Saturday, October 4, 2008

Volvo Ocean Race, Alicante

Second only to the America’s Cup in poularity, the Ocean Race is by far the most grueling and challenging sailing race in the world. Formerly known as the Whitbred Round the World Race and often referred to as the "Mt. Everest of Sailing", 8 teams of 11 men per boat will head out on Oct 11 to circumnavigate the world, with their first stop in Cape Town, South Africa. This was the first time that the race would launch from the Mediterranean, and Alicante (about 85 KM Southwest of us) was selected to host this international event. They pulled out all the stops to put this picturesque seaside city on the map, building a huge race village on the port, with activities, an in-port regatta, demonstrations, concerts and exhibits. On the day we visited there were also a number of activities designed for the kids, such as musical chairs, sack races, face painting and a “bucking surfboard”. While a bit too crowded to see everything, Kellen summed up the day nicely – “Daddy, I didn’t think I would, but I actually had a lot of fun today!” It probably didn’t hurt that he won a tee-shirt at the sack races...

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