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eviving a Whitbread Round
the World Race tradition of
high spirits that’s (perhaps
thankfully) been lost from recent
editions of the Volvo Ocean Race,
seven members of race teams and
support staff were arrested after the
Newport stopover crew party in May.
Following the official crew party
many of the teams and event crew
continued the celebrations at the
Clarke Cooke House restaurant and
bar on Banister’s Wharf. At around
0100 the bar’s fire alarms went offand some 100 people spilled out into
the street. Over a dozen police cars
turned up to clear the area and some
eyewitnesses reported that the police
response was particularly heavy-
handed. Seven people were arrested,
including Team Brunel navigator
Andrew Cape, 55, who is currently
competing in his seventh Volvo
Ocean Race.
According to local news reports,
Cape “pushed Patrol Officer Bradford
Coyle in the chest and swore at him,
saying he wasn’t going anywhere.”A highlight of the Volvo Ocean Race in
June will be when former Whitbread
Round the World and Volvo Ocean
Race boats join the fleet to race on
the final leg to The Hague.
The Legends fleet includes such
iconic names as the S&S-designed
IOR yacht Flyer from 1977, the
Whitbread 60 Silk Cut, which wasVolvo party
gets disorderly
Whitbread Legends join VOR
The police told local media
that Officer Coyle then
tripped, and fell on top
of Cape onto a curb.
According to police,
Stefan Coppers, who
was onboard reporter for
Brunel in the last race,
then jumped on Officer
Coyle’s back.
The night ended with seven
people being detained by police
overnight and charged with disorderly
conduct, for which they each pleaded
no contest and were ordered to
pay a sum of $100-300 to the Boys
& Girls Clubs of Newport County.
They included Te a m S c a l l y w a g team
manager Tim Newton.
Scallywag skipper David Witt, no
stranger to controversy, commented:
“If there wasn’t a Scallywag amongst
the seven people [arrested], I think we
would have been disappointed.”Let the Volvo
Ocean Race
celebrations
begin!ARRESTS IN NEWPORT FOLLOWING PARTY HIGH JINKS
The 1999 Maxi
Rothmans will be
joining the final
leg of the Volvo
Ocean RaceR
skippered by Lawrie Smith in the
1997 edition, and the Maxi Rothmans
from 1999. The oak-framed Polish-
built Copernicus, at just 46ft the
smallest yacht ever to complete the
round the world race, is the oldest
boat, dating from the very first
Whitbread in 1973.
There are also former Volvo OceanRace entrants taking part, including the
2001-02 race winner Illbruck, SEB, and
the VO70s Telefonica Blue and Ericsson
4 , winner of the 2008-09 edition.
Seven-times Whitbread and
Volvo sailor Roger Nilson will be
commentating at the start of the race,
and says: “The Whitbread/Volvo has
been a large, amazing and enjoyable
part of my life. It will be great to see
the Legends fleet lining up.”ON THE WIND
Bluegreen Pictures/AlamySam Greenfield/Volvo Ocean Race