Neal McDonald - Skipper / Watch Capt
42. Great Britain. Married. Taking part in his third Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race Neal comes into this race with fantastic pedigree. Successes in the Fastnet and Round Gotland races, not to mention a victory in the International 14 world championships in 1989, suggest McDonald could go one better than his second placed finish last time round.
Andrew Cape - Navigator
43. Great Britain. Married with one child. Born in Australia but living in the UK, Andrew joined the Swedish team in Portsmouth following the abandonment of movistar. He brings with him America’s Cup experience from his work with winning Swiss team Alinghi. This is Andrew’s third Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race, having sailed previously on Tokio in 1993-94 and Toshiba in 1997-98.
Richard Mason - Crew member
31. New Zealand. Married with one child. Australian by birth and raised in New Zealand, Richard is one of the most experienced offshore sailors of his age in the world. Previous round the world race with ASSA ABLOY as trimmer in 2001-02 and has achieved success on some of the world’s most prestigious regattas.
Tim Powell - Crew member
35. Great Britain. Married. Tim is back to tackle the 33,000 mile course for the fourth time having debuted in the Whitbread in 1993 on Dolphin and Youth. Four years later he joined the crew of Silk Cut alongside current team mates Neal McDonald and Steve Hayles before coming in fourth aboard Tyco last time around. Since taking up sailing aged ten, his sailing highlights include the 1999 Admiral’s Cup and the Soling world match racing championship.
David Rolfe - Crew member
35. New Zealand. Single. David is a trained sailmaker who has sailed and excelled in an impressive number of campaigns, spanning back to the Sydney-Hobart offshore classic in 1989 until his latest achievement on Maxi catamaran Cheyenne in the Oryx Quest this year. Has twice sailed this event before and will be looking to beat his third-placed finish aboard Swedish Match in the 1997-98 Whitbread Race.
Magnus Woxen - Crew member
34. Sweden. Single. Born in Stockholm, Woxen was in high demand before opting to join Ericsson Racing Team’s ranks for his third attempt at landing the title. Woxen competed on board Swedish Match in the 1997-98 Whitbread and on SEB in the last Volvo Ocean Race, and will be reunited with former crew mates David Rolfe and Tom Braidwood.
Damian Foxall - Helmsman / Trimmer
36. Ireland. Single. Damian replaces Spaniard Guillermo Altadill, who was injured and dropped off the team, subsequently joining Ericsson. A sailor with plenty of long race experience, Damian was part of the victorious Cheyenne crew in the Oryx Quest 2005, where he raced alongside Brasil 1’s bowman Andy Meiklejohn. Damian finished fourth in the last Volvo Ocean Race with Team Tyco.
Richard Bouzaid - Crewmember
41. New Zealand. Partner. Richard brings extensive America’s Cup and offshore sailing experience to the Ericsson Racing Team. He sailed with the winning Alinghi team in the last America’s Cup and won the Whitbread 1993-94 onboard New Zealand Endeavour.
Ken Read - Crewmember
USA. Married. Helmsman in the America’s Cup on board Stars & Stripes (Dennis Conner) in 2000 and 2003, he also competed in 1995 on board Young America as strategist and sailing coach. Ken has won an incredible 41 national, North American and World Championships in different categories; he is a six-time J/24 World Champion and a two-time Corel 45 World Champion.
Ian "Barney" Walker - Crewmember
43. Australian. Ian "Barney" Walker has competed in both the Volvo Ocean Race and the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, sailing onboard NewsCorp, Kvaerner Innovation and Toshiba. He has taken part in a record 17 Sydney - Hobart races, winning the event six times. Barney is a qualified rigger and boat builder, with a wealth of experience in all aspects on and off the water.
