From the Feedback - 25/1/01

We'll be publishing the choicest moments from the stuff you send us - but each contribution may or may not be subjected to a rigorous process of editing for language, taste and imparted wisdom. And of course, as they so famously say at the start of anything like this, the opinions expressed in From the Feedback do not necessarily reflect those of the management, staff or investors of madforsport.com. Instead, and much more importantly, they reflect your views.

From Stephen White,
So how many do you think will finish The Race now? The most posed question in yachting circles so far this year (perhaps apart from queries concerning ISAF memberships and race eligibility). The answer, time only will tell. Some individuals believed "The Race" could be won in a monohull, however, a conservatively sailed strongly-built vessel like Club Med ought to be able to circumnavigate the globe considerably quicker than a monohull of similar size with plenty in reserve. It is a shame that PlayStation was forced out and Cam's team has also encountered major issues. This event is undoubtedly spectacular with enthralling anecdotes from the head of the fleet capturing the imagination of the yachting public stuck in the office thousands of miles away. I hope to see Team Adventure re-start in good time and chase down Club Med in the same spirit as Mike Golding has chased the Vendee Globe fleet. Godspeed to all in "The Race"

From Gavin Agnew,
Did they push it too hard? You can bet your wife, kids and house that Club Med was pushing just as hard as Team Adventure (Evidence of this perhaps, the report of the forward trampoline lashings breaking).There is an unremitting competitive streak to Dalton and no amount of postulating about easing off the throttle could convince anyone that, with a rival so close, Club Med would have been being sailed more easily. There are 2 significant differences between the boats. Firstly, Club Med does not have the solid 'fairing' down the hull (this must act as a water deflector as well), just the traditional lifelines. Having been lucky to be in Barcelona for the week before the start, the second difference was glaringly obvious. By Thursday, while the other five boats were pictures of organised chaos, Club Med was a picture of serene calm. Dalton and crew were 100% ready to go - only the food to be loaded. Having the miles under their belts, any potential weak spots had been identified and corrected. This game is all about preparation and Dalton and crew were prepared. Innovation Explorer could/should now be concerned as they too have the same solid fairings. No, they were not pushing too hard, just racing as hard as only two fiercely competitive people such as Dalton and Lewis know how.

From Bear Cheese,
Vendee or The Race - which is more exciting for watchers? Told you so. If Team Adventure didn't slow down they'd have a wreck. I still think Team Legato as the tortoise is going to surprise everybody. I do think Lewis is right to continue, and I hope that he does sail more conservatively, everyone who finishes this race will be a hero just for that, and the more that finish, the better the odds are of running this thing again.

From George Conk,
So how many do you think will finish now? Everyone still eastbound will probably finish now. But The Race is practically over now. Dalton can throttle back. Innovation Explorer knows that it can't catch Dalton - and needs to throttle back, and the trailers will trail. The all-out racing that we have seen in the Whitbread will not happen here. And the fascinating tactical duelling between Dalton and Lewis is now, sadly, over.
Vendee or The Race - which is more exciting for watchers? Man against himself, man against the sea is a much more dramatic story in the Vendee Globe. Climbing the rigging, repairing the mast and putting back to sea (seamanship plus). Plus close racing. You can tell the guy in the filling station or behind the wheel of a truck about genius like Michel Desjoyeaux starting his diesel with wind power. As for the big cats, if the racing were closer,I think the tactical aspects - the weather system strategies and so on could be fascinating. And if we had more visual images of these big cats flying through big seas that would be great.

From Stein Varjord,
Vendee or The Race - which is more exciting for watchers? For me, The Race is definitely the most exciting event. Partly because I am do multihull racing myself, but also because it's about huge boats, extreme speeds, innovation, imminent danger and spectacular breakdowns.... It is a big loss of entertainment value that Team Philips did not have a few more months to get ready. If she had been made structurally healthy, I am convinced that she would by now have been way ahead of all others. Much better concept. That would have triggered real fascination.

From A W Banks,
Team Adventure's mishap, inevitable or not? In some ways an inevitable consequence of the design of these large multihulls, and perhaps a vindication of Adrian Thompson's ideas. - Although one should add that perhaps the failure was exacerbated in Team Adventure's case by having a taller, more powerful wing mast than the other two Ollier boats, thereby putting greater loads through the main beam.