Boston, Massachusetts.

Life at the Extreme - Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009.
Quick, to the train! Today was the day that the world came to Boston. It was time to experience life at the extreme with our friends Volvo and the 2008 - 2009 Ocean Race. We came to participate, at least as a spectator in the fastest sailing event on the planet.
The 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain in October 2008 and winds up in St Petersburg, Russia, during late June of this year. During the nine months of the 2008-09 Volvo Race, the teams will sail over 37,000 nautical miles of the world’s most treacherous seas via Cape Town, Kochi, Singapore, Qingdao, around Cape Horn to Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteborg and St. Petersburg.
Boston is one of eleven ports participating in this year’s race. There are seven teams, Ericsson Racing Team 3, Ericsson Racing Team 4, Puma Ocean Racing, Telefonica Blue, Telefonica Black, Team Russia, Green Dragon Racing, and Delta Lloyd. Each of the seven entries has a sailing team of 11 professional crew. Recently improvements were made to the racing itself. The boats were designed in an effort to encourage designers to put more structure into the boat to improve reliability and durability. Then the range of acceptable displacements was reduced to 13.86-14.00 tonnes, while a maximum keel bulb weight of 7.4 tonnes was also set to give equal opportunity to all competing teams.

Not a lazy sail on a sunny day, by any means, this race pushes endurance to the limit and the participants had better LOVE water and waves, because, from the looks of it, they get them super-sized, and under the most extreme of conditions.

After walking towards the Fan Pier from South Station T stop, (well, there was that stop at Dunkin’ Donuts in between), we arrived at the racing village. We were greeted by a Volvo SUV covered completely in red Legos, and more than a few wonderful Swedish reps who were happy to answer all of our questions about Volvo’s plans to go green and the latest car models on display.
We chatted with the lady at the WPRI Public TV booth, popped over to Ireland Pavilion for a bit, to see a quick U2 concert, before exploring the huge red Puma building made from shipping containers. We snapped pictures of the harbor and wandered around the village, taking in all of the sights, sounds and people-watching, before heading over to the Barking Crab on Sleeper Street for an awesome seafood lunch. The heavily guarded red lobster-pager blinked and buzzed just as our hungry-meter was hitting the high mark. We enjoyed the fresh fish, shrimp and onion rings, and returned to the village ready for more adventure.

Crowds gathered to watch the races in the harbor as well as on the big screen. We popped into the “dome” for a quick overview of the race and were amazed at the long route the sailors are taking in their way around the world.
The race, is tied into a number of sponsors and organizations, for example, one called Race for the Environment,where Volvo has joined with the World Scout Movement and the United Nations Environment Programme to increase awareness of environmental concerns. Also Team Russia and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society formed a partnership to highlight the urgent need for better protection of the world's whales and dolphins.

Towards the beginning of the evening the boats, began pulling into port after a day of racing. Fresh from South Atlantic and Rio, they docked in Boston within eye shot of Boston’s landmark, Anthony’s Pier 4 restaurant and the new ICA building. Reporters and film crews were on hand to interview the captains and capture the moment.
The crew arrived to throngs of Boston well-wishers as well as reunions with their families after long days at sea. They gathered on the stage for the awards ceremony and we cheered them on as they prepare for the next leg of their journey, across the North Atlantic to Galway, Ireland.

On our way back to South Station we passed the chapel of Our Lady of Good Voyage, just behind the pier reminding us all that the perils of life at sea that has been a reality for centuries here along the New England Coastline. The train sped us to Sullivan Square and to our cushy land-lubber life back at home on dry land.

Click on photo below to view more pictures from the race.

Volvo Ocean Race- 2009 - Boston