A starter from the Netherlands is almost a natural part of the Volvo Ocean Race. This campaign will be Holland's twelfth - in the twelfth edition of the regatta. The successes of Cornelis van Rietschoten on his yachts called "Flyer" are legendary. He is the only skipper to have won the race twice. Equally famous are the campaigns of ABN Amro, the savings bank, one of which led to victory in 2005, with the New Zealander Mike Sanderson as skipper. The engineering consultancy Brunel is once again a sponsor.
The team
In addition to skipper Bouwe Bekking, who is entering his seventh race, navigator Andrew Cape (Australia) is also a very experienced man with five participations. Another plus point: the team has carried out a very extensive crew selection. These prerequisites speak for a role as favourites. However, Brunel has not competed against other Volvo Ocean 65s during the preparation phase, so there is no comparison.
The skipper
Bouwe Bekking, 51, made his debut in this race almost 30 years ago, in the 1985/86 Whitbread Round the World Race, and his experience makes him the absolute heavyweight among the skippers of this event.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
