PUMA and Telefónica joined Leg 4 winners Groupama on the podium on Sunday after coming off best in a frantic tussle for places coming into Auckland.
Skipper Ken Read (PUMA): "We don’t do it normal! But I said it a little while ago that the last 72 hours is the best we’ve sailed this boat. We put the boat in a position to win and the boat rewarded us. It’s the first time we’ve done that. We went and played with the big dogs and decided to go sit with Telefónica for a while and we beat them up pretty good. This is something to build on for us – I’m not saying that we’re perfect by any means, but it is just something absolutely that we can build on."
Navigator Tom Addis: "Finishing second is a big boost for the team. In the first leg we were travelling really well, in for first or second, and then the rig came down. That was a big setback, so it’s nice to get a result for sure. Momentum is a big thing in this sport for the shore crew as well as the sailing crew."
Skipper Iker Martinez (Team Telefonica): "We feel very good. Being on the podium is always something good. The fleet is a very high level and to be first you have to be very good. I really have to congratulate Groupama because they did a fantastic job. It’s nice to see them win a leg. We’re very happy with third position, it’s important for our future in the race."
Skipper Chris Nicholson (CAMPER): "It was pretty tricky and with a lot of compression. It could have gone either way, with Abu Dhabi coming right in there as well. We could have been fifth. It's amazing. We didn't see a boat since the start in Sanya until a day ago. We were hundreds of miles apart, and end up within boat lengths of each other at the finish."
Navigator Will Oxley: "I feel spent, I guess. We left it all on the racetrack, so we have nothing more to give. It didn't quite go our way but we certainly put on a show and so did Auckland. It's amazing. Nowhere else in the world do you get a welcome like this. You have to always hold that belief. Until they crossed the finish line we believed that we could beat them. But we didn't."
Skipper Ian Walker (Abu Dhabi): "If you know you've got legs on everyone else it's pretty easy -- you just stay near them and you chip away and you gain miles and every time you look at the computer you've gained on the opposition and and you keep the stress down. It's a bit harder if you're leaking miles. And that forces you to rake risks at times, which is not something you want to do because you're sailing against the best in the world and inevitably you come unstuck. You don't what to go spearing around taking risks because then you're just gambling and that's not what we're about. It's tough to keep it tight, keep battling away and wait for opportunities but that's what I thought we did on this leg."
Skipper Mike Sanderson (Team Sanya) : "It was a brutal leg, really brutal on the guys, really brutal on the boat. And particularly brutal as we’ve got to turn around in less than a week and go. All in all it’s been really tough both mentally and physically. The guys are beaten up and the boat’s in great shape really, but it’s done some hard miles. It was basically all the way close reaching or upwind. It’s wonderful to be home. It was a totally new piece of race track for me, and to do that bit of race track and end up in New Zealand was unbelievable. Coming down the coast for the last 16 hours or whatever it’s been is amazing."
Skipper Franck Cammas (Groupama sailing team): "I'm feeling very excited. It's a great day for Groupama 4 and it's great to arrive here first into Auckland. I'm pretty sure we're going to have a good time here with all the sailing fans. It's a good place to win for sure.
"It’s the first win for Groupama in the Volvo Ocean Race and it’s a win in New Zealand, a very special country full of fans of sailing. It’s a great day for us for sure. We prefer to win here – it’s a good place to win.
"The way to win is always the same – we have to be fast, we have to have a good strategy and we have to be reliable. We did these three things which was very good for us. In terms of strategy, we did a big move in the north with PUMA and I think us and PUMA will finish first and second in this leg because of this. It was the key point in this leg."
From : VOR
Credit : M.Bow/VOR
Skipper Ken Read (PUMA): "We don’t do it normal! But I said it a little while ago that the last 72 hours is the best we’ve sailed this boat. We put the boat in a position to win and the boat rewarded us. It’s the first time we’ve done that. We went and played with the big dogs and decided to go sit with Telefónica for a while and we beat them up pretty good. This is something to build on for us – I’m not saying that we’re perfect by any means, but it is just something absolutely that we can build on."
Navigator Tom Addis: "Finishing second is a big boost for the team. In the first leg we were travelling really well, in for first or second, and then the rig came down. That was a big setback, so it’s nice to get a result for sure. Momentum is a big thing in this sport for the shore crew as well as the sailing crew."
Skipper Iker Martinez (Team Telefonica): "We feel very good. Being on the podium is always something good. The fleet is a very high level and to be first you have to be very good. I really have to congratulate Groupama because they did a fantastic job. It’s nice to see them win a leg. We’re very happy with third position, it’s important for our future in the race."
Skipper Chris Nicholson (CAMPER): "It was pretty tricky and with a lot of compression. It could have gone either way, with Abu Dhabi coming right in there as well. We could have been fifth. It's amazing. We didn't see a boat since the start in Sanya until a day ago. We were hundreds of miles apart, and end up within boat lengths of each other at the finish."
Navigator Will Oxley: "I feel spent, I guess. We left it all on the racetrack, so we have nothing more to give. It didn't quite go our way but we certainly put on a show and so did Auckland. It's amazing. Nowhere else in the world do you get a welcome like this. You have to always hold that belief. Until they crossed the finish line we believed that we could beat them. But we didn't."
Skipper Ian Walker (Abu Dhabi): "If you know you've got legs on everyone else it's pretty easy -- you just stay near them and you chip away and you gain miles and every time you look at the computer you've gained on the opposition and and you keep the stress down. It's a bit harder if you're leaking miles. And that forces you to rake risks at times, which is not something you want to do because you're sailing against the best in the world and inevitably you come unstuck. You don't what to go spearing around taking risks because then you're just gambling and that's not what we're about. It's tough to keep it tight, keep battling away and wait for opportunities but that's what I thought we did on this leg."
Skipper Mike Sanderson (Team Sanya) : "It was a brutal leg, really brutal on the guys, really brutal on the boat. And particularly brutal as we’ve got to turn around in less than a week and go. All in all it’s been really tough both mentally and physically. The guys are beaten up and the boat’s in great shape really, but it’s done some hard miles. It was basically all the way close reaching or upwind. It’s wonderful to be home. It was a totally new piece of race track for me, and to do that bit of race track and end up in New Zealand was unbelievable. Coming down the coast for the last 16 hours or whatever it’s been is amazing."
Skipper Franck Cammas (Groupama sailing team): "I'm feeling very excited. It's a great day for Groupama 4 and it's great to arrive here first into Auckland. I'm pretty sure we're going to have a good time here with all the sailing fans. It's a good place to win for sure.
"It’s the first win for Groupama in the Volvo Ocean Race and it’s a win in New Zealand, a very special country full of fans of sailing. It’s a great day for us for sure. We prefer to win here – it’s a good place to win.
"The way to win is always the same – we have to be fast, we have to have a good strategy and we have to be reliable. We did these three things which was very good for us. In terms of strategy, we did a big move in the north with PUMA and I think us and PUMA will finish first and second in this leg because of this. It was the key point in this leg."
From : VOR
