Volvo Ocean Race – Crew change on Vestas 11th Hour Racing

by Vestas 11th Hour Racing on 21 Oct 2017 Due to a medical issue that has arisen on the Vestas 11th Hour Racing team in the last 24 hours, a crew change for Leg one has occurred.

Phil Harmer, two time Volvo Ocean Race winner, has had a back issue so he will not be racing from Alicante to Lisbon. He has been replaced by five-time Volvo Ocean Race veteran, Damian Foxall.

Harmer's absence leaves a void in the requirement to have two medics onboard. To be compliant with the safety regulations of the Volvo Ocean Race, Hannah Diamond, one of the team's medically trained sailors, will compete in the first leg. The British sailor has been training with the team in the lead up to the start completing a transatlantic in May and all of Leg Zero.

As a result, Jena Mai Hansen, the bronze-medalist from Denmark, has had to step down from 1340nm first leg. The goal is to give Harmer the rest he needs and get both him and Hansen back on the boat for Leg two from Lisbon to Cape Town starting on November 5. While crew announcements were made to the public, this change was filed in time for the official submission of crew lists to Race Management.

'Injuries happen in sport, and we have a lot of redundancy on the team, and we are fortunate to have good backups,' said Charlie Enright, skipper of Vestas 11th Hour Racing. 'We look forward to getting them back as soon as we can.'

Official Crew List for Leg 1:

Charlie Enright (Skipper)
Simon Fisher (Navigator)
Mark Towill
Nick Dana
Tom Johnson
Tony Mutter
Stacey Jackson
Damian Foxall
Hannah Diamond
James Blake (OBR)