Crew Selections for InPort Race and Leg Five

by Volvo Ocean Race media 11 Mar 2015 07:28 GMT 9 March 2015

Team SCA confirms crew for InPort Race and Leg Five

The toughest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race is about to begin, and for Team SCA it will be the first time most of the crew has experienced the testing conditions of the Southern Ocean. With a Tropical Depression including 40+ knot winds moving in this Sunday, there is also a possibility the boats may have to wait out the storm and depart Auckland 24 hours later.

The majority of the crew are Southern Ocean novices, so Leg 5 will be a real test of endurance and heavy weather sailing.

Sophie Ciszek (AUS) returns onboard, having missed the two legs due to a back injury. After two months of rehabilitation training, Sophie is now fit to sail and, as one of the downwind helmswomen on the crew, she is excited to join the race again.

InPort Race Crew List: Carolijn Brouwer (NED), Sally Barkow (USA), Dee Caffari (GBR), Sophie Ciszek (AUS), Sam Davies (GBR), Abby Ehler (GBR), Libby Greenhalgh (GBR), Stacey Jackson (AUS), Annie Lush (GBR), Elodie Mettraux (SUI), Liz Wardley (AUS). Anna-Lena Elled (SWE) OnBoard Reporter.

Leg Five Crew List: Carolijn Brouwer (NED), Dee Caffari (GBR), Sophie Ciszek (AUS), Sam Davies (GBR), Abby Ehler (GBR), Libby Greenhalgh (GBR), Sara Hastreiter (USA), Stacey Jackson (AUS), Annie Lush (GBR), Elodie Mettraux (SUI), Liz Wardley (AUS). Anna-Lena Elled (SWE) OnBoard Reporter.

Last minute change aboard Dongfeng due to injury

"I've been told it'll be unlike anything I've seen before"

People are starting to joke that crew changes onboard Dongfeng are like a never-ending Ferris wheel. Maybe they're right. However between the Chinese sailors there were no crew changes anticipated for Leg 5. Charles Caudrelier planned to keep the most experienced of his Chinese crew onboard to cross the world's most treacherous ocean on the toughest leg of the race.

That was until one of them couldn't make it.

Charles and Team Director Bruno Dubois were faced with a tough decision when approached by the team's physiotherapist, Neil Maclean-Martin a few days ago. Due to injury to his back, it was strongly advised that Horace would not do the next leg and would instead take an extra month to recuperate fully, and be available at full form for the remaining legs from Brazil onwards.

Chen Jin Hao (Horace): "I'm really a competitive person, I have a lot of pressures from both myself and the Chinese sailing community. I constantly feel I'm not only representing myself also representing China.

Words cannot describe how disappointed I was to find out I can't sail. I'm quite worried about Black, I'm not seasick and I think I'm a better bowman than Black. The next will be tough and I'm worried about him.

We are like brothers so there is no reason for me to get angry because Black will take my place but if you ask me if I'm disappointed the answer is yes."

Liu Xue (Black): "I've been thinking about this a lot. This will be a big challenge for me. When I was told Horace wouldn't be onboard I went straight to talk to him. I asked him if he was sure he couldn't make it because to pass Cape Horn is every sailors dream, especially Chinese sailors. But I soon understood that he was in pain and told him I didn't think he should go because he has to think about his career.

When he decided to not go, he asked me if I had the right clothes and so on, showing his support. We are even closer but to be honest I feel really pity for Horace. Anyone who knows him knows he is bitterly disappointed.

I don't know much about the next leg, I've heard it will be cold. Apparently the weather will be very tough most of the time. I've been told it'll be unlike anything I've seen before.

Pressure? Of course, I never even planned to be onboard for Leg 5. It was a shock because it was out of the blue. Once I was over the shock the pressure comes from both sides, physically and mentally."

Team Alvimedica Supports Starship Foundation and Heart Kids

Team Alvimedica's New Zealand race crew Dave Swete and Ryan Houston took a break from their Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 preparations yesterday to visit young heart patients at the National Heart Ward in Starship Children's Hospital.

The sailors brought balloons, posters, team caps and a few smiles to children in the cardiac unit. The Team Alvimedica race crew also presented a donation of $14,200 NZD to the Starship Foundation and Heart Kids New Zealand. The funds were raised by auctioning team sailing experiences to the highest bidders.

The Pro-Am auction winners will join Team Alvimedica as they compete Thursday in Auckland with the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on Waitemata Harbour. The "Jump Seat" winner will join the team on Sunday March 15 when the fleet sets out on the 6,776 nautical mile leg to Brazil.

After spending much of the morning undergoing their own medical testing as part of the team's Stress of Sailing Study in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15, the two New Zealanders were grateful for the chance to give back to their local community bringing some joyful moments to young children being treated for heart disease.

"We find it a humbling experience to visit children's hospitals during our stopovers and we hope in some small way that we can make a difference by supporting Heart Kids New Zealand," said Team Alvimedica's Houston.

The team visits a local hospital at each stopover but this one hit very close to home for the Volvo Ocean Race sailor. A New Zealand member of the Volvo Ocean Race boat yard team has an infant son in Starship's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit recovering from the first of three planned heart surgeries. Houston visited with Steven Bold's wife and recovering infant at the hospital yesterday.

"The Bold family's experience hits close to home and makes us realize how important it is to support Starship and Heart Kids New Zealand as young families need assistance at a time like this," Houston said. "It is great to see Heart Kids at work even within our small Volvo Ocean Race community."

The funds raised by Team Alvimedica will be used by Starship Foundation and Heart Kids New Zealand to host a national conference for the families to educate and provide a network of support for families with young children affected by heart disease.

"For kids living with congenital heart defects, this sort of adventure racing is not always possible – but heart kids take on even bigger challenges every single day, challenges many of us take for granted," said Rob Lutter, CEO of Heart Kids New Zealand. "We really appreciate Team Alvimedica's support, and every dollar raised through this great auction will help Heart Kids support families from around New Zealand who need us every day," Lutter said.

"It is our hope that this initiative will be a small step toward supporting heart health in New Zealand and at each of the stopover communities of the Volvo Ocean Race worldwide," said Dr. Cem Bozkurt, CEO of Alvimedica, the global medical devices company specializing in interventional cardiology that is the Team's owner.

Team Alvimedica has raised more than $69,000 NZD for paediatric heart health charities since the Volvo Ocean Race started from Spain in October. Bids can be placed for future stopovers on the team's web site at www.teamalvimedica.com/auction.