Yachting World — November 2017

28 November 2017

would have chosen a line-up of seven men and two

women. “I probably would have tried to get a girl who’s

good on deck and try to find someone who could help

navigationally. I felt that was where we lacked the most.

The biggest compromise was most of the time there’s

nobody in the navstation. I don’t think anyone has hired a

female navigator, which is one of the first things I would

have looked at. I’m surprised no one’s gone that route.”

Instead, a number of young skiff sailors have been hired

by the teams, such as Jena Mai Hansen, the Danish sailor

and Olympic bronze medallist from Rio 2016 and reigning

49erFX World Champion, who is sailing for Vestas 11th

Hour Racing. Team AkzoNobel has gone one better in

hiring the 49erFX Olympic Champion Martine Grael.

While most teams are following Walker’s logic of a 7:2

male/female setup, Dee Caffari is going for an even 5:5 for

Turn the Tide on Plastic, and David Witt has gone for seven

men and no women on Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag.

Witt, a straight-talking Australian, has been painted as the

misogynistic pantomime villain for supposedly refusing

to take women into his crew. However, he says he’s been

misrepresented in the interview that he did with the

media department of the Volvo Ocean Race. “It was

completely out of f***ing context which is why I don’t get

involved in social media,” Witt told Yachting World.

“I was criticising the rule. I’ve had female sailors on all

my campaigns in big boat sailing. Most probably we’re

going to end up with a female sailor on this race, we’re not

against it one iota. I don’t think the rule is doing what it

should be doing for women’s sailing. I think it’s actually

detrimental.

“I said, they’re trying to get a social response out of the

race, not necessarily doing the right thing for women’s

sailing, but that’s just my opinion.

“I think Dee’s team is a good idea, the 5:5 team is a good

idea. That’s interesting. I haven’t said I wouldn’t take a girl,

what I have said is I wanted to take minimum crew,

minimum numbers. I think the lighter you are,

especially on the long legs, in marginal planing

conditions you’re going to be faster. I said all that [in

Liz Wardley at the

nav station on

Turn the Tide on

Plastic

›

Jen Edney / Volvo Ocean Race

volvo ocean race