tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71242344311084222842012-01-20T11:35:19.498ZRobert GreenhalghRobert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-88143927224431274432012-01-20T11:32:00.002Z2012-01-20T11:35:19.502Z

With less than 48 hours before the start of a difficult leg to Sanya. Robert Greenhalgh talks about the days ahead.

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-78177664948041880572012-01-17T11:14:00.005Z2012-01-19T11:47:00.896Z

To be honest, the first few months of the Volvo Ocean Race have been hard to take. The dismast out of Alicante was a terrible start and the poor results in Leg 2 was difficult to swallow. However, the team has dug deep and been very positive about how to put things right. The whole team has put in a tremendous amount of effort and thought and scoring maximum points for the inshore race in Abu

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-39780286100253732262012-01-09T11:19:00.002Z2012-01-09T11:38:54.756Z

Leg 2 was very different to what people were expecting. Early on we all got stuck against a weather front, which were bumping into for five or six days and we didn’t come out to well because of it.We nearly got through the front a few times but the wind died and the front just sucked us back up again. If we had stopped trying to get through to the north and headed south, the further east we would

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-42583725222278618222011-11-18T10:01:00.006Z2011-11-18T10:19:06.292Z

Azzam is now leaving Lisbon and on the way to Cape Town, all be it by ship. The Volvo Ocean Race is a test of endurance and in the build up to the race, the team have done very little racing. That is just how it is. So it is even more frustrating when we finally get to go racing and get a set back like this.But the mood in the team is still up beat and personally I have been taking my frustration

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-91149023572022626572011-11-06T15:38:00.005Z2011-11-18T11:18:29.615Z

Well, we are back in Alicante.It was a rough night big seas plenty of wind, probably more than we have had in training but the Fastnet and the delivery to Alicante were both rough, so this has come as a huge surprise.The rig snapped coming off a big wave, something must have given but as yet we don't know the reasons.The replacement rig arrived in Alicante and it is going to be full on for the

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-43408439447748812232011-11-06T15:28:00.002Z2011-11-18T11:19:39.703Z

Video of the mast being recovered.Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Yacht with Broken Mast

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-21990007774121915602011-11-05T08:10:00.003Z2011-11-05T08:22:27.060Z

Packed up the gear yesterday and watched as the front came through the race village bringing torrential rain, which gave everybody a good soaking.However this morning, is race day and the breeze is kicking in and we have clear blue skies, so it should be a really bright fast start out of Alicante for the first leg.It could be westerly or northwesterly to start with 20 knots of wind and flat water

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-62418024043151554412011-10-30T07:47:00.003Z2011-10-30T08:03:45.712Z

The whole Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team enjoyed the first battle in the race. It was a convincing win but we are taking nothing for granted.At the start there was a definite bias for the pin end and Puma took a real flyer for the line but we hit the line with more pace and managed to come out in a good position along with them to windward and Camper to leeward. There was very little difference in

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-24588144617071560472011-10-28T16:03:00.002+01:002011-10-28T16:16:58.390+01:00

Really raring to go,Everything is running nice and smoothly and it is nice and chilled out in the base.Tomorrow looks like we should get something like 8-15 knots of breeze. The inshore races have moved away from traditional windward leeward, tomorrow we have a fixed course but with the wind direction we have at the moment, it could well be close to a windward leeward race with a slight

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-59732645973890427932011-10-18T15:22:00.000+01:002011-10-18T15:25:00.251+01:00

Arrived in Alicante. 600 miles, 20-38kts. nearly all upwind....of course! Boat in good shape.The race village is taking shape with all teams here bar PUMA who arrive tomorrow.

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-89669643970087746732011-01-16T15:01:00.003Z2011-01-16T15:19:30.772Z

“It was good to get home and chill out over Christmas but I have to say it was nice to leave the freezing cold weather in the UK.The first regatta of the year looks like a baptism of fire. The crew on Leenabarca looks good, with Kelvin Harrap and Andy Hemmings on the boat, we are aiming high. But this is a hot fleet and we won’t get it all our own way. The class at Key West has a highly

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-38448761620916081372010-12-17T08:05:00.001Z2010-12-17T08:35:35.491Z

It has been a whirlwind year for Robert Greenhalgh, very few sailors can have competed in such a huge variety of events and boats over the last 12 months. Most of which would definitely be on the New Year’s wish list, for anybody with a passion for yacht racing. “At the start of the year I decided that I was going to diversify and learn as much as I can about certain aspects of the sport,“

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-9414728594058895412010-10-20T18:40:00.004+01:002010-10-20T18:51:01.084+01:00

Rolex Middle Sea Race 2011There are so many different local effects on the course that whilst weather forecasts are always useful, the only real way to chose the right way to go at certain key points is by reacting to the actual conditions at the time. It is these unknowns that makes the Rolex Middle Sea Race different from many other races and a fascinating race to take part in.The start in

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-12903769016471525442010-09-09T19:12:00.003+01:002010-09-09T19:17:05.069+01:00

I don’t think many people would argue, the Melges 32 Class is burning very brightly. There is a great fleet at the worlds in San Francisco and it will be a hard fought series, for sure. Alex Jackson is one of the best helmsman in the fleet and we have a great crew on Leenabarca. It is going to be a real battle, but we have as good a chance of winning as any of the competition, we will definitely

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-36519433082024145502010-08-14T14:07:00.009+01:002010-08-14T14:15:00.463+01:00

GOING WESTI am really looking forward to getting back in Melges 32, Leenabarca with Alex Jackson. Back in May, we won the East Coast Championship in New York and we hope to build on that at the Melges 32 Worlds, in San Francisco next month. Melges 32/JOYFirst event is the Pre-worlds 16-19th September.The class is red hot with some really top competition and the boats are really exciting. It

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-40327228146902106402010-07-29T11:49:00.004+01:002010-07-29T12:03:46.873+01:00

Basilica - Happy memories at Cowes Week!Got back from the Tour on Monday, nice to be a able to unpack my bags!A few days to sort myself out and then into Cowes Week, in the afterguard of Johnny Vincent's TP52, Pace.Rio will be the boat on boat competition. The Pace crew have put a fair few regattas in this season which should work in our favour. Pace was class winner at Cork Week, beating several

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-7143371577683276022010-07-25T14:23:00.002+01:002010-07-25T14:33:43.615+01:00

It's been a tough,hard race. Especially as we have not rotated the crew over the crew over the last month.Oman Sail Renaissance have done well to come fifth in this high class fleet and hopefully, next year with a new boat and probably with more international teams we can aim for a podium finish. I definitely think that is achievable.We struggled a bit in the light, a problem we can definitely

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-7126038606372812662010-07-17T14:51:00.004+01:002010-07-17T15:05:35.432+01:00

It's been tough going, to be honest. The Tour is non-stop, we have very little time to reflect on things as we are just full-on into the next stage.At the start we aimed for a top five and that is exactly where we are at the moment but we are re-setting our goal. A podium finish is very much achieveable.From here on in, we will be sailing in the Mediterranean and we have just arrived in Port

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-2310001910016206102010-07-11T16:02:00.002+01:002010-07-11T16:04:39.943+01:00

L'orient inshore race today - 2nd Overall placing in the Tour - 6th'We've now pretty much passed the half way point in this race and its been as competitive and challenging as I expected. We've had some great results, some average ones and only one shocker, so pretty consistent all in all which is the key to doing well in this race. What we need to do now if to convert a few more top results to

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-14576738923339352842010-07-07T10:30:00.000+01:002010-07-07T10:31:50.110+01:00

Rock hopping in the AtlanticOman Sail Renaissance back up to 5th in the Tour de Voile á la France 2010.The first big offshore for the Tour was the 200 mile, Dieppe to Pleneuf-Val-Andre, around the Cherbourg peninsular. Conditions were light to moderate and there was plenty of rock hopping up the shore, to get out of the tide which at times was running at six knots. It was a really difficult race

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-63675624457070228672010-07-02T10:27:00.005+01:002010-07-02T11:15:54.740+01:00

Well I said it would be a great adventure! After damaging the boat on route to Calais we had two very eventful inshore races. Oman Sail-Renaissance has great boat speed and we showed it in the first race, a bullet is a great way to come back and it was really satisfying and filled the team full of confidence. However, we were soon brought back down to earth, getting disqualified in the second

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-64694885218255997932010-06-30T09:53:00.002+01:002010-06-30T09:56:26.591+01:00

Oman Sail show their spirit.After a fine start in the Tour de France á la Voile, Oman Sail-Renaissance were lying in third place prior to the first offshore leg to Calais, however there were dramatic scenes at the start of the 25 mile race.Unfortunately, shortly after the start we hit a sand back and got stuck aground for about six minutes as we watched the fleet sail away. Eventually, we got

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-37799286481316313662010-06-29T06:33:00.007+01:002010-06-29T07:43:21.898+01:00

TdV Stage 1: Dunkerque 2 inshore races.Over the weekend we started the Tour, great to finally get going.Two races in super light conditions with loads of tide, at least the sun was shining! Our eighth and second is ok, we sailed the boat well and often we were first to the top mark or damn close. The results have us 3rd overall, which I am pleased with. This morning we compete in the first

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-86078423867575793882010-06-25T11:04:00.001+01:002010-06-25T11:06:40.934+01:00

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-7631735772807736582010-06-22T16:16:00.000+01:002010-06-22T16:24:51.842+01:00

The Tour De Voile is simply one of the best events in the world, sailed in great boats at a very high level and I’m excited that Oman Sail have got involved in such a great race. It has been a great learning experience for the Omani crewmembers, however they are fully part of the team, and it is a team effort that will be required in order to perform well. I think our results have shown that we

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-60508386185318174172010-06-21T13:07:00.001+01:002010-06-25T11:04:53.476+01:00

.

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-38647810726783801302010-06-18T12:57:00.000+01:002010-06-23T12:23:50.191+01:00

Dunkirk 0900 24.0610After a great build up it is nearly time to begin the Tour and I am looking forward to a great adventure! It has been eight years since my first Tour, we finished a creditable fourth. Anthony Haines (AKA Ski) was the boat manager then as he is now and he has put in a lot of hard work getting Oman Sail Renaissance prepared. However, all of the team will need to dig deep if we

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124234431108422284.post-50526525493752063812010-06-14T17:28:00.000+01:002010-06-23T12:24:06.280+01:00

Robert Greenhalghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16039090714919675136noreply@blogger.com0