Volvo Ocean race 2014-15 - Tête-à-tête

by Team Brunel on 12 Nov 2014 Volvo Ocean race 2014-15 - As well as a medical staff of three, Team Brunel also has its own team coach. On behalf of sponsor Schouten Global, Anje-Marijcke van Boxtel is helping skipper Bouwe Bekking’s crew to get mentally stronger.

'First I have a short chat with the sailors during their medical screening,' says Anje-Marijcke van Boxtel. 'These talks already give me a fair idea of what is going on in their heads. Over the following days, I have individual talks with them that last about an hour. That’s when the real stories come out. Initially, these are positive stories but, when you keep on asking questions, certain points for improvement also come to the surface. These might be about confusion or irritations on board because there is sometimes not enough communication. But they may also be about the fact that some of the lads are pretty untidy. Some people have no problem with that but other people can be irritated by these little things.'

Anje-Marijcke thinks that winning is about optimising communication. 'Everyone performs better if they know when they’ve been sailing well. But providing structural feedback is not yet a habit on board. Just getting a pat on the back or a thumbs-up is not really enough. And feedback should preferably be given immediately – after coming off watch or taking your turn at the helm, for example. Then they know exactly what they have done right. And by asking the navigator Andrew Cape for the speed of the boat, for instance, they know how they’ve performed during their watch.'

Anje-Marijcke then asked Andrew Cape for the boat’s data, such as its speed and course. 'Because we know exactly who was on watch, who was trimming and who was steering, I can link these data to the stories I heard. This is when effective and less effective patterns of co-operation come to light. Shortly, we’ll have a full evaluation with the whole sailing team in which all of the findings – including Andrew’s figures – will be discussed. Then we’ll see what the best combinations are. Some people might be better helmsmen and others may be great trimmers. Finally, the team will use these data to put together two four-man watches.'

'Ultimately, it’s about the performance of the men and the boat. They simply have to sail as fast as possible. And if you feel good, you perform better and, in turn, you use less energy doing it. You can benefit the most by perfecting the things that you’re best at. That’s the only way to become a team that Event website