Adrienne Cahalan leads the way for Brasil 1

by Event media on 5 Jul 2005 Internationally renowned Australian navigator, Adrienne Cahalan, has been chosen by skipper, Torben Grael, to navigate the Brazilian yacht, Brasil 1, in the Volvo Ocean Race.

Cahalan is the only woman so far registered to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race. She will navigate for the first ever Brazilian team to compete in this race. ‘Being the only woman on the crew is not a problem. It's like being office co-workers. In the first few editions, when the race was still called Whitbread, it was more common to have co-ed teams. Then in the 90s, the rules demanded women-only boats. Today, we return to the tradition of co-ed teams,’ she says.

In Brazil for just over ten days, she is learning Portuguese, doing a lot of weight lifting, and most importantly, getting to know the members of the crew who will join her during the eight-month event that covers nine countries.
‘It's key to speak the main language on the boat,’ says Cahalan, who over many years has qualified as a Maritime lawyer and Weather Router, successfully skippered an 18ft skiff, navigated on the winning Australian team at the Admiral’s Cup and navigated Cheyenne to a round the world record – a mere glance at her many achievements.

‘This a sport defined by details and when you don't speak the same language as your team members, you may not understand something important,’ explains Cahalan.

Choosing her was one of the most important decisions taken by skipper, Grael. Cahalan was recommended by one of the most respected meteorologists, Australian Roger Badham, or Clouds, as he is known amongst sailors.
‘He knew Torben and my name came up in one of their conversations. I came to Brazil for an interview and shortly after that I was on the team,’ she said.

The Australian is one of the best navigators in the world. She has been nominated by ISAF (International Sailing Federation) four times for the title of Sailor of the Year.

Even though she was in high demand, the diminutive Cahalan chose Brasil 1 as her boat of choice for the Volvo Ocean Race. One of the reasons was the strong nationalistic spirit of the team.

‘This is one of the most challenging projects I have ever encountered. It defies the narrow view of just wanting to arrive first. It involves a lot more; a feeling of national pride, not just a commercial undertaking. It is a Brazilian boat, not just a sponsored boat or a team project,’ Cahalan mused.

Brasil 1 is sponsored by VIVO, Motorola, QUALCOMM, ThyssenKrupp, NIVEA Sun, Ágora Senior Corretora de Valores, and the Brazilian government through Apex (the exports promoting agency of Brazil), the Ministry of Industry, Development and Foreign Trade, with special support from Varig. The crew consists of Brazilians Torben Grael, Marcelo Ferreira, André Fonseca, Joca Signorini, Kiko Pellicano and reserve Eduardo Penido.

Other foreigners on the crew are New Zealanders Andy Meiklejohn and Stuart Wilson, Spaniard Roberto Chuny Bermudez and Norwegian Knut Frostad, who will only compete in the three south sea legs.

For more information, see www.adriennecahalan.com or:
http://www.brasil1.com.br

*Amended by Sail-World