Crew changes for leg five

Significant re-jigging on the line-up on Telefonica Blue for the Volvo Ocean Race's longest leg

With the longest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race ahead of them - 12,300 miles from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro, expected to take 40 days - following on from the toughest leg of the race so far, so the Volvo Ocean Race teams have been taking careful consideration over the crew line-up prior to Saturday's start.

Once again there are no changes on Ericsson 4, while on Puma the only change is bow veteran Jerry Kirby returning to take over from Shannon Falcone. On other boats there are more profound changes.

On board Telefonica Blue for example co-skippers Bouwe Bekking and Íker Martínez will won’t have the experienced Pepe Ribes with them due to an injury he suffered the crew were trialling their the daggerboard system last Friday. Thus he is being replaced by the capable David Vera. Usually Vera is in charge of systems on Telefonica Black.

Ribes was operated on yesterday in Barcelona for a fracture to his left thumb. A preliminary examination performed in Qingdao (China) led the doctors to advise that an operation would be necessary. Back in Barcelona on Monday Spanish doctors confirmed that Ribes would be forced to undergo surgery on his hand.

As he left the clinic Ribes was very optimistic about the operation and his recovery: “They’ve inserted a titanium screw and the doctors have assured me that the operation went very well. I’ll have to come back in a week’s time for a check-up and I’ll be in plaster for about two weeks. After that I’ll start with physio, but they’ve told me that there’s a chance that I’ll be fully recovered earlier than previously expected. I think I’ll be back to 100% for Rio.”

Telefónica Blue will also be taking a new bowman. New Zealander Daryl Wislang (one of the team’s under-30s, as required by the VOR rules) suffered a shoulder injury on leg four when the fleet hit a storm between the Philippines and Taiwan. His replacement will be South Africa’s Mike Pammenter.

Following Laurent Pages’ injury on the second leg and the recent injuries suffered by Ribes and Wislang, some restructuring will also take place aboard Telefónica Blue. Simon Fisher has been given new responsibilities that mean that he’ll be spending a lot more time on deck as helmsman, trimmer, etc. That’s due to his experience and also being one of the strongest crewmembers on board the Spanish boat. He will also be in
charge of the strategy/ performance analysis of the boat, in particular keeping a close eye on the new rudders installed a couple of days ago.

“With the 12,000 miles to Rio ahead of us, I’m really looking forward to taking a more active part in sailing the boat," said Fisher. "With the injuries in the last leg I found myself suddenly taking on a lot more work on deck, driving and trimming more. Being in a position like this, where I can help strengthen the team in any position is good for me as it is positive and makes me feel like a valued member of the team.

“It also gives me the chance to concentrate on the boat’s performance more. Especially in terms of the change of the rudders. We need to be able to see, in numbers what the impact of this change is, so we can keep getting better and keep pushing forward. I’m really looking forward to starting the next leg, to sailing lots, being more active and getting away from the computer a bit more!”

Tom Addis will take over as navigator, a role he collaborated on with Fisher during the previous two legs. He did a great job and his experience and knowledge of weather will be the key to tracking down the best routes for this brand new leg.

On board Ian Walker's Green Dragon there will be two crew changes. Navigator Ian Moore and helmsman/trimmer Anthony Merrington will stand down for this leg, but will both re-join the crew in Rio for the remainder of the race. Taking their place onboard the Dragon will be Dutchman Wouter Verbraak as navigator, and Volvo Ocean Race first timer Chris Main from New Zealand.

Anthony Merrington is stepping down due to a back injury he sustained on Leg 4. After an assessment of the injury, doctors have instructed him to stand down for the next leg in order to make a full recovery for the rest of the race. Meanwhile Ian Moore is returning home to the UK after confirming the happy news that his wife Emily is expecting their second child: “It was a very hard decision to make, but I am overjoyed at the news from home, and it is important that I am there at this time," said Moore. "I am sure it will be a challenging leg and I wish the boys every success for the trip ahead. Wouter has a huge amount of experience under his belt and I am sure he will enjoy his time on board”.

Verbraak has a wealth of experience in both inshore and offshore racing. He has sailed in the America’s Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race, the Oryx Quest non-stop around the world race, most of the ocean classics and the Tour de France à la Voile, all as navigator. He is a qualified meteorologist and an accomplished sailor. He holds an outstanding track record in weather routing, advising sailors on strategy and weather in the Volvo Ocean Race, the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, the Transat Jaques Vabres and the Olympics.

For Wouter this is his second Volvo Ocean Race; previously he shared navigator duties with Jean-Yves Bernot as part of the djuice dragons team in 2001/02, and most recently was on board Team Russia for the first three legs of the current race. “It is going to be a monster leg from China to Rio, but at the same time it will be a great challenge both in outright sailing and strategic opportunities," said Verbraak. "I am looking forward to joining Ian Walker and the team on board Green Dragon. They are a great crew with an exceptional mix of sailing talent and experience. I have sailed with a good number of the crew in other races, and know the guys well. I am looking forward to the challenge ahead."

Chris Main meanwhile has over 15 years professional sailing experience, he is a respected helmsman and tactician and brings a range of experience with him from two America’s Cup campaigns, the TP52 circuit and most recently onboard JPMorgan Asset Management Extreme 40 as tactician for Shirley Robertson for the IShares Cup. He was prominent in the after-guard as tune-up helmsman and tactician for Japan’s Nippon Challenge, and then as a grinder with Ian Walker on board GBR Challenge during the 2001 America’s Cup.

Crew line-ups

ERICSSON 4
1. Torben Grael/BRA - skipper
2. Jules Salter/GBR - navigator
3. Guy Salter/GBR - MCM
4. Brad Jackson/NZL – watch captain
5. Stu Bannatyne/NZL – watch captain
6. Dave Endean/NZL - pitman
7. Horacio Carabelli/BRA - trimmer
8. Tony Mutter/NZL - trimmer
9. Joao Signorini/BRA - trimmer
10. Ryan Godfrey/AUS - bowman
11. Phil Jameson/NZL – bowman
No changes

ERICSSON 3
1. Magnus Olsson/SWE – skipper
2. Aksel Magdahl/NOR - navigator
3. Gustav Morin/SWE MCM
4. Thomas Johansson/FIN - helmsman
5. Arve Roaas/NOR – trimmer/helmsman
6. Magnus Woxen/SWE – trimmer
7. Eivind Melleby/NOR - helmsman
8. Martin Strömberg/SWE – trimmer
9. Jens Dolmer/DEN - pitman
10. Anders Dahlsjö/SWE - bowman
11. Martin Krite/SWE - bowman
On: Arve Roaas/NOR – trimmer/helmsman
Magnus Woxen/SWE – trimmer
Eivind Melleby/NOR - helmsman
Off: Richard Mason/NZL - watch captain
Klass Nylof/SWE – helmsman
Jann Neergaard/DEN

GREEN DRAGON
1. Ian Walker/GBR - skipper
2. Wouter Verbraak/NED - navigator
3. Guo Chuan/CHN - MCM
4. Neal McDonald/GBR – watch captain
5. Damian Foxall/IRL – watch captain
6. Tom Braidwood/AUS – pitman/trimmer
7. Phil Harmer/AUS – helmsman/trimmer
8. Andrew Mclean/NZL – pitman/trimmer
9. Chris Main/NZL – helmsman/trimmer
10. Justin Slattery/IRL – bowman
11. Freddie Shanks/GBR - bowman
On: Wouter Verbraak/NED - navigator
Damian Foxall/IRL – watch captain
Chris Main/NZL – helmsman/trimmer
Off: Ian Moore/IRL – navigator
Anthony Merrington/AUS – watch captain
Ian Budgen/GBR helmsman/trimmer

PUMA OCEAN RACING
1. Ken Read/USA - skipper
2. Andrew Cape/AUS - navigator
3. Rick Deppe/GBR MCM
4. Sidney Gavignet/FRA – watch captain
5. Robert Greenhalgh/GBR – watch captain
6. Rob Salthouse/NZL – helmsman/trimmer
7. Justin Ferris/NZL – helmsman/trimmer
8. Erle Williams/NZL – helmsman/trimmer
9. Jerry Kirby/USA – bowman/pitman
10. Casey Smith/AUS – bowman
11. Michael Müller/GER – helmsman/bowman
On: Jerry Kirby/USA – bowman/pitman
Off: Shannon Falcone/ANT – trimmer/pitman

TELEFÓNICA BLUE
1. Bouwe Bekking/NED - skipper
2. Iker Martinez/ESP - co-skipper/helmsman
3. Tom Addis/AUS – navigator
4. Simon Fisher/GBR- strategist/helmsman
5. Gabriele Olivo/ITA - MCM
6. Jonathan Swain/RSA – watch captain
7. Jordi Calafat ESP – helmsman
8. Xabier Fernandez/ESP - trimmer
9. Pablo Arrarte/ESP Spanish - trimmer
10. Michael Pammeter/RSA - bowman
11. Pepe Ribes/ESP - bowman
On: David Vera/ESP – bowman
Michael Pammeter/RSA - bowman
Off: Pepe Ribes/ESP - bowman
Daryl Wislang/NZL - bowman