With the keel repairs completed and in the midst of preparations for their departure from Wellington tomorrow morning, Michele was able to spare a couple of minutes to chat to Adrien Rumney, as she walked to the chandlery to get some last minute bits and pieces.

AR: Thanks for your time Michele. How have the repairs gone?

MP: Really well. The team worked very hard and we are very happy. It (the keel) is fixed. We did a lot of testing, a lot of ultra-sound and more testing. Structurally it is fine and we are happy to continue.

AR: Have you found the 48 hour minimum stop an opportunity to also refresh yourselves mentally and refocus on the race?

MP: It is tough to stop. We are so focussed on the race and continuing so it is very hard. We had damage though and it was the right decision to stop and have the keel checked.  But when we got to the hotel it was so great to go to bed and (with a big sigh) sleep.

AR: Mutua Madrilena have said they have made a “tactical” decision to stop. Do you think this could be an advantage to them or not?

MP: I haven’t heard what they are doing. It is a race and you are focussed on racing. I don’t understand stopping unless you really have to. They will lose at least 48 hours like we have and they were very well placed behind us. Maybe they have something wrong that they don’t want to talk about. That’s the only reason I think they would stop.

AR: Are you surprised at all at the amount of damage that has occurred in the race so far?

MP: No. We are pushing the boats so hard. It is a two-handed race and a long way from Barcelona around the world. There is not the same damage like this in the Vendee Globe, which is solo and you don’t push as hard. Because we are sailing two-handed we push the boat that much harder. These are new boats and we are using new materials as well.

AR: Are you looking forward to leaving tomorrow and rejoining the race?

MP: Of course. The South Pacific is a great place to be sailing and the Southern Ocean so tough. It is hard to having to stop.

AR: Looking ahead beyond this race do you have any plans for races in the future?

MP: No, it’s too far ahead. This race is everything at the moment. We plan only at the moment on getting to the finish. We are completely focussed two hundred percent on that.

Now, having reached the door of the chandlery and with it very nigh on closing time, it was time to let Michele get on with the business of returning Temenos to race trim and so I thanked her for her time and wished Temenos II the best of luck for the remainder of the race.

Adrian Rumney/BYM News

Photo Adrian Rumney. More exclusive images from Wellington.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 January 2008 )