even more taken aback to realize I had a bag under my bed.... with more hats! Oh, and dare I mention the pile I have going in my closet at my parents house in Chicago. How did I acquire all of these hats? Ahh yes...I race sail boats.

I mean honestly, how am I supposed to get through all of these?!?! Every event that Mt. Gay sponsors…BAM another hat (not that I’m hating on Mt. Gay…I love Mt. Gay and thank them for supporting a good amount of my summer time drinking), it never ends! Round out my collection with some Rolex hats, Volvo, and my Cubs hat, and I am really set for life. But I can almost guarantee that come June, July, and August, I will manage to collect more hats.
Here is my favorite thing about the red Mt. Gay hat though, it is like a glowing beacon, the red nose on Rudolph, signaling to people far and wide, “YES! LOOK AT ME! I SAIL! Do you sail? YOU DO! We should totally be friends!”
Well, I’ve done some thinking, and I really think there are some Mt. Gay hat “guidelines” we might all want to consider. I don’t want to call these “Rules”, and I swear, I don’t judge people based on the hat they wear (well maybe just a tiny bit ☺). These are just some things I consider. First off, (so you know where I’m coming from) regardless of my plethora of Mt. Gay hats, I really only wear one…that’s right, and quite often I would rather wear at hat from Miami OCR, or my Brazil hat from the 2005 Volvo. So I have my one hat, and it is old. The 1999 Chicago NOOD regatta. Here is the funny part…I never was given this hat for sailing! I was wearing a Navy hat and traded it with a drunk guy who thought I went to the academy (I was going into 9th grade at the time) I won out. This hat has the old logo…that’s how you know it’s good.
1. Logo year (we just discussed this)
2. Is the hat being worn during the regatta in which you are currently attending? –This is a big pet peeve of mine; don’t wear the hat until the event is over! You’ll jinx it! I also take this as a sign of a new sailor
3. How faded is the hat? Be careful here people cheat and put them in the dishwasher! Terrible, I know.
4. What is the event?!?! Some events are run of the mill. You can tell the better sailors from the rest if they are wearing a more exotic hat. Key West Race Week = more exotic than any NOOD. The exception to this rule, really small random events.

Believe me, I’m not hating on Mt. Gay hats. I’m pretty sure I was the coolest 9th grader EVER because I had one. I just think they are funny. Mt. Gay has done an amazing job of creating a symbol for our tribe of sailors. It’s a symbol that we spot from a mile away, on ski hills out West, across city streets, and in the check out line at the grocery store. We may never talk to these people we spot, but we know, we exchange a smile and acknowledge that we are all part of a special group, the same tribe, and a the end of the day...we may even make a friend. They are pretty amazing hats…no wonder I have them stock piled in my closet!

No DVR = No VOR

I discovered something awful this week. My DVR is NOT in working order (Damn you Time Warner Cable)! Not only did I miss The Office (thank goodness for Hulu), I missed the Volvo show! I also found out that we got to actually see Puma’s boom break, which I was not able to locate online. Well, believe you me I will be searching for a copy of the program (I wish I could Hulu it).

I’m not sure how many people out there are watching these monthly installments, but they are kind of…funky. The “story board” starts out in the middle of a leg, shows you the finish, LOTS of In-Port stuff, and then the re-start. You are left with the “cliff-hanger” of what happens. I don’t want to knock this format, because I THINK I see what the VOR is trying to do…hook someone in and make them want to tune in next time. I wonder though, this program is on mid-afternoon, once a month. I get it on Versus, squeezed between 3 hours of bass fishing and 5 hours of Bull riding (fascinating stuff). I’m thinking that the demographic that was watching Bass fishing, or getting ready for Bull riding isn’t going to give a rats ass about guys flying around the world on Volvo Open 70’s (and yes, there is ALWAYS an exception to the rule, but I’m going to ignore that right now). The people that want to watch this show are at work and have selected the season to record on their DVR (grrrr…). So what is the thought here? And if these are the people watching, why are you giving me a cliff hanger?!?!?! I follow the race any way! I just want to see the cool stuff that I don’t get to see online!

Yachtie Karate in the Home...(possibly arts and crafts time!)

That's right...you heard me! To fill you all in, I've grown up sailing. I started out when I was 8 years old sailing Opti's at Columbia Yacht Club. I loved it, got my own Laser when I was 12, and never looked back. My parents, however, were not the ones that had been sailing all their lives, in fact, my mother once got violently sea sick and my father, well he never even liked going to the beach! Anyways, when I was in about 8th grade I would come home from sailing and start jabbering on about tacks, windward marks and so on. They had no clue what I was say and figured, "Hey, our kid really digs this whole sailing thing...we better jump on board". BEST MOVE EVER!

My parents took about two weeks of sailing classes and were hooked (those grey wristband things work for sea sickness! Ask my mom!). They purchased a Beneteau 36s7 (not to be confused with the 36.7), sailed it for a few years and realized, as fun as it was cruising around, they would much rather be racing. They sold the 36 and purchased a Beneteau 40.7, which at the time was a budding one-design class in Chicago. They eventually tricked me into sailing with them, and well, the rest is better told over a beer.

Point is, my family is totally into sailing, and we are total visual people. We sit and discussing racing at the dinner table fairly consistently, and given that my parents are both architects, we all like to diagram things out. One year for a Chicago-Mac crew meeting we put out an easel with a large pad of paper. Well the Mac came and went but the easel stayed. Through multiple seasons it sat just off the corner of our dinning room table (this killed my mom, but she played along).

On Christmas, in an effort to be a little “greener" I purchased a white board for my parents! Complete with a little set of boats. Now I'm not going to knock who ever makes and sells the little boat kits, but people...DO IT YOURSELF! It is really simple to cut out different color boats stick on some magnet tape and personalize your at home fleet! I've included some sweet photos so you can all get a feel for what we have in the Muller household.

Don't be afraid to unleash your inner nerd (hey, we sail, we're geeks) and take your karate to the next level. I mean my mom put the white board away at some point when I was gone at school, and sure enough, we were sitting at dinner, debating over something or another that happened on the course, trying to use butter knives and pepper grinders, and my Dad looked up and said, "well now, where the hell is the white board?!?!" It's useful, and who knows, it could lead to hours of stimulating family conversation (or you may have to break out the rule book 2 bottles of wine later) No matter what, good times will be had by all!

Tactics..Strategy..or Total Tech Domination

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the Volvo Ocean Race. I had a hard time getting into this addition early on, given that it overlapped with the Vendee, which is easily one of the coolest races on earth. I was too busy waking up every day and checking to see if another boat had dropped out, that I really paid little attention to the VOR. However, with the Vendee pretty much over, I've been able to turn my full attention to the Volvo, and at just the right time!

The race thus far has been exciting, but in a much different way than it was before. The new route is taking sailors and race followers to new places, which is very exciting. The addition on the "media crew" member has increased everyone’s awareness of what "Life at the extreme" is really like, and the constant communication with crewmembers via, video, e-mail, blogging, race trackers etc. has made it possible for everyone to know everything that is happening almost all of the time! The total media saturation is fantastic, especially when you want to really show someone what ocean racing is about. I know I have friends who just didn't get what I was talking about when I would go on about this race and how intense it is, then I'd show them a video, and they are suddenly, "Oh my god!" "That's INSANE!" It is a GREAT reaction when they finally get it.

Not only has all this technology made a difference for the spectator, increased technology has also changed the way this race is being sailed. With weather updates coming in every 3 hours strategy has taken a backseat to tactics leaving boats incredibly close. After approximately 5,000 nautical miles, E3 passed the scoring gate off New Zealand a mere 32 minutes behind E4, and Puma was only 10 minutes behind them! Oh, and did I mention that E3 started about 7 hours behind the fleet! Now, I have some friends who are good at math (thank goodness, because it is not my strong point)...and one of them figured the following out. "If you scale the first half of this leg (~5,000 miles) to an 8 mile buoy race, the time between E3 and Puma would have been less than one second and the time between E3 and E4 would have been less than three seconds! That's crazy shit!!” Thank you Graham! Oh yes, and by the way, 10 minutes of separation over 5000 miles, is just over one tenth of a second per mile.... it would be the difference between sneezing while facing forward vs. aft once a mile (also from GW).

Now, this is a whole new kind of excitement that I can get behind! With things so close, there is new excitement every day! When you talk about exciting course racing (think the finish in the final race of the 2007AC.) you think of every second counting, imagine going 5,000 miles, and STILL having every second count! That is WILD! Imagine the endurance, excitement and stress involved! I'm stoked just thinking about it, you can sail all the way around the world, and one second can really matter. We've come a long, long way.

Media and technological advancements have given way to probably the most viewed VOR yet (figure there are currently 175,126 people registered for the VOR game). Yet a little part of me does miss the good old days where we all weren't really sure what was happening. The excitement built waiting for the next report, and you had a few days to let your thoughts sink in before you heard new news. Even as I type this, my above news is old news! In fact almost ironic! E3 crossed the scoring gate and immediately tacked, taking them ENE, in what really is one of the first big strategical moves of the race. They are currently in first 274 miles ahead of E4, proving that while tactics is important for points, strategy could possibly be what pays off in the end. Although, it is really only 1/2 way over, and I certainly don't want to get ahead of myself.

So in the end I'm left wondering, I'm I, as a sailor, a fan of this over saturation of coverage? Would I rather go back to the days of heighten anticipation for what happened next, like a good cliffhanger in your favorite T.V. show? Or do I enjoy the On Demand aspect of this edition, the same way I like watching Arrested Development on Hulu every night? The jury is out, as I could easily argue either side, but this is just the beginning of my thoughts on my most favorite of races.

First Photo Credit: Rick Deppe / Puma
SecondPhoto Credit:Gustav Morin / Ericsson Racing Team

Big Breeze in San Fran...Old School and New School

I thought that it would be a good idea to post a video of the Laser slalom out in San Fran (thank you EB) given my post about the ice boating. This is an event that started in the 70's...big breeze, two boats, lots of gybes...chances of a wipe out...pretty high. I've included the video from the first event. It's fantastic! Great music, great wipe outs and great sailing! (check out the reefed full rigs!) So after the 2008 NA's the event was resurrected! SWEET! Check it…(and thanks to the Laser Class and joe cool video for the fantastic yachting documentation)





Now there is no doubt, this is cool...but can it happen outside of a venue like San Fran? I'm not sure. Is anyone else even trying?!?!?! Not that I've seen. If you don't sail...do you still get it? (Seriously, I would love an answer on that one!) Something to add to the list of things to make happen this summer? YES! Keep following....we're going to try to make this happen this summer at SSYC...and fear not, it will be documented.

Oh, and lets all take a moment to refelect on how epic that old school laser sailing was...40 knots!!!!

Yachtie Karate in action

Some Yachtie Karate at its finest...I wish I could add a photo credit, but alas, I have no clue who took this photo, so thank you Mr. Coutts, Slam and Tomaz Copi (He's that other guy in the photo!!! And thanks Bill for knowing him and informing me!)..oh, and of course, thank you to the guy that took the photo!

Ice is Nice...But Should We Do When it Warms Up?

So I watched an ice boat video the other day (which I will attempt to post!!!). It wasn't normal ice boating, although, that is bad ass on it's own. What was cool about the video, was that it was one boat against another on an oval track of ice. The boats did a certain amount of laps, and who ever crossed the line first won...SO SIMPLE! What was even cooler was the crowd of people gathered around watching and cheering! Now, it was a nice sunny day, but let's face it...it's ice boating...it's cold. It got me thinking, how can we create something like this on the water? (The thawed water of course!)

Well, My good friend Nick had an idea to try something similar in lasers after Wednesday night races. There is a nice "horse shoe" shaped area in front of the Yacht club, and if the breeze is right (and preferably ripping) it could make for some pretty entertaining sailing, regardless of if you are watching or sailing. But would it be bad ass? The ice boat rally race (that's what I'm going to call it) was bad ass, on a few levels. It was fun to watch, you don't have to know a thing about ice boating to enjoy it, and there was a sweet crash at the end (NASCAR what?!!?). Basically, it was a marketable event. Marketable to people who ice boat, and marketable to people have no clue what ice boating entails. So can doing something like this on sail boats be marketable? Will people get it? I'm still not sold. (Don't worry Nick, I love your idea and will help, it is a HUGE step in a new direction).

Toronto

So I'm not sure that this is "Yachtie" but it is worth note. This is Duma, the water skiing dog, struting her stuff at the Toronto Boat Show. Duma is actually from Chicago (woohoo!), so thats some points in her favor. She is also water skiing in an empty hockey rink that has been filled with water directly from Lake Ontario...did I mention it was January? Thats some ICE COLD water!

Yachtie What?!

Yachtie Karate! It's simple, we've all been there...the race day is over, you're at the bar, and your rehashing that leward mark rounding for the 14 billionth time. Your beer is the port gate, my Mt. Gay and tonic the starboard, our hands...the "Yachts". The situation unfolds, "they were inside on port, so we gybed over etc. etc." Wait...was my boat my left hand or my right?!?!!?