Six-time Volvo Ocean Race sailor joins Vestas 11th Hour Racing

by Vestas 11th Hour Racing on 3 Nov 2017 Spanish sailor Roberto Bermúdez de Castro Muñoz (aka Chuny) joins Vestas 11th Hour Racing crew for Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The six-time Volvo Ocean Race veteran - most recently as winner with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in the 2014-15 edition - will serve as the substitute for Phil Harmer who is still recovering from a back injury.

“Chuny’s Volvo Ocean Race experience is exceptional. We said from the beginning that we want to surround ourselves with good people and have a team with more experience,' said skipper, Charlie Enright. 'It was great that Damian [Foxall] could jump in on the last leg and he will continue to be one of our spare sailors along with other his shoreside responsibilities, among them being our Sustainability Manager.'

Chuny adds expertise to a team already deep with talent, the now 12-person crew can count 29 Volvo Ocean Races, and eight wins to the among the roster. As the winner of the last leg, Vestas 11th Hour Racing has a two-point lead with eight points, but know it's a long race to go.

'Choosing to bring on Chuny was a long-term decision to add more depth to the program and keep our crew fresh,' said Mark Towill, Team Director. 'There are still 45,000 miles to go, and we know we will need to be a peak performance get through all the next ten legs.'

'It was great to get the call from Charlie and Mark. I love this race, and glad I can be part of it again with a group of hard-working men and women,' said Chuny.

Jena Hansen, the young Danish sailor, and Olympic Bronze Medalist will also rejoin the crew for Leg 2.

The Volvo Ocean Race Leg 2 begins on Sunday, November 5 at 1400 UTC in Lisbon, Spain. The seven teams will race to 7,000 miles to Cape Town, South Africa and expected to take 21 days.

Crew List for Leg 2:
Charlie Enright - USA - Skipper
Mark Towill - USA
Simon Fisher - UK - Navigator
Stacey Jackson - AUS
Nick Dana - USA
Jena Hansen - DEN
Tom Johnson - USA
Tony Mutter - NZL
Roberto Bermúdez de Castro Muñoz - ESP
Martin Keruzore - FRA - OBR