(Newport, RI)- Both Sally Barkow and Charlie Enright were happy to arrive in Newport after completing their long leg in the Volvo Ocean Race from Itajai, Brazil to Newport.
Sally (a J/22 and J/24 sailor and top woman Match Racer from Neenah,
Wisconsin) is sailing as one of the skippers on Team SCA and Charlie
(J/24 champion and Fleet #50 champion) is sailing as skipper of Team
ALVIMEDICA. We had a chance to chat with them at the New York YC
Harbour Court Commissioning Ceremony, presided over by Reverend Mary
Johnstone. 
Both
sailors are completing a weeks worth of festivities in Newport, RI and
are preparing for their assault on the last long distance leg of the
2014/ 2015 Volvo Ocean Race. Both have credited the discipline and
focus they learned as one-design sailors against the world’s best
competition as a solid base on which to build their offshore
capabilities. Both are sailing on teams that are relative novices at
the offshore racing game, at least compared to the considerable talent
arrayed against them on boats such as Abu Dhabi Racing and Dong Feng
Racing teams. 
Ironically,
it’s another champion J/24 sailor from the United Kingdom, Ian Walker,
who is capitalizing on his experience both in one-design and offshore to
be the current fleet leader as the skipper of Abu Dhabi. It seems that
both Abu Dhabi and Dong Feng both have “third gears” that no one else
have seemed to discover when any of the boats are in a “close reaching/
power beating” scenario. As Charlie himself commented, “when we have VMG upwind or VMG downwind on any leg we seem to have the right modes and sail cross-over choices. At least we can hang with the leaders. However, in just plain jib/ J1/ C0 reaching situations, we just bleed miles away. We are still learning how to use the ‘reaching strut’ on the clews and to double or triple slot the headsails.” Sally pretty much echoed Charlie’s perspectives, except to say that, “we are on a HUGE learning curve and on the last leg there were several times we felt like we were in the hunt! It’s tough out there, but we’re lovin’ it!”
More news soon as they head off onto their Saturday Inshore Race in Narragansett Bay and their start off Fort Adams to begin their journey across the Big Pond to Portugal. Follow their progress here on the Volvo Ocean Race site.
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