Pole Axed - AkzoNobel makes VOR Skipper Tienpoint walk the plank

by Sail-World.com on 15 Oct 2017 Officially it goes something like this, 'Following a breach of contract, Simeon Tienpont left his role as skipper of team AkzoNobel in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race on Friday, October 13, 2017. AkzoNobel, the owner and title partner of team AkzoNobel, has confirmed it’s fully committed to the team competing in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race.’

This was of course on the eve of the very first in port race in Alicante, and AkzoNobel went on to say, 'An announcement confirming who will take over the skipper role will be made shortly. Jules Salter is the Reserve Person in Charge.' Salter, who is the navigator on board, ultimately skippered the race.

The move was as swift as it was certain, and without any pomp and ceremony at all. A Dutch national who has won the America’s Cup twice with OTUSA and is also a VOR veteran, Simeon Tienpoint’s profile has already been stricken from the team’s website. He of course is no stranger to the land of controversy, having survived a hearing into the illegal tampering of the kingpost on one of the AC45 cats in the AC World Series that lead up to AC34 event. Subsequent hearings did nothing to quell the issues, and it seems this new breach has a litany of speculation surrounding it as well.

Apparently, the Watch Captain and Head of Boat Performance for AkzoNobel, NZL’s Brad Jackson, will get the nod for the big job.