Team Vestas Wind has announced that navigator Wouter Verbraak will not be joining the crew for the next leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. Verbraak was the navigator onboard when the boat ran aground in the middle of the Indian Ocean on November 2.
The remaining members of the crew are staying on with the program under skipper Chris Nicholson.
In a statement, the team says "Team Vestas Wind will be joined by a new navigator in time for the Lisbon stopover and Leg 8 start in June. Team Vestas Wind would like to thank Wouter for his service and wish him well in the future."
Verbraak, in his own statement on Facebook, added "I am very sad to announce that I have been nitofied that I will not continue with Team Vestas Wind. I respect Chris Nicholson's decision and wish the team the very, very best of luck with the hard work ahead of them in the Volvo Ocean Race. I would have wanted to help the team getting back in the race again and contribute to their success in the last parts of the race.
“On a personal note I am looking forward to the new sailing challenges that are coming up for me in the months ahead and want to keep sharing the passion that I have for this great sport with you all.
“Someone recently told me: ‘Life is not about how many breaths you take, but about the moments that take your breath away’. I am looking forward to the new breathless moments to come. Ocean racing tends to offer many of them.”
The Vestas Wind boat is now on a Maersk Line container ship en route from Kuala Lumpur in
Malaysia to Genoa, Italy where it is expected to arrive on Sunday.
For more information, and to read the full release, click here.
