Victory Challenge gain two grinders

More crew augmentation for the Swedish America's Cuppers

For 2007, and the final races of the 32nd America’s Cup, Victory Challenge has further strengthened the sailing team, with two additional grinders. American Mark Strube, 38, is an America’s Cup veteran from OneWorld Challenge, 2002-2003, and Abracadabra, 1999-2000.

Swedish Gustav Morin has no America’s Cup experience, as he is the youngest member of the sailing team. He is 22 and has a background that includes the Swedish national junior rugby team.
 
Both Mark Strube and Gustav Morin are, like the other members of the sailing team, in Dubai for winter training. "What a place! It’s like nothing else I’ve seen," says Gustav Morin. "We will get a lot of good sailing in.”
 
"Today we are having sailing training for the sixth day of six possible. There is a 10-15 knot wind every day and there is a lot of high quality time on the water," says Mark Strube.

Both have the maximum endurance capacity that is required of a grinder.

"The grinder position is very exposed. It is the hardest and most demanding job on the boat. Our grinders are our motors. Injuries occur easily. So it has therefore been necessary to get in more muscles," explains Magnus Holmberg, skipper and helmsman.
"Mark has the experience we need. As regards Gustav, we have also thought in the long-term. We also need to get the really young ones on the team. He has quickly found his place and he has great potential."
 
Strube, who usually lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, moved there from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in August 1992, the day before Hurricane Andrew caused such enormous destruction. He had played American football during his time at the Northern Michigan University and been recruited to the AFL team, the Orlando Predators.
 
He had started sailing when he was eight and in Florida he took up sailing again, at the same time as he finished his MBA at the University of Miami and became a stock broker. In the end he had to choose. And he chose to be a professional sailor. Mark Strube took part in his first America’s Cup with Abracadabra in 1999-2000 and continued with OneWorld Challenge in 2002-2003. While at OneWorld he met Laser sailor Mark Mendelblatt and the two joined forces, winning the Baccardi Cup in 2005, Kiel Woche and the European Championships last year (see our video of Strube and Mendelblatt's guiding us around their Star here). THe duo are aiming for the 2008 Olympics.
 
Gustav Morin comes from the small Swedish town of Enköping. He has been strength training since he was 13 years old and could do a 140 kilo bench press as a 17 year old. Strength training has been a complement to his rugby and handball training. Enköping is Sweden’s leading rugby town.
 
He began sailing as an 11-year-old. First in Optimists, and then Lasers, windsurfing and, recently, 49ers.
 
However, his recruitment to Victory Challenge was slightly more unusual. He has been a journalist and photographer with the Swedish boat magazine, Båtnytt, first as a freelancer, then as an employee, since he was 18. He covered Victory Challenge during the pre-regatta in Malmö and came down to Valencia during the winter to report for Båtnytt’s new sister magazine, Allt om segling, which is completely focused on sailing. He is famous for his series Våghalsen (daredevil), in which he tests tough vessels at sea. He wanted to take photographs from the top of Örn’s mast (SWE 63). He was winched up 30 metres, at the same time his physical capacity was noticed from down on deck.

Gustav Morin was offered a test as grinder. "It feels just fine to be the youngest on the team. If you work hard you are given a warm welcome by the others on the team and I’m here to work hard," he says.