Team Brunel, Volvo Ocean Race training, www.brunelsailing.net, © Sander van der Borch
Are you ready for the greatest challenge in sailing? Gaastra and Team Brunel are! Today on October 11 at 14:00 (CEST) the Volvo Ocean Race 2014/15 kicks off with the first leg from Alicante to Cape Town being the second longest one in this 9 month offshore adventure covering 38,739 nautical miles around the world in total – two times the earths circumference! The seven teams including Team Brunel geared up in high performance sailing wear by Gaastra Pro have to tame 6,497 nautical miles during the first leg, that is marked by extremes: Storms, freezing temperatures but also windless days in the roasting heat of the doldrums, sometimes boats are trapped there for days at a time, the sailors will have to face. This first racing leg also marks the longest time at sea of 24 days for the top-notch teams on their Volvo Ocean 65 one-design racing machines fighting the elements in all weathers. How Team Brunel led by skipper Bouwe Bekking, who already competed in six Volvo Ocean Races, has prepared for the global circumnavigation, you can see in this video. More insights & teamnews you will find on our event site and how to follow the race on the official website!
Special customized sailing gear
After months of product development in close cooperation with all members of Team Brunel, the customized sailing wear by Gaastra Pro now sets out for world toughest ocean race compassing 140 days at sea.‘As a team we’ve been closely involved in the development of our own sailing suits since the beginning of the campaign,’ says Gerd-Jan Poortman. Every garment is made to measure and matched to the sailor’s personal wishes. For example, Bouwe Bekking likes to wear thick layers of clothing underneath while, as a bowman, Gerd-Jan prefers to wear thin layers of clothing in combination with a flexible sailing jacket. Get to know more about our unique Suit of Armour development together with Gore-Tex and get your favourites from our exclusive Team Brunel Premium Limited Edition 2014-15 with a water column of up to 8,000 mm for your own adventures!
Team Brunel ‘Suit of Armour’ by Gaastra, Rokas Milevicius, www.brunelsailing.net