Although it took a little longer than usual to build our base, we got there in the end with the guys and girls doing a great job of making up for any lost time to get our set up right. It's always a little nerve-wracking when they are still pouring hundreds of tons of concrete on the jetty where your boats are supposed to go. The reality is though, that so far most things are going very well here with regards to services required to turn our boats around in the small time frame on offer.
There was definitely plenty of media attention given to the boat's plight throughout the leg. The boys onboard who tidied up the damage along the longitudinal areas of the boat whilst at sea have done a great job. Unfortunately all of their good work will go into the dumpster as we will remove any areas of concern and reconstitute any localized problems that came from Leg Two.
The work list for the India stopover presents plenty to keep us very busy, including the standard servicing program that we do during every stopover (similar to any F1 pit crew), as well as trying to get it all done in 100 plus degree heat. This only adds to the challenge- we are looking at working right through the cooler evening temperatures as well as the sweltering days.
None of the shore team can consume enough water in a day at present. The boat itself is like a sauna. When the boat builders step out from within the boat, you would think they've just stepped out of a swimming pool rather than the inside of a boat with two air conditioning units inside, desperately trying to keep the air temperature down! (without much success!)
In general, the boat got here in fairly good shape. Though we had some damage to the longitudinals, which isn't very helpful, thankfully it's not going to end our cause. Once we had seen the photographs of the damage, we were able to decide whether it was best to either concentrate on having the team repair the boat at sea, or you need to start looking at Google Earth to try and find a good place to get the boat to safety. Fortunately the former worked for us.
The mood amongst the team is very positive and we have put a lot of groundwork in place to make sure we get all our work done. We are confident that we have a very competitive boat in this race and will continue to do so. You always feel that you are asking more and more from the guys whokeep putting these boats back together. The harder it gets, even in visiting new places, the more they continue to voluntarily step up and get the bigger things done. We have a great team.
It is our hope to be back in the water by the 9th December, giving us our standard four day minimum to prep the boat whilst in the water before the start of the next leg, to Singapore.
I and the team are thoroughly enjoying life in India, and for the record I have not had a bad meal here! I feel a little guilty as I ate like a mulein Cape Town before leaving as I wasn't sure what to expect here in Cochin. That was a bad move as I'm now still eating like a mule as everything here is pretty good!!
Soon enough it'll be start day and off to Singapore. You will recognize me as I will be the fat bloke squeezed into a red technical PUMA shirt!
-Neil Cox
