I have had a close affiliation with The Ocean Race since the 2011-12 edition. Back then I worked at the race headquarters in Alicante, Spain in the communications team helping create the content that was published on the official website and sent out to the mainstream media in daily press releases.
It was a dream job for me and I can still remember the excitement I felt on my first day as I sat down at my desk, right outside the glass-fronted race control room, from where the competing yachts were monitored around-the-clock during racing.
That high tech room looked for all the world like a modified version of the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. It was hallowed ground and the glass door remained locked to all but the race’s senior management – the likes of CEO Knut Frostad, race director Jack Lloyd (RIP), and race control director and meteorologist Gonzalo Infante. Only occasionally would mere mortals like myself be allowed inside.
Saturday November 5, 2011 – the first evening of the 2011-12 race – will live in my mind forever.
I check-in with Tudor Team Alinghi’s director for technical and sailing, New Zealand America’s Cup veteran Dave Endean – the man in charge of making sure that in AC38 the Swiss syndicate improves on its somewhat lacklustre performance in the last Cup in Barcelona.
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