Downpours fail to dampen spirits at ocean race

Shore crews probably got wetter in one afternoon than sailors did in the entire 550-mile final sprint from Lorient in France to Galway.

While it was sunshine and ice cream on Monday, it was back to usual Galway attire yesterday with heavy-duty wet gear in operation. Luckily, the teams were selling enough merchandise to get you around the world in a yacht, so visitors to the Race Village were not stuck for protection from the elements.

After between 10,000 and 15,000 hardy partygoers thronged the docks to welcome the yachts in the early hours, it was back to the more mundane tasks of getting everything ship-shape for the in-port racing which takes place later in the week. Shore crews were clearing out yachts and taking the full force of the weather for much of the afternoon.