The Sun Goes Down On Vestas Sailrocket After One Last Run

Here is Paul Larsen speaking about yesterday.  “We went out to speed-spot as it was our final day of this two month record period as we didn’t want to miss any opportunity. I knew the odds for setting records were against us. Strong winds weren’t forecast but we had to leave no stone unturned.There was another element. For all I know now, these might be the last runs that this boat does on this course. Now of course nothing is for certain. If the best way forward for us is to push on here with this boat then we WILL, as a team, make it happen… but that is to be decided later with all relevant parties present. For us down here at the coal-face… yesterday was a chance to just go out, give it a good bash… and enjoy the wonderful boat which we have nurtured into becoming one of the fastest sailing craft on the planet. Seeing as this month will see in the 100th birthday for Bernard Smith, the conceptual father of our wonderful boat, I was keen to post our 100th run as a sort of homage. We had done 98 runs down this gorgeous course and I was also determined not to do a ‘Bradman’. For those of you not familiar with Donald Bradman, he was a legendary Australian cricket player who was a wizard batsman throughout the Depression (the other one) and on to 1948. On his last appearance he only needed to score 4 runs to record a career average of 100 runs… nearly twice that of any rival batsman. He received a huge and extended ovation as he took the field which left him quite emotional. On only his second ball he was bowled out for a ‘duck’ (no runs). The great man left the game with a career average of 99.94 runs. Later in the change rooms as he took of his cricket pads he was left to remark ‘Gee Whiz, fancy doing that’. Even if we didn’t get good conditions I was keen to post 100 runs of our own.So as we wheeled VESTAS SAILROCKET out of her soft hangar I reflected on all the other times we had done just this, all the people that have helped us and all the dreams and aspirations that had gone with each appearance. I took note of all the modifications and repairs and what they represented. The trip across the lagoon entrance to speed-spot was pretty quiet. So speed-spot was in fine form as the wind gusted up to 20 knots. The sun was shining and a mist of sand was blowing across the beach at just the right angle. I knew it wasn’t strong enough for records but decided to have one more shot at the mile just in case we got lucky. It would give me more time to enjoy the boat as well.