Navigator Wouter Verbraak fist bumps crew member Nicolai…
Navigator Wouter Verbraak fist bumps crew member Nicolai Sehested aboard Team Vestas Wind. Source.
Here’s what I love about this clip. Vestas is in the process of making a huge gain, such that as of the latest update (0040 UTC on October 30), they’ve gone from being in the middle of the fleet to essentially being in a three-way tie for the lead. They made that gain because of a high-risk strategic decision that must have been Wouter’s call (along with Chris Nicholson, the skipper).
As a former offshore racing navigator (not on anything like Wouter’s level, but still) I think I have a degree of insight into what was going through his head in this moment. And yeah, he’s sharing the joy with Nicolai, and complimenting his good job on the helm.
But Wouter knows, and I know (and Nicolai and the unidentified crewman filming and probably everyone else on the boat knows), awesome driving at most gets you a fraction of a knot over the competition. You want a 6-knot advantage over a 6-hour period? That takes a navigator.
Go Wouter. :-)
Reposted from http://ift.tt/1rTUuKL.
Tags: vor, volvo ocean race, team vestas wind, wouter verbraak, gifs, my gifs.
