Volvo Ocean Race – Skippers' press conference

by Ian Thomson on 27 Jun 2015 Volvo Ocean Race – With just the final in-port race to run tomorrow, the skippers gathered before the Inport. The In Port series this race has been set up as a decider should teams be tied on points after the nine offshore legs.

All positions are decided except fourth and fifth with Charlie Enright’s Team Alvimedica and Iker Martinez’s MAPFRE (Iker away for press conference and Xabi Fernandez once again stepped up for this press conference, although Iker is due back later this evening, to skipper for the race).

Both are tied on 34 points, however, Alvimedica currently sits third in the in-Port series two points clear of Mapfre in fifth. So, they have it all to play for tomorrow on the narrow course that is set for the Gothenburg In-Port Race. In fact, second through to sixth is covered by just six points in port series results could change dramatically in tomorrow’s race.

MAPFRE have a lot of Olympic Class sailors onboard tomorrow and Charlie Enright was asked how he feels about going up against a crew with quite a formidable line-up. Charlie simply responded that his team has done it before and will hopefully do it again. They are sailing the race like it is the last time they will sail together as a team and won’t be holding back. When asked if he thought it would all be decided on the start line, Xabi said it will all come down to the wind conditions and they will just set up for a start and see what happens from there.

Will Oxley had stated on arrival into Gothenburg that he had enjoyed this year’s race more than previous editions as the team was keen to learn and learnt quickly.

He stated that the team had a good leader and when asked if he would lead another team in future Volvo Ocean Races, Charlie replied with ‘We joined the race as the least experienced team and have learned a tonne and Will has been a huge part of that. Will has been ‘professorial’ to us.

'He loves to instil knowledge on others and the team has worked well and we’re proud of what we have achieved. We feel that after 39,000nm of the race, we are now ready to compete in the race as the last leg proved. We have learnt a lot and still have a lot to improve on but we are proud of what we have achieved and I hope that we have a future in the race.’

Xabi was then asked if he would be comfortable to take on a skipper’s role after taking the relief role when Iker was away. In response, he said ‘it was not his natural position and was happy to continue in a relief role working with Iker. They work very well as a team’.

Sam Davies will skipper team SCA on their local waters to try and gain a podium position and was asked if being the local team would place extra pressure on them for this final race. In response she said she felt it was the opposite as it was extra support and encouragement to the team and that they would go out to enjoy the last sail together as a team in this Volvo edition and if they enjoy it that they would sail well.

She also said that the team would be sailing for Magnus Olssen tomorrow and said his words written on the inside of the boat were very valuable to the team and with him looking down upon them they would sail for him to make him proud. It was Magnus who put the team together and is still inspiring them on today.

Ian Walker is in a position to do the double, winning the offshore and In-port race. With a gap of six points over Brunel, there is a mathematical chance to lose the in-port series if they come last and Brunel win.

Ian stated, ‘We go out to win everything and we’ve been last before in Auckland and with the course being quite tight and tricky, especially in the heavy winds of yesterday’s practice race, there is plenty of trouble out there, even in the lighter winds forecast for tomorrow.

Chris Nicholson went on to explain that tomorrow's course is tight and the boats will be very close together and that the umpires are going to be kept busy. He is also very proud of his team for getting back into the race. ‘It has been a lot of hard work, however pulling out and not getting back in would have been harder to take.’

Bouwe Bekking is the oldest skipper in the race and his team sit second behind Ian Walkers Abu Dhabi and was asked if he had any tricks for Ian to try and win the race at the start and he stated ‘Ian and his team have shown that even when they are at the back they can fight their way through the fleet so whilst the start is important, we will have to be lucky, but whilst there is a chance to win the trophy we will do our best and it would be nice to get it.‘

The topic then moved onto after the race issues and Ian was asked if he would consider a different role in future races, more of a management role. He didn’t know what the future held and was happy to live in the happy times of now. He believes it will take three months to get over the race. He and the entire team fly over to Abu Dhabi on Sunday to celebrate with the prince and the entire country, however being the time of Ramadan, a time of reflection and quiet, it will have to be a balanced celebration. However, the program is getting kids sailing and that is what it is about. Where the future lies will all be sorted in the future. ‘For now we are about celebrating this win.’

The other team that sails for a nation is Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team racing for China and he was asked about the new legacy of a Chinese team and if he had a message to the fans that had followed them. He said it was about finishing this race off and to start preparing for the next race. He also said that the Dongfeng team was his family and he would love to be back however he had to speak with his family and see where the future goes.
Building sailing in China is still seen as a major goal for the team.

It has been a long nine-month race and when asked what their driving force was in the race, Charlie stated it was to learn, Charles agreed that it was to improve each time you go out. Sam Davies always dreamed of the race having seen a Whitbread finish as a child whilst Ian set out to win this race, to build a team to win it after failures in previous races. Bouwe just loves the race. He loves the oceans and to achieve things as a team and Xabi and his team had a dream to compete in this race for a long time. Chris said it was about the challenge and how the team deals with the tests thrown at them. Certainly all the sailors in port have said that the race has been the hardest mentally with the boats so close together all the time. But that challenge, the extremes, is what the Volvo Ocean Race is about.

Skippers were then asked what their highlight was of the last nine months. Ian said it was rounding the horn and when you do this with an FRO up and two reefs in the main with cigars and you can see the land whilst ‘sending it’, many can only dream of such a moment. Bouwe said it was the pit-stop at the Hauge and Xabi said it was the win in Auckland. Chris said it was Peter and Nicolai, their under 30’s and how much they had to learn and how much they have grown. Charlie agreed with Ian and said it was fulfilling a goal of sailing around Cape Horn however most people thought the best highlight was courtesy of Charles. Charles said it was the smile on their Chinese sailor when they won the leg into China. His family didn’t want him to be a sailor yet he had achieved something special and to see the smile on his face was very fulfilling.

New to this edition was a rule of having two under 30’s onboard. Skippers were asked if they liked the concept. Sam loved the concept and they had three and with Sophie’s injury early in the race, missing two legs, it proved important to have three on their team. The growth of all of them and how they changed was a great reward for the entire team. Sam also encouraged a future under 25 rules as she had been given her first chance to sail offshore at 22. In response, Ian Walker stated tongue in cheek that he was a bit worried about all the young sailors and that they needed an over 40’s rule and possibly an over 50’s rule. ‘Far too many young people coming through.’ He said. Charlie stated his team had plenty of under 30’s on his team with the team having an average age of 30. He loved watching them grow and encouraged it to continue in the future.

Abu Dhabi and Dongfeng are both undertaking an important role in sailing and that is continuing the development in sailing in their respective countries. Ian was asked about the campaign into Abu Dhabi and said that whilst his team was all about getting the headlines and creating an interest, there is so much work to do like visiting stalls to get the equipment but the rewards are in seeing more sailing boats on the water than this time last year. ‘Sailing is a healthy sport, it is a great sport and we’ve got to get the kids out sailing.’ Abu Dhabi’s Adil Khalid is the first winner of the Volvo Ocean Race from Abu Dhabi.

Ian stated that he is so likeable that even if you want to kill, him he turns around and smiles at you and you end up hugging him. He came from Laser sailing and when Ian met him four years ago, he had never sailed a keel boat. ‘He has come a long way and grown up over the four years I’ve known him.’ Ian said. In fact, Abu Dhabi had 8 nations represented in the 10 sailors that raced. This is very different to other crews where one country may dominate the numbers.

The final question put to the skippers was to sum up the 12th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race in one or two words. Chris Nicholson has had a race to remember for many reasons and said it was ‘Challenging but rewarding’. MAPFRE has put together a campaign that will hopefully be the start of future attempts and Xabi said ‘Very Tired but happy’. Bouwe Bekking had set out to win the race and whilst he didn’t achieve this he still said it was ‘Great.’ Sam summed it up in one word ‘Learning’ whilst Charles agreed with Bouwe and said ‘Great’. Charlie came in with the most inexperienced team and summed up his campaign in a few more words saying ‘Great Team, Close Racing and Improvement.’ The new champions of the Volvo Ocean Race, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, led by Ian Walker simply said ‘Satisfying’.

Tomorrow sees the in port race and let’s hope the wind cooperates and this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race goes out on a high. Either way, I’m sure the celebrations will go long into the night tomorrow.