Walker named as RYA Director of Racing

Written by RYA | 03 April 2017

New RYA challenge for Olympic medallist and Volvo Ocean Race winner

RYA Racing will have an experienced new hand at the helm with the announcement that Ian Walker MBE is to take up the Director of Racing position this autumn.

The double Olympic medallist, America’s Cup sailor and Volvo Ocean Race-winning skipper will take up the baton from John Derbyshire OBE, who is set to retire later this year after 32 years’ involvement with the organisation, including 16 years in the Director of Racing role.

Walker has enjoyed an impressive and multi-faceted career in the sport, winning two Olympic silver medals (470 in 1996; Star in 2000) and coaching Shirley Robertson, Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb to Yngling gold at Athens 2004.

Among a host of inshore and offshore racing successes, Walker has been involved with two America’s Cup campaigns (GBR Challenge in 2003; +39 in 2007) and won the 2014/15 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

A trustee of the John Merricks Sailing Trust, set up in memory of his 470 crew, he has also helped provide a supporting hand to numerous young people through the sport of sailing.

As Director of Racing, a position he will take over full time from October, Walker will oversee the RYA’s World Class Programme and talent pathways, as well as the broader remit of racing participation in all its forms in the UK.

“Having achieved more than I could have ever dreamed of in a sailing career spanning over 30 years, I have decided that the time is right to take on a new challenge,” the 47-year-old explained.

“Being the RYA Director of Racing will give me the opportunity to take a leading role in British sailing and to be able to give something back to the sport that has given me so many fantastic life experiences.

“I am very excited at the prospect of helping the British Sailing Team again in their Olympic quest but, just as importantly, at helping young sailors, the clubs and the volunteers that are the lifeblood of our sport.

“I am sure I will miss the thrill of competition but on a personal level I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and to sailing for fun at my club again.”

RYA CEO Sarah Treseder commented: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Ian to the RYA family. A world-renowned sailor and outstanding leader, his breadth and depth of experience of the sport will be of huge benefit to the UK racing community.

“His remit is a wide but exciting one – supporting medal-winning performances on the world stage, including Tokyo 2020, and at the same time inspiring future participants, volunteers, coaches and champions to ensure a thriving UK club racing scene.

“I’ve no doubt Ian will make an exceptional contribution and build on the fantastic work which John has presided over during his many years of valued service to the RYA.”

UK Sport Director of Performance Chelsea Warr added: “Ian was the outstanding candidate for the role and the unanimous choice of the panel. He understands what it takes to win at the highest level and has the mindset, experience, leadership and management skills to build on the incredible success of the sailing programme to date.

“I am very much looking forward to working with Ian in his new role. He will not only inject a wealth of new skills and talents into the sailing World Class Programme but also to the wider high performance system”

“I would also like to pay tribute to John Derbyshire who will retire later this year as the Director of Racing following 32 years’ involvement with high performance sailing at the RYA, and Stephen Park who will step down as Olympic Manager after over 20 years of involvement with the British Sailing Team. Their incredible dedication and expertise has guided the GB Sailing Programme to unprecedented heights, culminating in reaching top of the medal table in Rio and being the leading sailing nation across this and previous cycles.”

Walker concluded: “I’d like to thank the RYA and UK Sport for their confidence in me. John Derbyshire has provided a tough act to follow and I look forward to the benefit of his experience and that of the wider RYA Racing team in the coming months before I take up the reins full time in the autumn.”

via Walker named as RYA Director of Racing | Home | News | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

Palma 49er gold for Peters-Sterritt

Written by RYA | 01 April 2017

Five medals for the British Sailing Team as Princess Sofia comes to a close

Podium Potential 49er talents James Peters and Fynn Sterritt secured their first senior international regatta victory as the Princess Sofia Trophy drew to close in Palma on Saturday (1 April).

Silver for Elliot Hanson and Nacra 17 duo John Gimson-Anna Burnett, along with bronze medals for Nick Thompson and Dylan Fletcher-Stuart Bithell, made it five medals for the British Sailing Team at the conclusion of the six-day event.

In the 49er Peters and Sterritt went into the medal race day one point ahead of their nearest rivals, Diego Botin-Iago Lopez. But with four boats still capable of winning the event in the final three races it looked like it was going to be a challenging day.

With the wind building as the morning went on, the 49er sailors were scheduled to start second on their medal race course. However racing was subsequently cancelled for the men’s skiff meaning Peters-Sterritt remained at the top of leaderboard after a consistently strong performance all week.

After finding out racing had be cancelled and the gold medal was secured, a thrilled Peters said: “It feels great to have won, we’ve been putting in some good results for a while but we hadn’t got ourselves in to the top three at a major regatta before, so to win this week is awesome.”

“I was feeling a little bit nervous coming in to this morning, but we’ve been training hard over the winter,” added Sterritt who, along with Peters, has trained in Cadiz squad camps in similar conditions to today’s breeze.

“I’m confident we would have been able to get around the course,” continued Sterritt. “It’s a shame we didn’t get any racing in today but I think it was the right decision from the race committee.”

With Fletcher-Bithell also on the podium picking up the bronze medal, Peters commented on the strong British 49er squad: “The strength of Dylan and Stu as well as the younger guys in the team gives us a massive opportunity to use each other and push each other. It’s a real strength for us as a team.”

The 49er duo will now look forward to their next event, World Cup Hyeres, later in the month where they hope to continue their Palma form.

Hanson narrowly missed out his on first senior international championship gold in the tough double-point medal race. The 23-year-old took the lead heading into the medal race after a strong day on Friday and a consistent series all week. With three bullets in the opening series, Hanson started today guaranteed the gold or silver medal.

The Macclesfield sailor had a difficult start finishing the final race in 10th, while Italian Francesco Marrai took sixth to take the gold medal by one point.

Coming off the water following on the race, Hanson expressed his disappointed: “The medal race didn’t go to plan in the end. I had control of Marrai pre-start, but with a right shift on the start line I got stuck on the outside of the committee boat and there wasn’t enough time to reposition.

“With no way of getting back in position I was about 10 seconds late on to the race course. There was only one left shift on that beat and I was furthest right, so in the end not a good day.”

Reflecting on what has been a strong event overall, Hanson concluded: “It’s been a good week and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season ahead”.

Sharing Hanson’s disappointed was teammate and Rio Olympian Nick Thompson: “I feel a bit bad for Elliot, he’s sailed an awesome regatta and I think he deserved to win, but it’s good to see things are moving in the right direction for the whole of the British team.

“The wind picked up pretty quickly out there. We started today with light winds and a postponement, but it was forecast to build and we ended up having about 20 knots out there.”

Wishing there were more races in the final day breeze, Thompson described the conditions as ‘fantastic’ for the last race of the regatta.

“I had a good medal race and managed to take the win. It was always going to be difficult from where I was to jump up the leaderboard but I did everything I could.”

Despite taking the final bullet, with Marrai and Hanson too many points ahead, Thompson was unable to upgrade his overnight third place position and settled for the bronze medal.

Whilst Thompson was clear from the outset that for him this event was never about the end result, he was pleased that despite approaching the regatta in a new way, he still secured a step on the podium.

“It was a rewarding week and to get a medal is a bit of icing on the cake,” he added.

After a challenging final two days, Nacra duo Gimson-Burnett went into the day in second position. The pair had already guaranteed themselves a medal, with the double-point medal race also providing the opportunity to challenge for gold.

With the Nacra 17 event also hampered by the weather, the duo took home the silver as the breeze showed no signs of tiring as racing was eventually abandoned. Fellow British Nacra boat Tom Phipps-Nikki Boniface finished in the event in fourth.

via Palma 49er gold for Peters-Sterritt | Home | News | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

21-Apr. 2017  Golden Globe Race Confirmed

Marking 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s victory on the race back 1968/9

The 2018 Golden Globe Race which commemorates the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s victory in the Sunday Times Golden Globe solo non-stop round the world Race back in 1968/9, Is to start from Plymouth in next year.

Organisers say the Golden Globe Race is all about anniversaries. Last weekend (marked the 48th year since Sir Robin won the Sunday Times Race and became the first man to sail solo non-stop around the Globe

Meanwhile, next June 14  will be the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin’s start in that race from Falmouth aboard his 32ft yacht Suhaili.

The 30 skippers competing in the 2018 Golden Globe Race will join hundreds of other yachts in Falmouth Harbour with a sail-past salute to Sir Robin. Other historic yachts joining the commemoration include Sir Francis Chichester’s famous Gipsy Moth IV, Sir Alec Rose’s Lively Lady, a replica of Sir Chay Blyth’s original Golden Globe race yacht Dytiscus III and Joshua, which Frenchman Bernard Moitessier sailed in the original Sunday Times Race.

That night, the Royal Cornwall YC plan to host a Suhaili gala dinner where Sir Robin will be guest of honour.

via Yachting Journalists Association.

Britain’s former Olympic sailing coach is presented with a boats.com / YJA Special Award for services to the sport

Stephen ‘Sparky’ Park is presented with a boats.com/YJA Special Award for services to the sport of sailing at the Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hamble this week. The award was presented by Barry Pickthall, Chairman of the Yachting Journalists’ Association (right) and former Chairman Bob Fisher.

boats.com/YJA Special Award goes to Stephen Park, Britain’s former Olympic sailing coach

Dateline: Hamble April 6, 2017:  Stephen ‘Sparky’ Park has been presented with a boats.com/YJA Special Award for services to the sport of sailing. The award was presented by Barry Pickthall, Chairman of the Yachting Journalists’ Association and former Chairman Bob Fisher at a lunch held at the Royal Southern YC this week

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Park has been the RYA’s Olympic Team Manager for the last four Olympiads and led Britain’s world-beating sailors to amass an unprecedented 23 Olympic and Paralympic medals during this period.

Olympic sailing medalists Giles Scott, Iain Percy and Paul Goodison all sent video messages from Bermuda where they are training to compete in the America’s Cup starting on May 26, and Helena Lucas, who won Gold and Bronze medals under Park’s management at successive Paralympic Games, was equally effusive during the lunch.

Dave Williamson, Chairman of the Royal Yachting Association sent a message of appreciation:

“Sparky — what a career so far! Scots Youth Squad sailing 420s in the early ’80’s, Welsh Yachting and then the Royal Yachting Association, ending up as Olympic Manager during four Olympiads. There was a potential for 51 medals, so if medals are a measure of success, his Team GBR achieved a 45% rate. At the Rio Games, Team GB finished top sailing team when every crew qualified for their medal race. Very few sports coaches have achieved this measure of success.

Always focused and forthright, it has been a privilege to know Stephen and have him as a prominent member of the RYA team.”

Rod Carr, the former CEO of the Royal Yachting Association, now Chairman of UK Sport, added his thoughts:

“Determined, resourceful, focussed and unfazed by the vagaries of racing are my abiding memories of ‘Sparky’…A great job, well executed.”

Park has been recruited to lead Britain’s Olympic cycling team where he will introduce some of the coaching methods developed during his time in sailing.

via Yachting Journalists Association.

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Last call for Survitec Marine Industry Regatta entries

24 Apr 2017

The 2017 Marine Industry Regatta will take place on May 17

The deadline for entry into this year’s Survitec Marine Industry Regatta is fast approaching. The event takes place on May 17 on board matched Sunsail 40s out of Port Solent.

Entries to date include Mercator Media, Henri Lloyd, Crewsaver, Survitec Group, Marine Ad Agency, Barton Marine and Bruntons Propellers.

“We’re thrilled to be supporting the event for a third year; the event makes for a great day out for businesses and their employees. It continues to grow year-on-year so we have really high hopes for a busy start line on the 17th May,” said Hannah Burywood, Survitec Group marine marketing manager.

Regatta supporter Mike Shepherd, Marine Ad Agency founder, added: “It’s a really great way to get staff, colleagues and customers together in an informal setting.

“It’s a great day out the water with fantastic networking while also raising money for sailing related charities. It’s suitable for all abilities as Sunsail can provide a skipper for those with less experience.”

He added: “I’m sure there will be much competitive raillery and many stories told at the end of the day.”

The bareboat charter is just £1,095 (inc VAT, breakfast, lunch and £100 charity donation) with money raised going to the John Merricks Sailing Trust and Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation. Three races are scheduled to be sailed.

To enter contact Terry Hunt at Sunsail – 023 9222 2221 or email [email protected]

via Boating Business | Last call for Survitec Marine Industry Regatta entries.

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Sevenstar Yacht Transport sponsors new Cowes Week regatta

24 Apr 2017

Sevenstar Yacht Transport is to sponsor a new regatta as part of Cowes Week

Sevenstar Yacht Transport is to take naming rights to the new Triple Crown at Cowes Week 2017. The new initiative is a regatta within a regatta, open to large IRC rated racing boats up to 36m LOA.

Three classes will compete: maxi-racer class; cruiser-racer class (both with a minimum TCC of 1.500) and an ocean-racer class (minimum TCC of 1.400).

The series will take place on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of Cowes Week, with the Wednesday race being designated an Around the Island Race.

“Sevenstar Yacht Transport is proud to be the named sponsor of the Sevenstar Triple Crown at Cowes Week,” said Wouter Verbraak, head of Sevenstar Racing Yacht Logistics. “A fantastic new initiative in addition to the already world renowned sailing event in the Solent.”

Kate Johnson, commercial and marketing director for Cowes Week added: “We’re thrilled that Sevenstar Yacht Transport is joining us as title sponsor of the Triple Crown.

“This is an exciting new development for Cowes Week and we’re very appreciative of the support of Sevenstar Yacht Transport, a great fit for the initiative which we’re sure will be welcomed by competitors and spectators alike.”

This year’s regatta takes place July 29 to August 5.

via Boating Business | Sevenstar Yacht Transport sponsors new Cowes Week regatta.

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Maiden returns to the UK

25 Apr 2017

Tracey Edwards MBE and the crew of Maiden

Maiden, the iconic boat that sailed into the record books in 1990, has returned to the UK 27 years after making history at the Whitbread Round the World Race with her all-female crew.

Skipper Tracy Edwards’ MBE defied critics who believed it wasn’t possible for an all-female crew to take part in the race – Maiden won two legs of the race and came second overall – the best result for a British boat since 1977.

Maiden’s restoration will take place in Southampton after which it is planned she will sail around the world again spreading the message that girls have potential and the right to an education.

The campaign – The Maiden Factor – is supported by HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan whose father King Hussein I supported the original project.

“I, as a young girl, fondly remember his ‘hands-on’ involvement with the original project which made sporting history and surprisingly feel how the issues of female equality and values he championed all those years ago seem even more relevant today,” she said.

“As his daughter, I feel honored and humbled to be involved with the resurrection of the Maiden project as it embarks on its new chapter of maritime history.

“We can all use this a platform to highlight the need of equal access to education for girls in all corners of the globe, referencing something that he always believed in: ‘anything is possible’.”

Ms Edwards added: “It’s shocking to me that over 61 million girls around the world are still denied one of the most basic rights; access to education. The struggle to get Maiden to the start line represents the barriers faced by so many, whilst also proving to the world that girls can overcome them and achieve great things.

“The crew of Maiden faced many obstacles and prejudices. Very few people believed an all-female crew could complete the race.”

via Boating Business | Maiden returns to the UK.

A new addition to the North Sail inventory for the Volvo Ocean 65 racing machines

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Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

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Amory Ross/North Sails

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Amory Ross/North Sails

Their sails have powered eight our of nine Volvo Ocean Race winners since 1989 – here are 9 things you should know about the bespoke sails designed and manufactured by North Sails for the Volvo Ocean Race

Their sails have powered eight out of nine Volvo Ocean Race winners since 1989-90, with Steinlager 2.

Here’s everything you need to know about North Sails’ sails.

1 ) They’re not paneled, they’re composites

Instead of assembling cloth panels into a particular sail shape, the Volvo Ocean Race sails are composites. This means that 3Di material ‘tapes’ are laid in a specific arrangement, offering stable structure to the sail where it is needed most. The outcome? An unmatched weight to stiffness ratio and advanced durability. This is a patented process at North Sails, so you won’t be able to get 3Di composites from anywhere else in the world.

2) North Sails aren’t just above deck…

Sail design today encompases a lot more than it used to. When a new boat is commission, designers will often bring North Sails into the early stages of planning to collaborate on producing a well-balanced boat. This is exactly what happened in the case of the Volvo Ocean 65, when Farr Yacht Design worked closely with both North Sails and Southern Spars to create a cohesive package where the hull, appendages, spars and sails were all designed with the next in mind. And it’s not just about what sail you have, it’s what you do with it. That’s why each Volvo Ocean Race team receives a bespoke Velocity Prediction Program, illustrating the potential performance of their boat according to inputs such as true wind speed and angle, and advises the proper sail to be used in order to optimise racing performance in each condition.

3) Each sail is part of an eight-piece puzzle

Each Volvo Ocean Race team receives a full sail inventory, which assembles like a jigsaw puzzle to create a package. While the sails across the fleet are all identical, the difference lies in how they’re used – with slight variations of angle, trim and tuning. Each team will push their boat, rig and sails slightly differently, inching out every last bit of performance.

4) It’s all about the data

If there’s one thing that Volvo Ocean Race sailors are good at, it’s making the boat go fast. There aren’t many people who have raced relentlessly through the toughest oceans on the planet, and so the Volvo Ocean Race provides invaluable real-life test bench in order to continue the evolution of North Sails’ products. For the 2017-18 edition, the teams will have one more sail in their inventory, expanding the range from seven to eight sails.

“The teams were forever changing configurations in 10-15 knots upwind and tight reaching. When using the masthead zero the teams were pushing the boat too hard. Changing to the J1 made them under powered. So one of the changes we made for 2017 was to add a J0, which fits between the MHO and J1 and covers that range.” – Gautier Sergent, North Sails designer.

5) With every change or upgrade, there’s a domino effect

The introduction of a J0 to the sail inventory has led to some other key changes in the range. For example, the Fractional Code Zero, or FR0, which was previously used in a very small upwind range between the J1 and masthead zero, is now a dedicated downwind sail. The FRO for the 2017-18 edition is made of 3Di FORCE, a new downwind application of North Sails 3Di composite sailmaking. This means that the sail is more stable with a 3Di structure throughout an increased range of conditions, which is great news for both sailors and designers. The added bonus of 3Di is that the sails are more easily repeated, as moulded sails offer more streamlined manufacturing and assembly than paneled ones. Each type of sail can be made in sequence: the mold is set once and the sails are consolidated one by one, which is key in a One Design class.

“The process of producing the raw sail shape is now fully automated and several quality control steps are taken along the way to ensure consistency. In the past, manually joining panels to produce a sail meant no two sails were ever identical. North Sails 3Di has solved this problem and is the only option for a One Design race at this level” – Nathan Quirk – Head of Sail Loft Division, The Boatyard

via A new addition to the North Sail inventory for the Volvo Ocean 65 racing machines| Volvo Ocean Race.

6) Surf’s Up

What would be the point of three times more Southern Ocean racing we’re going to enjoy in 2017-18 if we didn’t have the sails to make the most of it? Well, not to worry – the new sail inventory is perfectly-suited for a decidedly downwind course. That downwind FRO? It’s full shape and straight exit are designed to harness the wind and send the sailors surfing down 20ft swell. We’re jealous already.

7) It’s all in the planning

Although there’s no easy predictions when it comes to the Volvo Ocean Race, any round the world sailor worth his sea salt will tell you that there are plenty of miles to be gained by studying data – and sail designers are no different. North Sails have already done extensive routing with two inventories, to ensure they’re using the right balance – and with the introduction of the J0 and the changing of the FRO, there should be a lot less sail changes required.

8) Fortune Telling

There is no crystal ball when it comes to predicting a race around the planet, but sail designers can study the race route and draw decision making data from historical weather patterns.

“With the addition of one more sail, the crew are often quick to point out that it’s one more sail to handle, one more sail to stack. But after looking at the inventory as a whole and assessing the available configurations, we found that the amount of sail changes actually reduces significantly with the addition of the J0” – Gautier Sergent, North Sails designer

9) Risk Reduction

There’s not much tougher test for a sail than the Volvo Ocean Race, and that’s why there’s a dedicated Boatyard team featuring a host of expert riggers, builders and sailmakers travelling to every Host City and working around the clock to keep the boats in good shape. They check between 60-80 sails every stopover, so reliability is key – and with 90% of all damage to sails happening during maneouvres and sail changes, subtle changes to the finishing of the sails to improve handling has been a game changer. To cut the time and energy used onboard, the luff length on the code sails has been reduced to allow for easier sail “peels” or changes, and, additionally, a relatively simple fitting – called an ‘integrator’ – has been added to the A3 (the biggest sail on board). This enables top-down furling which is preferred over bottom-up for larger running sails due to a faster, neater result and less chance of damage.

via A new addition to the North Sail inventory for the Volvo Ocean 65 racing machines| Volvo Ocean Race.

Chinese sailors return for Dongfeng Race Team

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Yann Riou / Dongfeng Race Team

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Martin Keruzoré/Volvo Ocean race

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Eloi Stichelbaut / Volvo Ocean Race

Dongfeng Race Team have confirmed four more crew members for their 2017-18 campaign, including the returning Chinese trio of Black, Wolf and Horace

Dongfeng Race Team have confirmed four more crew members for their 2017-18 campaign, including the returning Chinese trio of Black, Wolf and Horace.

The Chinese sailors are Jiru Yang, aged 26, who uses the English name Wolf; Liu Xue, 24, known as Black, and Chen Jinhao, 25, Horace.

They are joined by Australian/British sailor Jack Bouttell in a four-strong squad of Under-30s in Charles Caudrelier’s Chinese-backed team.

Under race rules, all teams must have at least two Under-30s onboard on all 11 legs of the 46,000-nautical mile race, which starts from Alicante on October 22.

Speaking at Shanghai Auto 2017, Wolf said he was delighted to be named once again as part of Caudrelier’s final squad.

“It’s such an honour to sail again with this team,” he said. “On the boat during the hard moments, I sometimes said to myself that I would never do it again, but there are good memories too, that’s why I have come back again.

“One of the most important things for me is that we are trying to encourage more Chinese people to sail…so I hope we can bring more attention to the sport by racing again with the team.”

Horace said his goal would be to concentrate on racing. “This time I will be more focused on what I can do on the boat and, having done the last Volvo, I know what I can do,” he said.

Black, who is currently sailing in the Sinan Cup Regatta in China, said: “Last time I knew nothing, I did not speak English, I didn’t know what it was like offshore and I did not know the Volvo Ocean Race. Now I have a better mental approach because Charles asked me to come back and I don’t want to let him down.”

Bowman Jack Bouttell, 26, also has experience with Dongfeng in 2014-15, having sailed on leg three. He has completed two Solitaire du Figaro campaigns.

“The Volvo Ocean Race is something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time,” Bouttell said. “It’s the top of the sailing world in the crewed side of things and it’s been one of my big goals for years.”

Dongfeng Race Team skipper Charles Caudrelier says the three Chinese sailors have come a long way since their debut.

“Wolf, Black and Horace have one Volvo Ocean Race behind them and all of them sailed on at least two or three legs of the last race, so we are in quite a different position,” the Frenchman said. “Last time we were selecting them in China and teaching them how to use a winch, this time we are only speaking about performance.

“As for Jack, he is a very good single-handed sailor and did a fantastic job for us on leg three in the last race. He is a strong guy and will be our bowman but also one of the best drivers in our crew.”

Dongfeng Race Team’s other announced crew members are French solo sailing star Jérémie Beyou, the New Zealand Volvo Ocean Race experts Daryl Wislang and Stu Bannatyne and the female sailors Marie Riou of France and Caroljin Brouwer of the Netherlands.

Jack Bouttell

Nationality: Australian/British

Date of birth: 18 January 1991

Sailing highlights:

2013: 1st Rookie, La Solitaire du Figaro

2015: 1st place, Leg 3 into Sanya onboard Dongfeng

2016: 1st place and new race record, Transat Quebec-St Malo, Spindrift 2 (maxi trimaran)

Chen Jinhao (Horace)

Nationality: Chinese

Date of birth: February 15, 1992

Sailing highlights:

2011: Crew member onboard 77ft yacht, Jelik

2013: Part of China Team in Extreme Sailing Series, Qingdao

2014-15: 3rd place, Volvo Ocean Race with Dongfeng Race Team

Liu Xue (Black)

Nationality: Chinese

Date of birth: March 12, 1993

Sailing highlights:

2013: Member of China Team in the America’s Cup World Series

2014-15: 3rd place, Dongfeng Race Team in the Volvo Ocean Race

2015: Skipper, China Sailing Tour team in China Cup International Regatta

Yang Jiru (Wolf)

Nationality: Chinese

Date of birth: July 14, 1990

Sailing highlights:

2013: 9th place, America’s Cup World Series, Naples

2015: 3rd place with Dongfeng Race Team in the Volvo Ocean Race

2016: 3rd place, Sydney Hobart Race with Dongfeng Race Team

via Chinese sailors return for Dongfeng Race Team| Volvo Ocean Race.