Turn the Tide on Plastic add 4 more sailors to Volvo Ocean Race squad

Leg Zero, Rolex Fastnet Race on board Turn the Tide on Plastic Jen Edney / Volvo Ocean Race

Leg Zero, training crew during the delivery to Gosport – Volvo Ocean Race © Jen Edney / Volvo Ocean Race

'There is so much young talent out there,' said Caffari, who is delivering on her pledge to bring a mixed male-female crew with a strong youth component to the start line.

'Bleddyn Mon is a talented dinghy sailor and was one of the fittest in Sir Ben Ainslie's America's Cup Land Rover BAR team. As an engineer, he is very analytical, good at checking the data and also a very talented trimmer. I am delighted to have him join our team and look forward to seeing him grow as an offshore sailor.

'Henry Bomby has many offshore miles under his belt as a short-handed Figaro sailor, and like most good sailors he can turn his hand to numerous activities on board. He is comfortable with fast speeds and in good physical shape. I'm keen to prove that young talented sailors can be just as competitive as the more experienced veterans of the race.'

Leg Zero, Rolex Fastnet Race on board Turn the Tide on Plastic © Jen Edney / Volvo Ocean Race

The team, which will amplify United Nations Environment’s 'Clean Seas: Turn the Tide on Plastic' campaign, counts the Portugal-based Mirpuri Foundation as its principal partner and the presence of Bernardo Freitas and Frederico Pinheiro de Melo will strengthen the team’s Portuguese flavour.

'We trialled eight Portuguese sailors to finally select Bernardo and Frederico,” added Caffari. “There is limited offshore experience in Portugal but some really good sailors. Both sailors I have chosen are physically strong with good skill sets.”

Leg Zero, Plymouth - Saint Malo – Drone shots of the start on board Turn the Tide on Plastic – Volvo Ocean Race © Jeremie Lecaudey / Volvo Ocean Race

Alongside the sustainability focus, inclusivity in age and gender will be a strong theme of the campaign.

Last week, the team announced Italian Olympic sailor Francesca Clapcich (29) and Lucas Chapman (25) to the squad, joining skipper Caffari and boat captain Liz Wardley.

The Volvo Ocean Race will visit 12 Host Cities during the 2017-18 edition – departing Alicante and stopping in Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport USA, Cardiff and Gothenburg before a big finish in The Hague in summer 2018.

Leg Zero, Plymouth to Saint Malo on board Turn the Tide on Plastic. Sunset on our way to the needle – Volvo Ocean Race © Jeremie Lecaudey / Volvo Ocean Race

Leg Zero, Turn the Tide on Plastic compete in the Around the Island Race. © Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

Henry Bomby – Turn the Tide on Plastic – Volvo Ocean Race © Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

Bleddyn Mon – Turn the Tide on Plastic – Volvo Ocean Race © Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

Leg 0, Turn The Tide on Plastic in Cascais, crew portraits – Volvo Ocean Race © Ugo Fonolla / Volvo Ocean Race