No More Extreme Thing To Do

With 12 years of Olympic sailing before joining Team SCA, the first all-woman crew for more than a decade in the Volvo Ocean Race, Annie Lush (GBR) knows just how tough the offshore contest is, how much mental and physical strain it demands, and what lies in store for the fleet in the Southern Ocean.

Despite all that, Lush is back again with Team Brunel and can’t wait for the race to get underway.

“In the last race, when we got off the boat in Brazil after the leg from Australia, I remember saying to one of our shore crew that if I ever talk about doing this race again the answer is no,” the 38-year-old said with a laugh, “but here I am, back again.

“The race is so epic, and if you like racing you get to do it practically every day for nine months. I came from Olympic sailing where you spend four years effectively preparing for one week.

“With the Volvo Ocean Race it’s like being on an Olympic race course day and night for months on end. It’s adrenaline-fueled, highly competitive, action-packed and extreme.

“Sometimes you love it and sometimes you absolutely hate it, but there is no more extreme thing to do.”

Overall Results (after 2 of 11 legs)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 14 points
2. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 13
3. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 11
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 7
5. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 6
6. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 5
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 2

Race details – Live content – Scoreboard – Race route – Facebook – YouTube

The next In-Port Race is December 8 in Cape Town, South Africa with the third leg starting December 10 for the 6500 nm course to Melbourne, Australia. Leg 3 is expected to take 12 to 16 days to complete.

2017-18 Edition: Entered Teams – Skippers
• Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
• Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
• MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
• Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA)
• Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)
• Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
• Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)

Background: Racing the one design Volvo Ocean 65, the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante, Spain on October 22 2017 with the final finish in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30 2018. In total, the 11-leg race will visit 12 cities in six continents: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Cardiff, Gothenburg, and The Hague. A maximum of eight teams will compete.

Source: Volvo Ocean Race