Sunday morning I get back home from being at the America's Cup World Series in Newport. I had little under eight hours to have breakfast with the kiddos, do laundry, back-up AC images and repack. I make my flight out of Logan to London. I catch the connecting flight the next morn to Shannon and a bus to Galway. I'm a little beat and a little sleep deprived but head to Race Village to get my press pass and check out the media center and village. Village is very, very busy for just a Monday afternoon. I'm getting fatter just walking by all the food vendors. Camper, Groupama, Puma and Telefonica are only a few miles of each other and are suppose to finish Leg 9 and the race around 2AM so I go back to my flat to get a few winks. I figure it will be a few press folks, family and hundred or so spectators watching the early morning events.

I cruise back to the media center around midnight and it's time to get on a RIB and photograph the boats finishing in pitch black. There are about thirty press folks going out and about ten RIBS. We get out of Galway Bay and sit in darkness for a bit waiting for the arrivals. Lots of boats out on the water waiting for the finishers. Why are so many people out her in the middle of the night? Camper is the first to cross the finish line and there are about two dozen boats by her side. Quite a scene and lots of near misses with other media boats and pleasure boaters. It starts to rain a bit but we are still not alone. Many spectator boats on the water waiting for the other three teams to finish. We catch the other boats finishing and make our way back to harbor. The four Volvo 70's wait outside the harbor channel to be presented one by one in a parade. We cruise inside the channel to find thousands and thousands of people along the jetties and sea walls waiting for the Volvo boats and teams. Fireworks, spot lights, lasers, red flares, horns, music and Hannah White's voice fill the air. I can't believe my eyes or ears. I have never seen anything like it...and it's 2:30 in the morning! The crowd stayed for the prize giving at 3:30 and many stayed to watch Team Sanya and Abu Dhabi come into the docks around 5AM.

In May I covered the Miami stopover and the turnout was a little lite to say the least. This incredible turnout here in Galway got me pondering. Why is Galway so excited about the Volvo Ocean Race? I decide to interview Volvo Ocean Race Communications Director Jon Bramley and interview some folks in Race Village to get the scoop. Most of the people I spoke with didn't even sail or boat at all but had a huge connection to the sea. People had traveled hours by car and train. A Nun from Dundalk said she came because she "Likes the sea and likes to travel." The best answer I got was from a rather inebriated twenty-something cute blond who proclaimed to me Tuesday morning at 3AM by the docks...."Look at all the yachts...It's like fricken Greece...except for the weather". That pretty much summed it up for me...I just wish I had my camera and another drink for her.