Commenteaire de Hamlin sur sa victoire:
I am still in shock that we won. Going into the last race it seemed very unlikely. To win we would need to finish first or second and the highly polished RMW Marine team would have to sail their worst race of the series. Mike, Rod and I all had a restful night, we all seemed resolved that whatever happens will happen.
But now it is race time. Just sailing an 18 can fry your nerves, add to that a shifty puffy 20 knot southerly with RMW match racing us during the prestart and you have the perfect chemestry for a brain explosion. Mike as usual is calm, aside from his frustration that I don't know how to match race. Rod is all wound up, but that is part of being a great forward hand; keyed up and ready to explode with incredible bursts of enegy at moments notice. Luckily for us the first start is a general recall because RMW got the best of us and we were over early. On the restart we scrape RMW off on another boat but commit a foul in the process, we spin a penaly turn, reach down the line, fine a hole and get a great start. RMW has a bad start and takes a clearing tack to the right, the right works and we round the first mark in seventh with RMW in 3rd.
It looked like it was all over. But Syndey Harbor is brutal, unforgivening and a very hard place to sail, anything can happen. We manage to control our intensity, sail a great race and work our way into second. At the last leeward mark RMW is in fourth and has it won, but they get on the wrong side of a shift and lose 2 boats on the final beat to the finish. We win the World's by .35 points but are confused by the scoring and did not find out that we had won until we hit the beach. It is so emotionallly rewarding, but I can't help feeling sorry for Rob, Dan and Peter on RMW, we have experienced the disappointment of second several times in the 505.
Howie Hamlin
