After talking to all of the solo sailors it seems that this race was one of the toughest with everybody breaking something or other. It was great to see the last and smallest boat in, Trish Lewis in Wishbone, a day before the prize giving. I would have to say by the look of the sailors a week after they finished, the after race celebrations is just about harder than the race itself they all had a great time in Mooloolaba. The prize-giving was held in the yacht club at the Mooloolaba marina hosted by the SCYC. It was a great evening with a nice dinner, a great crowd nearly 200 people, they all had a great time. A highlight at the end of the evening was that Jessica Watson rang in for a sked with me and it was a good line so we used the pa system to get the crowd to ask her questions and she could answer them with every one hearing them. With all the solo sailors there they could relate to what she was going through, a very special moment.
With all the sailors starting to go their own way it is time for BWR to get ready for the next trip which I will talk about in the next blog. A very big thank you to all my supporters and all the organizing committees on both sides of the Tasman. They make it all possible and the sponsors as well, and of course the sailors, it takes a special kind of person to do a solo race (or maybe just crazy), any way it is a great race and should be kept going for another 40 years.
Bruce
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Hello Bruce,
ReplyDeleteGreat update on the prize ceremony. I have enjoyed learning about the Trans-Tasman Solo Race and it's history. That's a very special group of people , and it's great you could have a "conference call" with Jesse. Only people that have done a lot of solo sailing can really have a feel for what she is going through. Be safe when you sail down the Tasman for your rendezvous. When JWs book comes out, it will be great to find out what techniques she is using to cope with conditions.
Best Regards, Congratulations again on your win!
Richard