Meet the six contenders for Azzam in the Volvo Ocean Race

With the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing crew members out of the way, we look at the other six boats competing in the nine-leg race around the world.

Boats docked at the Alicante port in Spain in the countdown to the Volvo Ocean Race. Courtesy VOR

With the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing crew aboard the Azzam out of the way, we look at the other six boats competing in the nine-leg race around the world.

Alvimedica

Skipper: Of those manning the wheel, American Charlie Enright is the greenest of the bunch in age and experience, which might be doubly difficult to overcome. He is competing in his first Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) and he is doing it as a skipper. He turns 30 today, which makes him the youngest of the seven skippers.

The team: A generation gap will not be an issue. Other than veteran navigator Will Oxley, 49, the crew is in their 20s and 30s and may have an edge in stamina. Oxley, an Australian, has served in three VORs.

Experience: Four of the crew, including Enright, have never sailed in a VOR. The Alvimedica sailors have logged a combined seven VORs, three of them by Oxley. Only Dongfeng and SCA have fewer combined crew starts.

Notable: Alvimedica has turned heads in Alicante, winning the inshore race last weekend by six seconds and 25 metres over Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. The test for the youngest team in the race is keeping it together for nine months.

Brunel

Skipper: The Dutch are seeking a fourth victory in the VOR behind wily veteran Bouwe Bekking who, at age 51, is the oldest of the skippers. Bekking has more VOR experience than three of the boats can claim collectively, having competed in six events.

The team: This marks Dutch sponsor Brunel’s third crack at the VOR, though participation has been intermittent (1997/98 and 2005/06). Brunel won the Round the Canary Islands event over the summer.

Experience: The 18 cumulative VOR starts among the Brunel crew rank second only to Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (20) in terms of experience.

Notable: Navigator Andrew Cape has five VOR starts, giving Brunel the best depth of experience at the two most-crucial positions. Not surprisingly, most of the skippers have kept a wary eye on Brunel’s progress in Alicante.

Dongfeng

Skipper: This is truly East meets West. Half of the 12 men on the team roster are Chinese nationals and the other six are Westerners, including five Frenchmen, led by skipper Charles Caudrelier, who has one VOR start.

The team: The Chinese crewmen, hand-picked after a gruelling tryout process, have been cramming like crazy to catch up on their English and their sailing skills. There have been occasional communication issues with their French teammates.

Experience: With only four VOR starts among the crew, and none by the Chinese sailors, the team is not expected to contend in the opening legs. Initially, only two Chinese will be on board.

Notable: This event is intended to serve as a nautical stepping stone for the world’s most-populous nation, which, in six years, hopes to enter an all-Chinese boat in the VOR.

Mapfre

Skipper: Iker Martinez, 37, is a former Olympic gold-medallist and split time between his Olympic and VOR duties before switching full-time to the latter effort in the past few weeks. The boat was third in the in-port race last weekend.

The team: Crewman Xabi Fernandez helped Martinez win Olympic gold in the 49er class in 2004 and veteran Frenchman Michel Desjoyeaux has three VORs on his resume. Mapfre did not join the race until June, but should improve as the crew finds their rhythm.

Experience: Five crewmen have logged at least two VORs, including Martinez, who has three appearances. The Spanish team Telefonica, with Martinez as skipper, produced the quickest cumulative time over nine months during the latest VOR, but the race is decided on points.

Notable: Telefonica was the runaway leader midway through the last VOR, after winning the first three legs, but struggled to keep up thereafter and finished third.

SCA

Skipper: English skipper Sam Davies, 40, has circumnavigated the globe as a solo act, but she will have plenty of company this time around. More than any other skipper, in fact.

The team: As a concession to the advantage the men’s teams have in physical strength, the women will carry three extra crew members, bringing the on-board sailing total to 11. Given the cramped quarters, chemistry will be crucial.

Experience: Even with the expanded crew, the SCA sailors have only three VOR starts, collectively, the fewest among the seven boats. What they lack in experience, they will need to offset in numbers.

Notable: The most recent all-women VOR entry, in 2001/02, finished last in a fleet of eight. This year’s identically designed Volvo 65 boats should help the SCA team be more competitive.

Vestas Wind

Skipper: Australia’s Chris Nich­olson has logged a few laps around the planet, including four in the VOR. Last time, he skippered the Camper boat to a second-place ­finish.

The team: The last of the seven teams to enter, Vestas formally jumped into the race two months ago. By comparison, SCA has been training in their boat for 18 months. The lack of time together would seem to suggest Vestas may have to improvise, now and then.

Experience: Considering the time constraints involved in selection, the crew is impressive. The eight sailors have made 15 Volvo starts among them, third-most in the regatta.

Notable: Only Brunel’s Bekking has more VOR starts among the seven skippers and Nicholson might need to conjure some magic to keep this crew in contention until some continuity can be ­established.

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