As 11th Hour Racing Team gears up for race weekend here in Newport, Rhode Island, the crew reflects on the time spent in their home port, what it means to have leveled the playing field and finally, what’s at stake during Leg 5.
It’s been a busy time for the team In Newport! From the incredible – almost indescribable – moment of winning the leg into our home port, to Charlie Enright being invited behind the scenes with the iconic Red Sox, and welcoming the newest member of our team, Charlie Dalin.
This morning during a question and answer session at the 11th Hour Racing Team Base, the crew for Leg 5 (Charlie Enright – USA, Simon Fisher – GBR, Justine Mettraux – SUI, Charlie Dalin – FRA and Amory Ross USA) gave their thoughts on what it means to have leveled the playing field within the fleet, the competition, and of course – the most amazing welcome home.
“This feels like a reset, like a brand new race. You race differently when the scores are different. Our win here was absolutely amazing, but I don’t want our team thinking that’s the pinnacle of the race. It was a good feeling, but if we do what we are setting out to do, there’s a better feeling waiting for us [at the end of the Race] in July.
“The question is how much risk are we willing to take? You all know how many struggles we had in Leg 3, how many technical difficulties, and that meant we weren’t able to race in the way we wanted to. Leg 4 has shown that we can deliver, and we’re in the right place in terms of reliability – now is the time to push, push, push.” – Charlie Enright.