Team SCA presenterar de fem första kvinnliga seglarna som ska ingå i teamet i Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015. Och det är fem mycket erfarna och namnkunniga seglare som nu ansluter till teamets bas i Puerto Calero på Lanzarote. De fem är Carolijn Brouwer, Nederländerna, Sophie Ciscek, Australien, Sam Davies, Storbritannien, Annie Lush, Storbritannien, och Liz Wardley, Australien.

Cirka 20 kandidater har genomgått utbildning och träning på lagets bas i Puerto Calero på Lanzarote. Den breda fysiska och tekniska träningen har genomförts under överinseende av teamets fem coacher som alla är erfarna jorden runt-kappseglare. – Vi har imponerats av kvaliteten på kandidaterna. Våra farhågor att det skulle bli svårt att hitta erfarna kvinnliga seglare, eftersom ingen kvinna har deltagit i Volvo Ocean Race på över tio år, visade sig vara helt utan grund. Trots det finns det ingen underskattning i utmaningen som ligger framför oss, säger Richard Brisius, chef för Team SCA.

Samtliga fem kvinnor har stor erfarenhet av segling, från ensamkappsegling jorden runt till Olympiska spel och Match Racing i världstoppen. Var och en har funnit sin givna plats i den mansdominerande sport som havskappsegling fortfarande är. – De är alla talangfulla, naturbegåvade seglare. Nu ska vi i Team SCA ge dem de bästa förutsättningarna, verktygen och den struktur som krävs för att kunna konkurrera på lika villkor i vad som är en klassisk jorden runt-kappsegling. Kvinnliga team i Volvo Ocean Race bör inte vara något ovanligt, snarare något självklart, avslutar Richard Brisius.

Bakom Team SCA står det globala hygien- och skogsindustriföretaget SCA. Jan Johansson är bolagets VD och koncernchef. – Projektet utgör inte bara en integrerad del av SCA:s marknadsförings- och kommunikationsaktiviteter. Vår besättning kommer att vara starka, högpresterande förebilder såväl internt som för våra konsumenter runtom i världen, varav 80 procent är kvinnor. SCA är rankat som ett av världens mest hållbara företag, och genom vår verksamhet vet vi vilken viktig roll kvinnor spelar i vardagen när det gäller att höja kvaliteten inom sanitet, hygien och hälsa i samhällen runtom i världen. Det är kärnan i SCA och våra varumärken.

Biographies and Quotes – Team SCA First Five Selected Crew

Carolijn Brouwer

Nationality: Dutch.

Place of Birth: Leiden, Netherlands.

Date of Birth: 25 July 1973.

Family status: Partner Darren Bundock. One son Kyle Nico (25/02/2011).

Current location: The Hague, The Netherlands.

Languages: English, Dutch, Portuguese, French, Spanish, German.

Carolijn Brouwer is an accomplished multihull and Olympic sailor having competed in the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Games. She was the only female skipper in the Tornado multihull class at the Beijing Olympics. She skippered the Extreme 40 Holmatro for two seasons in the Extreme 40 series. Brouwer was at the helm on Amer Sports Two in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001-02. She won the International Sailing Federation highest award in 1998 the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Awards.

Carolijn Brouwer quote: “Team SCA is not a ‘second hand’ project, it is a first class professional project with great potential. I know what it is like to spend weeks on a boat with ten other people and, of course, there will be challenges, but equally this is an incredible opportunity for women’s racing, and I am thrilled to be able to be part of it,” commented Brouwer.

Sophie Ciszek

Nationality: Australian and American.

Place of Birth: Mornington, Victoria, Australia.

Date of Birth: 28 June 1985.

Family status: Single.

Languages: English.

Sophie Ciszek was until 2012 a full-time crew member for the Open 60 Hugo Boss. Prior to that she has had a varied career on some of the world’s most renowned racing yachts, including the Maxis Wildthing, Brindabella and Shockwave. She has sailed more than 60,000 nautical miles - mostly as bowman - and has competed in four Sydney Hobart races.

Sophie Ciszek quote: “This is an incredible once in a lifetime opportunity and I am really excited about the next couple of years. In effect we are competing on the same platform as an all male team so will be good to challenge them on the race course.”

Sam Davies

Nationality: British.

Place of Birth: Portsmouth, UK.

Date of Birth: 23 August 1974.

Family status: Partner Romain Attanasio. One son, Ruben, (04/09/2011).

Current location: Trégunc, France.

Languages: English, French.

Sam Davies is an accomplished single-handed sailor. She has competed in two Vendee Globe races and has sailed in the challenging Open 60 class for the past 10 years. In 2008 she finished the Vendee Globe in fourth place. She was part of the all-female Jules Vernes Trophy attempt in 1998 sailing with Tracy Edwards.

Sam Davies quote: “This is a great opportunity for women’s sailing and it is the right time to do it with the change in the Volvo Ocean Race Rule. With the top-level coaching structure and technical team that is in place, this will help to fast-track our steep learning curve and I really believe we have the opportunity to achieve some amazing results in the next race.”

Annie Lush

Nationality: British

Place of Birth: Poole, Dorset

Date of Birth: 11 April 1980.

Family status: Single

Current location: Poole, GB.

Languages: English,

Annie Lush been racing full time on the Olympic circuit since 2002 and also competes on the World Match Race Tour, as well as racing on professional circuits. She is an Olympic match racer who competed at the London Games in the Elliott 6m class. She has been Women’s Match Race champion three times (2004, 2005, 2010) and topped the ISAF World Ranking in 2010.

Annie Lush quote: “It is an amazing opportunity with fantastic support from coaches, shore crew and sponsor. It is up to us now to go and do it. It has been a very exciting and, at times, demanding process, but I am absolutely thrilled at being selected to be part of the team. This is the first time in ten years that we have had an all-female team in this race, and it is probably the first time in the race’s history that there has been a team that is being put together in the same way as an all-male team.”

Liz Wardley

Nationality: Australian

Place of Birth: Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

Date of Birth: 6 December 1979.

Family status: Engaged

Languages: English, French.

Liz Wardley is renowned for her numerous titles gained in the Hobie Cat 16 and for her oceanic racing skills. In 1999 she became the first woman to win Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. The year before she was skipper in Rolex Sydney Hobart Race – at the age of 19. She raced in Volvo Ocean Race 2001-2002 on Amer Sports Two and she has competed many times in the French solo sailing race Solitaire du Figaro.

Liz Wardley quote: “I am really excited to be joining probably the first 100% professional woman’s team to enter the Volvo Ocean Race. We have been everything to succeed and I am looking forward to getting stuck into it.”