Volvo Ocean Race- Cape Town In Port Race video and Media Conference

by Richard Gladwell Sail-World.com on 15 Nov 2014




The crew lists are out with the top crews on Leg 1 making little or no change, and others at the back of the Leg 1 finishing list making two or three crew changes.

Two of the back markers Alvimedica and Mapfre have elected to race with only seven crew in a race where the crews are typically short handed even at a full muster. Conditions for the racing is expected to be very testing with winds predicted to be averaging 20kts gusting to 24kts at the time of racing.

One of the points of interest will be whether the short crewed boats will pay with crew handling errors and possibly boat/sail damage.

Alvimedica will race with seven of her eight crew from Leg 1, with crew member Alberto Bolzan attending on an injured girl friend. Under the race rules a crew member must have sailed on either Leg 1 or be listed and sail on Leg 2. In other words a crew member cannot not be substituted just for the In Port race. Clearly Alvimedica intend for Bolzan to sail on Leg 2, meaning they will sail with the same crew for Leg 1 on the next leg to Abu Dhabi, and have decided to take the hit and race short handed for the In Port race.



Mapfre is disjointed to say the least. Skipper Iker Martinez is not on board for the In Port race and is said to be back in Spain sailing a Nacra 17. Martinez, a Gold medalist in the 49er class in the 2004 Olympics, is attempting to combine a 2016 Olympic campaign with the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race. Initially it was not expected that he would sail all nine legs, and a sailing crew of 10 was named to achieve this compromise.

After finishing last on Leg 1, having won the same leg in the previous edition of the race, Martinez rang a number of crew changes with navigator Nicolas Lunven getting off the boat along along with one of the worlds top trans-oceanic racers, Michel Desjoyeaux. Lunven was sailing his first Volvo Ocean Race.

Two other crew members Sam Goodchild (GBR) and Rafa Trulillo, were named in the original squad of 10, but have not been listed for the In Port crew and will not be on the crew for Leg 2. Trujilio, an Olympic Silver medalist in the Finn class, was listed as a helmsman/trimmer, while Goodchild (GBR) at just 24 years old has a strong reputation as a trans-oceanic sailor. He was one of three, and the youngest of the under 30 year old sailors named in the squad.

Interestingly when looking for a substitute for Michel Desjoyeaux, the Pedro Campos managed team went outside their squad of ten and engaged three times Round the World race veteran, Rob Greenhalgh (GBR).

Mapfre have also elected to race with a crew of seven, two of those will be new on board.

Two of the other teams wil also sail with changed crew. The all woman crew of Team SCA have rotated two crew off after Leg 1, and bought on two crew from the wider squad who will sail in the In Port Race and Leg 2, as permitted by the rules of the race.

Dongfeng Race Team will rotate two Chinese crew off, their navigator will also not sail in the In Port race and he will be subbed by a Chinese crew member from Leg 1.

Racing got underway at 2.00pm local time in Cape Town