Bouttell gets a ride

Three changes on board Dongfeng Race Team for leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race

Dongfeng Race Team has announced its crew line-up for leg three from Abu Dhabi to their homeport of Sanya in China.

Cheng Ying Kit (referred to as 'Kit') will sail onboard for the first time in the race, accompanying fellow Chinese crew Liu Xue (Black). Kit will be the fourth Chinese sailor to sail on board Dongfeng Race Team since the race started in October. Kit is also the most advanced in terms of technical knowledge among the team's 12 strong squad of Chinese crew and harbours the ambition to manage a future Chinese campaign as its Technical Manager. Sailing on the race will give him vital experience to do that job well in the future.

Kit observed: “You know for two legs I have been working in the shore team and I’ve been happy, learning and living so much, I never expected to be on the boat. So when Charles told me, just before Christmas it was like the perfect early Christmas present, the best one. I am going to live my dream and I finally get to sail on the boat we have worked so hard to maintain and prepare!”

Team Director, Bruno Dubois commented: “If we had an all professional crew we would simply be a western project with Chinese money. That is not who we are and not what we’re about. We could have also just trained two guys and kept them onboard for each leg – but we know we have to widen the base of experience amongst the Chinese sailors, and that won’t happen by leaving them onshore. So its on the job training…”

As a result of Kit joining the crew for this Sanya bound leg, as he is the one Chinese squad member over 30, means that it has given skipper Charles Caudrelier both the opportunity to bring onboard dual nationality Brit/Australian Jack Boutell. A product of the OC Sport-managed Artemis Offshore Academy, Bouttell is a competitors in La Solitaire du Figaro – something valued highly by Caudrelier. To allow these changes to occur Swedish sailor Martin Strömberg will step down for this leg, but will return for Leg 4.

“I’m personally very happy to have Kit onboard, he has been a big brother to the Chinese guys during their journey into offshore sailing and he brings the best out in the crew,” says Caudrelier. “He has been instrumental in the progress of this project because he played a key part as the link between the western sailors and the non English-speaking Chinese sailors at the beginning of the project. I am also excited to welcome Jack Bouttell into the team, this is a really exciting moment for him and I’m glad we could be the ones to give him the opportunity."

An unexpected change for the team was that of the Onboard Reporter. Due to extremely unfortunate personal circumstances at home, Yann Riou will miss leg 3 – he will be sorely missed by the team. Sam Greenfield, one of the star Volvo Ocean Race cameramen and editors, will replace him for the leg to Sanya. “We are really sad to not have Yann with us at this time but we know it’s not possible,” says Caudrelier.

Final crew for Leg 3 will be: Charles Caudrelier, Pascal Bidégorry, Eric Peron, Thomas Rouxel, Jack Bouttell, Kevin Escoffier, Liu Xue (Black), Cheng Ying Kit (Kit) and Sam Greenfield (Onboard Reporter).