February 13, 2006
Volvo Ocean Race
Sunday we spent messing about with boats as we ventured out onto Port Philip Bay to watch the start of the third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. 70 foot yachts are a whole new world to me but it's certainly an exciting event and the start (off Station Pier) was great to see close up. The spectator crowd was not as big as the previous week with the in-port race and so we had a nice view quite close to the start.
The excitement was even greater when Pirates of the Caribean took off and lead over the starting line and down through the bay at a cracking pace. There's nothing like the a skull-and-crossbones to add a thrill to proceedings and with a name like that they deserve to win. So much more exciting than a boat named after a bank!
The spectator fleet set off down the bay after the boats including us on our rather slow and lumpy whale-watching boat. We managed to keep up for a good while with a suprising turn of speed from the old-girl before turning back towards the city and Docklands to finish lunch and drinks at a more leisurely pace.
'We' were Ron and Kees and I. Judy opted to stay at home and mind the kids so Jacob got to spend the day with Beatrice, Queenie and Charlie. Just about his favourite way of spending a day at the moment! The photo above is as we were heading down the bay after the start. You can see all six of the competitors. Below is a shot of Melbourne from the water.
You can see some 'real' photos here.
Posted by Faith