Vestas 11th Hour Racing unveil mixed crew

With exactly 100 days to go before the Volvo Ocean Race fleet departs Alicante to tackle 45,000 nautical miles around the world, Vestas 11th Hour Racing has unveiled its crew for the 2017-18 edition – and have built a mixed, ten-strong team featuring six nationalities and six previous race wins.

The line-up features a wealth of experience, including Simon Fisher (GBR), who returns for his fifth Volvo Ocean Race appearance after lifting the trophy as the winning navigator with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing last time out.

He is joined by two-time winner Phil Harmer (AUS), who is hunting a Volvo Ocean Race hat-trick following successive victories in the last two editions, five-time sailor Damian Foxall (IRL), who scored a win in 2008-09 on board Ericsson 4, and race veteran Tony Mutter (NZL), who returns for a sixth lap of the planet, having gotten his hands on the trophy twice in the past.

Denmark’s Olympic medallist Jena Mai Hansen joins Britain’s Hannah Diamond as one of two female sailors on board following successful trials during recent transatlantic trips from Lisbon, Portugal to Newport, USA.

Between them, the crew have competed in the Volvo Ocean Race over 20 times

The team is currently preparing to travel to Gosport, UK, for pre-race activation and Leg Zero commitments, lining up against the other teams for the first time in the Round-the-Island race during Cowes week, followed by the Rolex Fastnet Race, and finishing up in Lisbon after sailing via St. Malo in mid-August.

Full Vestas 11th Hour Racing crew line up:
Nick Dana; USA; Boat Captain
Hannah Diamond; UK; Crew
Charlie Enright; USA; Skipper
Simon Fisher; UK; Navigator
Jena Mai Hansen; DK; Crew
Phil Harmer; AUS; Crew
Tom Johnson; AUS; Crew
Damian Foxall; IRL; Crew
Tony Mutter; NZL; Crew
Mark Towill; USA; Team Director

www.volvooceanrace.com