New recruit for Team Brunel

Ex-Groupama/Telefonica Blue crewman joins up with Bouwe Bekking

Experienced French sailor Laurent Pagès has been chosen by Team Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking to complete his line-up for the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15.

Pagès brings a winning pedigree to the Dutch challengers after he helped guide Groupama to victory in the last edition in 2011-12. Additionally, he was watch captain in the Spanish team Telefónica Blue in 2008-09, sailing with Bekking.

“Sailing again around the world with such an experienced skipper is special to me, as my first Volvo experience was with Bouwe during the 2008-09 edition and this experience was a great one,” said Pagès.

“It is a great pleasure to join the Team Brunel for the next Volvo Ocean Race. I appreciate the spirit of the team a lot. They are dedicated, friendly, and ambitious. On a personal side, this is a new challenge with a new team, a new boat and with the ambition of winning the Volvo Ocean Race.”

Bekking was equally delighted to renew his partnership with Pagès onboard. “Laurent is a superb sailor with whom I raced successful for many years,” he said. “His technical skills, eye for details, a winner in several one design classes, and of course winning the last Volvo Ocean Race are a couple of ingredients as a skipper you only dream of. His character fits perfectly in with the rest of the guys, so I am really happy he will join us.”

With the arrival of Pagès, Team Brunel’s race crew is complete. Others in the crew are Bekking (NED), Gerd-Jan Poortman (NED), Pablo Arrarte (ESP), Jens Dolmer (DEN), Andrew Cape (AUS), Rokas Milevicius (LTU) and Louis Balcaen (BEL).

The team has yet to appoint an onboard reporter.