Why I Love This Sport

My family went to Docklands on Sunday morning to see off the VOR boats and to join the crowds wishing the crews Bon Voyage. Following our amazing tour of movistar last week, Jack had drawn a sketch of the boat for his new favourite bowman, Pepe Ribes and we waited patiently at the entrance to the crew access ramp down to the boats to see him and the other guys who had all been so wonderful to our little boy during the Melbourne stopover. We chatted to Melbourne sailors Spike Doreian and Noel Drennan to wish them well as they made their way to the boat, then waited for about half an hour but there was still no sign of Pepe.

Various crew members came and went up and down the ramp with some famous and not yet quite so famous faces in the throng when suddenly out of nowhere; there was Pepe with a great big grin on his face. He had left the myriad of things that he was attending to on movistar just to come and say farewell to a 6 year old kid. I don’t know about all the hype surrounding this race but that single gesture speaks volumes for the character of the man and reflects in the best possible way on the event and our sport. Jack proudly gave Pepe his sketch and explained the details to him; the canting keel, the rudder, the canards etc. Pepe made his day when he carefully folded up the sketch and informed Jack that he would take it with him, on the boat, for the rest of the race. Jack gave him a hug and a handshake and Pepe was off, back to the boat and his crew leaving behind a little boy with a dream in his heart and his old man unashamedly with a tear in his eye.

SPORTSCAR

02/14/06