Two new crewmen have been signed up for the second leg of the VOR aboard Assa Abloy.

Frenchman Herve Jan (44) and Roberto Bermudez de Castro (31) from Spain will fill the positions left vacant by Guillermo Altadill who had to return to Spain for family reasons, and Neal McDonald who has stepped in to Roy Heiner’s shoes as skipper. Both new recruits have been contracted to sail one leg only.

McDonald was happy with his new men. “They have all the qualities we were looking for in this leg. And that means, good helmsmen with experience on a VO 60 in the Southern Ocean. Both of them came highly recommended. I sailed with Herve onboard Club Med and I doubt there are any people out there with more Southern Ocean miles than Herve. I did not have to see his CV and he is one of the few madmen who really likes sailing in that part of the world. Bermudez de Castro has sailed with three guys in our team and they agreed on him straight away. His experience ranges from Olympic classes, America’s Cup and Whitbread. Both of them are Southern Ocean expert helmsmen and that is what we need.”