“It is an honour to go sailing with a team that is so together and so sorted out. I was telling Charles that it is just nice to be on a boat like this. Everyone knows their job and it is obviously an exceptional group of sailors.
It was fun being out there for the ride without any pressure. I get to second guess at the end of the day and ask why they did certain things. It was fun and a good day out.
Winning legs is great but the whole objective is to hold the big trophy over your head at the end of the race. I think these guys totally understand what is at stake. There is a lot of the race left, with four legs worth of points if you consider the transatlantic and the double points you can earn. These guys are veterans, they understand the game and I would not count out this team.
They are obviously very fast and strong. Everybody is healthy and that is a big part of the race right now, being healthy, feeling fit and not being exhausted. Newport is doing a nice job of showing people that in North America there is a real good fan base here that appreciates good sailing.
Charles needs no introduction anywhere in the sailing world now. He has obviously proved himself in the biggest of stages and he has assembled a cracking team. You can assemble a team of all-stars but if they do not mesh then they may not have a great result at the end. He has assembled a great group that not only has talent but that still like each other which is hard because you are living in this tiny confined space. They respect each other and they all absolutely know their jobs. I would not count this team out. They are in a nice spot and they have just got to go beat that Spanish boat a couple of times, that is all.”
