The Barcelona World Race countdown has started to go before the start of the race. The delivery was the first time that Conrad and the skipper Nandor Fa sailed together… (published by Conrad Colman co-skipper’s website)

Spirit of Hungary is at the dock with the 7 other racing yachts eager to take to the seas!

The Barcelona World Race – countdown has started with 15 days to go before the start of the race. The delivery was also the first time that Conrad and the skipper Nandor Fa sailed together. Despite a 30 years difference, two different cultures and languages, the experience was exciting and a great learning opportunity for both crew members.

After a delivery from Trieste, Italy, the teal has arrived in Barcelona with a long job list but no major problem on the boat. Having experienced all types of weather during the trip, from 0 to 50 knots, Conrad confirms his good feelings about the boat “the delivery was a little appetizer for the race to come. While the weather wasn’t great for our training we confirmed that we have a great tool for this race that we will refine over the coming days”.

The delivery was also the first time that Conrad and the skipper Nandor Fa sailed together. Despite a 30 years difference, two different cultures and languages, the experience was exciting and a great learning opportunity for both crew members. Conrad who has just met the team and skipper feels very welcome and this introduction with both Nandor and Spirit of Hungary was very positive “I like working with small teams which is great because Nandor’s team is his family and they have all been preparing for this moment for 17 years! As such, everyone is super motivated and really keen to make the race a great experience for everyone involved”.

Now, all the boats are finalizing their preparation and the Spirit of Hungary teams has two intense weeks ahead. The boat will undergo final measurement tests as she has spent some time at the boatyard after her first miles at sea this spring. These checks will confirm that the boat complies with IMOCA 60 new rules. Very shortly after that the security checks will begin: from the medical supplies to survival kits, flares, security equipment… everything related to the crew’s safety will be thoroughly examined.

With a busy race village the crew’s multi-tasking skills will be put to test between the boat preparation, skippers’ briefings, weather preparation, media and visitors’ requests, sports … it is quite a hard rythm that awaits Nandor and Conrad. For this week, the priorities are the mandatory checks and rule measurement as explains Conrad “we worked really hard in Trieste to assemble a boat from the puzzle of pieces, so its a little tiring to undo some of our work now for the rule checks! However, we should be sailing by the weekend with a boat that is ready to go”.

The boats will stay at the dock at the end of the famous Ramblas until the departure on the 31st of December so don’t hesitate to stop by if you are in the area! The village is open from 10am to 8pm.

photo gallery: Spirit of Hungary / miXpress