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Volvo Ocean Race: The Spanish Team confirms its crew for the Volvo Ocean Race - Xabi Fernández
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The crew will be larger than in previous editions and will rotate depending on the leg. There are 11 sailors led by skipper Iker Martínez
Alicante, September 10th 2014
The skipper of the Spanish Team in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015, Spaniard Iker Martínez, has confirmed today the final crew for the round the world race that will start in Alicante next October 4th with the first inshore race and will set sail to Cape Town (South Africa) one week later. The Spanish Team will have a larger crew than in previous editions and the sailors will rotate depending on the leg.
13 previous participations and six rookies
10 sailors, plus the onboard reporter, are part of the Spanish crew. They add up to 13 participations in the Volvo Ocean Race, while six of them will make their debut in the race.
Together with Iker Martínez –skipper-, Xabi Fernández –watch captain-, Rafa Trujillo –trimmer/helmsman- Antonio “Ñeti” Cuervas-Mons –bowman- and Nico Lunven –navigator-, it has been confirmed that Michel Desjoyeaux (49), also involved in Team France America’s Cup Challenge, will be onboard for some the legs on the role of watch captain. This will be his fourth participation in the race. The French sailor made his debut in the Whitbread 1985-1986, as a crewmember onboard Cote d’Or. He was back twice after that, in 1989 and 1993, although he only sailed one of the six legs completed in those editions.
André Fonseca, “Bochecha” (36) is, so far, the only Brazilian sailor in the fleet who will be competing in the 2014-2015 edition. With two Volvo Ocean Race campaigns under his belt [“Brasil 1” back in 2005-2006 and “Delta Lloyd” in 2008-2009], Fonseca will also be a watch captain on board the Spanish boat.
Besides Lunven and Trujillo, Frenchman Anthony Marchand (29) -trimmer/helmsman-, Spaniard Carlos Hernández (27) –trimmer/bowman- and British Sam Goodchild (24) –trimmer/bowman- will be the rookies of the crew. Marchand and Goodchild are both very well-known sailors in the Figaro circuit, where they have competed five and three times, respectively. Hernández has experience in many different boats and classes, including offshore boats such as the Volvo Open 70 “Maserati” (former Ericsson 3).
Argentinean Francisco Vignale (25) will be the onboard reporter.
Crew for the Spanish team in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015
1. Iker Martínez (ESP), skipper
2. Nicolas Lunven (FRA), navigator
3. Xabi Fernández (ESP), watch captain
4. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), watch captain
5. André Fonseca “Bochecha” (BRA), watch captain
6. Rafa Trujillo (ESP), trimmer/helmsman
7. Anthony Marchand (FRA), trimmer/helmsman *Under 30 crew member
8. Antonio “Ñeti” Cuervas-Mons (ESP), bowman
9. Carlos Hernández (ESP), trimmer/bowman. *Under 30 crew member
10. Sam Goodchild (GBR), trimmer/bowman. *Under 30 crew member
11. Francisco Vignale (ARG), onboard reporter
Photo : © María Muiña
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