Volvo Ocean Race – Frostad says Caudrelier proving them wrong

by Rob Kothe & Jedda Murphy on 27 Jan 2015 40 year old Charles Caudrelier was a major figure of the winning French team Groupama in 2011-12 . Soon after being announced as skipper of Dongfeng Race Team said ''I’ve seen it on my skipper and friend Franck Cammas in the last race: being a skipper is a huge responsibility and it’s demanding from a human point of view. But I’ve learned from my past experiences and I want to take these skills further.'

With the Dongfeng team now approaching Sanya, almost unstoppable, its worthwhile hearing from Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad who is hugely pleased with the current on water situation.

Frostad explains ‘ We are never supposed to have favourites but for me if Dongfeng wins the China leg and Alvimedica wins the USA leg, Brunel wins the leg to the Hague then we have a perfect race.

'However I think it is, for me, it is much bigger than the fact that they are Chinese and going into China.

‘I think for me a win with that situation, touch wood they still have a little way to go to Sanya and they are only 44 miles in front. Things can happen.

‘If they manage to get first to Sanya what is for me the most remarkable thing and I think that’s where I have a huge admiration for Charles Caudrelier.

‘First of all he is a very modest guy who probably hasn’t been given the credit he deserves so far in his sailing career and I think he was Franck Cammas’ first pick for Groupama for reasons.

‘Secondly what he did is that he did something that I don’t know many other professional sailors would do is to undertake the coach group of completely beginners in sailing that doesn’t even speak English and to bring them around the world.

‘We see other countries are trying to get in, Abu Dhabi and other countries are trying to get in. We see how hard it is to get one sailor on board and he has six that is rotating and he is bringing them up all to a level so there are three on board in the end or four and this is for him a long term plan and he is doing that in a way that is still leading the race.

‘I know the professional sailing world is a very close bubble and it is even hard for young sailors to get in. We had to create the rule here where we forced the teams to take sailors under 30 years of age. Though you are not young if you are under 30. You are a grown up.

‘Because they are so protective of themselves and if you are not this or you are not that you cannot be a good sailor and here comes the guy that proves them completely wrong.

‘He proves the whole professional sailing world wrong.

‘Completely. I mean 25 percent of the crew didn’t speak English six months ago and hadn’t sailed across a little pit of water and for me it’s all about attitude and leadership and doing it the right way and it is so promising for the future that we can put teams together combining really top skippers and experience with youth or Asian and new countries.

‘That’s going to grow the sport. I am absolutely convinced. ‘

'As long as we keep having the same 100 people racing these boats again and again and again and again and they all come from New Zealand and they all come from France and they all come from the same places we are not going to grow the sport.

'That’s why the current performance of Dongfeng is ground breaking.’

And so say all of us!!!