Color in a Sea of Monochrome

David Witt, the skipper on Volvo Ocean Race entry Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, breaks the modern mold. He is a throwback to when people spoke their mind, instead of the era now when our PC climate has taken free speech out to the back for a whipping.

This was on display during the second leg when a video released from the boat, which discussed the issue of scrotum rash, landed Witt in front of the International Jury for a misconduct protest under Rule 69 of the Racing Rules of Sailing.

The protest was dismissed, with the jury determining the video had not caused widespread offence worldwide nor brought the sport into disrepute. The video was intended to be humorous, which is risky terrain in today’s world.

“This case has shown all of us that the banter and jokes that are an essential part of life on board, don’t always travel well off the water,” observed Dee Caffari, skipper of Turn the Tide on Plastic.

“David is probably one of the strongest characters throughout the entire Volvo fleet, a man that speaks with an open hearth when most people would hide behind a corporate speech,” describes onboard reporter Jeremie Lecaudey. “David is a man of many words, you either hate him or love him, but you have to give him a chance to stand for who he really is.”

A colorful character in a sea of monochrome… hurrah!

Race details – Tracker – Scoreboard – Race route – Facebook – YouTube

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.