Ten international sailors have been appointed to the prestigious and challenging position following a rigorous selection process. They will each skipper one of the ten stripped down, 68-foot racing yachts which are preparing to compete in the 40,000-mile challenge, the only global ocean race open to everyone, regardless of background and sailing ability, and the longest in the world.
Sir Robin comments, “Leading a team in a race around the world is one of the hardest and most challenging jobs that any skipper could ever undertake and we’re confident these ten men are up to this challenge. They have all been through a lengthy and rigorous selection process and we have chosen a group of exceptional individuals as our race skippers. They have the ability to draw the line between competitiveness and safety while, at the same time, motivating the crew to retain their focus during races lasting several weeks at a time, whether it be through roaring gales and towering seas or the frustration of tricky calm spells.”
The skippers are:
Rupert Dean, 40
Gordon Reid, 44
Olly Osborne, 30
Gareth Glover, 34
Ian Conchie, 39 (Qingdao)
Mark Light, 39 (Derry-Londonderry)
Richard Hewson, 32
Juan Coetzer, 33
Ben Bowley, 27 (Singapore)
Adam Tuffnell, 34 (De Lage Landen embraces the world)
Sir Robin comments, “Leading a team in a race around the world is one of the hardest and most challenging jobs that any skipper could ever undertake and we’re confident these ten men are up to this challenge. They have all been through a lengthy and rigorous selection process and we have chosen a group of exceptional individuals as our race skippers. They have the ability to draw the line between competitiveness and safety while, at the same time, motivating the crew to retain their focus during races lasting several weeks at a time, whether it be through roaring gales and towering seas or the frustration of tricky calm spells.”
The skippers are:
Rupert Dean, 40
Gordon Reid, 44
Olly Osborne, 30
Gareth Glover, 34
Ian Conchie, 39 (Qingdao)
Mark Light, 39 (Derry-Londonderry)
Richard Hewson, 32
Juan Coetzer, 33
Ben Bowley, 27 (Singapore)
Adam Tuffnell, 34 (De Lage Landen embraces the world)
