Finally my bags are unpacked, my passport is stowed away and my memories keep me smiling. The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 has come to an end after nine months of ocean racing, including stopovers in ten countries and five continents. The fleet was taken to Asia for the first time in the event’s history, which brought new experiences and adventures. Team Delta Lloyd entered in the last minute. It was the hard way and not everybody understood it, but it was worth it. Despite the seventh position on the overall leader board, the goals set for this campaign were achieved.

"We have been able to create a team that can compete with the best in the world", said skipper Roberto Bermúdez de Castro after the finish in St. Petersburg. "We have to remember that we only commenced a month before the start in Alicante, so I am happy with our results. I learned a lot from my first experience as skipper in the Volvo Ocean Race. I was a watch leader before, but this takes more. It has made me a more complete sailor. We have done a good job and everybody enjoyed it."

Catching up
Campaign Director Tom Touber says he is satisfied with the Dutch campaign: "We had to catch up in the first couple of months until Taiwan. We were always a little bit behind schedule. The substantial damage to the bow became the changing moment. As of that time, we were on or ahead of schedule. The second half of this edition was like any other Volvo Ocean Race." The Delta Lloyd sailors fought with the rest of the fleet, despite their older VO70. Touber: "That is why they sometimes had to take risks. The two podium positions at the In-Port Races of Rio and Boston, as well as the third place at the scoring gate of Fernando de Noronha were a reward for all the hard working. Those moments can be called special, like the many good position reports and close finishes with winning competitors."

Gains
According to Touber, Team Delta Lloyd's participation caused several gains: "For the Volvo Ocean Race it is important that we have shown that a second hand VO70 can be competitive. This may result in a larger fleet in the next edition. Another significant gain is the fact that offshore sailing by Dutchmen is still on the map. We gave five Dutchmen and one Belgian sailor a chance, which is a doubling from Team ABN AMRO in 2005-06. In addition, the attention for the VOR in the Netherlands has grown significantly. That is crucial for the business support and the interest of two Dutch cities to host a stopover in the next race."

Touber emphasizes Team Delta Lloyd's focus: "The media approach was totally focused on the Netherlands and therefore it was more a Dutch campaign than Team ABN AMRO was. We serviced the public with a Dutch team website, press releases and real life series on the national television." After all the hard work, Yvo Janssen and I exceeded the target of 10 million pr value in the Dutch media. That feels really good and rewarding.

Interesting experience
It was my job to take care of all written reports (Dutch/English) and additional photography to complete the selection of our team photographer David Branigan. It was an interesting experience that challenged me a lot more than my usual work. Now I had to deal with group dynamics on the highest level, politics and a constant deadline for almost ten months in a row. My job was never done. I remember staying in a hostel downtown Beijing for a few days of sight-seeing, when the Delta Lloyd had to take shelter on her way to China. So, all of a sudden I had to write a press release… At night, surrounded by partying and noisy back packers. But in the end I loved it. I made beautiful friends, explored the world, met new cultures and learned so much.

Thank you Delta Lloyd!

(July 28 2009)