For all of the teams, however, there was one important task to be done here in New York; sponsor fulfillment. ABN Amro had perhaps one of the biggest public areas, including a full motion sailing simulator. For professional sailor Billy Liberty of Eastern Connecticut, the stopover and simulator were a perfect excuse to spend a day with his 8 year old daughter, Simone. “Wow, that was cool!” exclaimed Simone after exiting the ride, drier than most of the other passengers. Her father was equally impressed. “It’s wild to see how fast these boats really are.” said Liberty, who just returned from competing in Antigua Sailing Week. When asked how the simulator compared to real life, Liberty said, “The simulator is great. It’s much better than bringing my daughter to the [Gulf] Stream.”
Just behind the ABN Amro display, schoolchildren from PS 42 and 89 in New York, many of them adorned with Pirates of the Caribbean scarves, were battering Volvo crew members with questions. Brasil ’s Torben Grael, ABN 2’s Luke Molloy, and Brunel’s Graeme Taylor candidly answered such questions as “How do you go to the bathroom?” and “What happens if you sink?” While the children were learning that Torben Grael would be playing tennis if he weren’t a professional sailor, Pirates of the Caribbean were out on a sponsor sail in New York Harbor.
It is these ports of call that dictate the ultimate success of the Ericsson Racing Team. In a day designed to entertain employees and
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