Team Alvimedica has announced the Volvo Ocean Race veteran Stu Bannatyne will step onto the orange and black boat for Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí.
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Credit : A Sanchez
The tough Kiwi, who has already completed six round the world races, will join Charlie Enright and co as they head into the Southern Ocean and around the iconic Cape Horn.
And his offshore experience, spanning over two decades, will be a huge boost to the Turkish-American crew – which, at the Alicante start line, was the youngest in the race.
“I’ve been working with Team Alvimedica for a while now,” explains Stu, who sailed alongside navigator Will Oxley on Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand in the 2011-12 edition.
“The relationship first began last year, before the race started. Charlie got in touch with me and asked me to help out a bit with preparing the team and do a bit of coaching to get them up to speed before the start of the race.
“As part of that, I did the transatlantic trip with them from Portugal to Newport.
We spent just over 10 days in the Atlantic together, and I got to know them pretty well on that trip, so hopefully it should be a seamless transition."
So, was this always in the plan, or did the call from Charlie take him a little by surprise?
“It’s something we’ve been discussing since before the race, whether I come in and do a leg at some stage,” he says.
“This leg coming up is the leg that we’ve been talking about the most, and it’s a nice fit in terms of bringing in some fresh enthusiasm and a bit of experience to the team.
“I’ve been around Cape Horn seven times - for me, the best sailing in the world is to be found in the Southern Ocean on this part of the race."
He smiles. “It can also be some of the worst sailing in the world. It gets pretty cold and it’s hard work.
“But you tend to forget those bad times and just remember all the good sailing.”
Stepping off the boat is Frenchman Seb Marsset, who will work for the team on shore during the next leg, and is scheduled to return for Leg 6 from Itajaí to Newport.
“Stu brings incredible experience to us for the tough Southern Ocean leg ahead,” says skipper Charlie Enright.
“The leg that we are about to embark on is like nothing we have seen in this race so far."
Having already completed half a dozen of these round the world adventures, it’s fair to say that Stu has the Volvo Ocean Race in his blood – and that connection just keeps on bringing him back.
“I love the offshore sailing and the Southern Ocean type conditions. I enjoy working as part of a long-term project,” he admits.
“This one-design race presents new challenges again, something new with the way that the race has developed.
“There’s always a challenge there to get the best out of the boat and the team.”
From Volvo Ocean Race
