First of all, I wish you a Happy New Year in good health, love, peace and economic wealth. May all your dreams come true! To be honest, I can’t believe that 2008 has already come to an end. It has been an amazing year for me. Especially the last six months. First the Olympics and then the Volvo Ocean Race… I couldn’t have asked for more.

As written before, my Volvo Ocean Race adventure commenced in Alicante/Spain. During the three weeks leading up to the start of leg one, I joined Team Delta Lloyd as Press Officer. It was a last-minute campaign, so I had to catch up a lot of work. Press kits needed to be written, crew members needed to be announced and web texts had to be ready. It was a crazy job. My long days were completely filled with interviewing, writing, photography en meetings. It was just great. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, since I suddenly had access to the whole campaign. Also behind the scenes, which is normally a ‘no go’ for journalists.

Press Officer versus Journalist
Although we agreed on evaluating my services after this period, my ticket to Cape Town was already booked in the first week. Yes! I got the job I was always aiming for, ever since I am a freelance journalist. I remember my colleagues at the national newspapers, who came to Alicante to report on the start, joking about my new status. They proudly grounded the ‘Royal Dutch Yachting Media Association’ in an Irish Pub and let me enter as an affiliate member. The joke continued: “After the next ten months, when you are one of us again, you are allowed to become a full member.”

The truth is that I really had to adjust to my new role. It was only a month ago that we all chased the news in Qingdao. Now it was my job to inform my ‘media mates’, so I was standing on the other side of the line. At that point I wasn’t sure whether I liked it, because I had to watch my words and sometimes I knew more than I could talk about. But it has been a process and meanwhile I enjoy being a fulltime press officer. I still use my journalistic approach for the daily web updates, but there are more challenges to learn from. I mention a few: constantly dealing with different cultures and interests, internal dynamics of a syndicate, co-operation with the shore and sailing teams, working with television and radio crews and co-coordinating the whole package at starts and/or finishes. It’s a lifetime experience.

Trip around the world
One thing I really like about the Volvo Ocean Race is the traveling. The trip around the world brings you to beautiful locations with lovely people. It was a pleasure to meet my Hobie friends again in Cape Town. I missed the re-start in South-Africa though, because I competed and worked at the annual Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. Two days after I came home, I had to leave already as Delta Lloyd was expected to finish earlier in Kochi / India. I went from one jetlag to another, but it didn’t really bother me. René and Edith, who are sailing around the world onboard their old lady Alondra, made me feel at home immediately. And India touched my heart. It is such a pure country. Well, at least the part I have seen. It is a very multicultural society in which they live peacefully together.

Like a film set
The streets are like a film set with goats, cows, tuk tuks, hand cars and traditional dressed citizens everywhere. India has also a long history to discover and an astonishing nature. The Indians are warm and friendly persons. All of us will never forget the stretched cues of people waiting patiently for two minutes in the Volvo Simulator. I have never seen such a large and enthusiastic crowd cheering for a sport that they don’t really know. But personally, I think there is a downside of the Indian culture as well. The differences and chances in life between the casts are just too big in my opinion. After the yachts had left Kochi, I spent a few more days in Kerala. I will write an article about this beautiful area for Nautique, a Dutch yachting and life style magazine.

Singapore…a different world
India impressed me so much that it was a big shock to arrive in Singapore. Car driver drive properly, streets are spotlessly clean, sky scrapers are all around, mono rails are rolling above your head, tourists are everywhere, Chinese visitors are following their guide with little flags in the air and there are loads of shopping malls. It was just overwhelming. But after a few days of sight seeing, I started to appreciate and enjoy the many faces of Singapore. It’s a different world, that’s for sure.

Next destination is China…

I will publish a selection of my pictures soon. If you like to follow the team and my work, please click on the rss banner on my homepage.

Foto: David Branigan / Oceansport