Volvo Ocean Race: The Volvo Ocean Race is calling: Opportunities for German sailors!

Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel is forming for the Volvo Ocean Race. The campaign, which got off to a late start, has now officially opened its application portal and explicitly wants to offer German sailors the chance to join. "We are very interested in young German sailors," Bekking told YACHT online.

Bekking named the three most important requirements for applicants: "Candidates should be under 30 years old by the end of the race, i.e. June 2018, speak and write English well and have already sailed single-handed or in a team." When asked how candidates can best prepare for a possible invitation to the test, the Dutchman, who wants to fight for victory in the most famous team race around the world at the eighth attempt, answered: "You should be super fit, keep your calendar clear, have read the Notice of Race, the sailing instructions and the class rules thoroughly. A Yachtmaster licence is also an absolute prerequisite for participation. This is required by the Volvo Ocean Race regulations." Offshore experience would also be a great advantage.

If you want to apply for a job in the shore crew, you should ideally have knowledge of boat building. According to Bekking, technical knowledge in the areas of hydraulics and electrics is required. An "extra pro" from the skipper's point of view would be knowledge of colours and spraying as well as the use of AutoCAD. Applicants should be able to speak and write English. Another extra pro would be language skills in Spanish, Portuguese or Chinese. "Shore crew applicants should also thoroughly study the VO 65 rule," says Bekking, "and clarify with their family that they will have little time for them during stopover periods." The list of requirements for candidates is therefore long. Anyone who fulfils many, but perhaps not all, of these requirements should still take the risk of submitting a serious application. The application portal is now open and has the headline: "Come on board: are you ready for the toughest team race around the world?"

Click here for the application opportunity.