David Witt. Photo: Konrad Frost / Volvo Ocean Race
David Witt. Photo: Konrad Frost / Volvo Ocean Race
In the Volvo Ocean Race, the Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag team have an ethos they try to work by.
Never give up, look after each other, do it together and remain loyal.
Ahead of last night's departure from Itajai, Brazil, to Newport, USA, for leg eight of the race, skipper David Witt said that ethos simply summed up crew member John Fisher.
Scallywag retired from leg seven of the race – from Auckland to Itajai – after Fisher was swept from their boat in the Southern Ocean and presumed lost at sea. For Witt, he didn't just lose a crew member, but his best friend.
"Sunday's going to be a little bit weird," Witt said. "It'll be the first time I've gone to sea without him in 12 years.
"But the best thing we can do in John's memory is get on with it. If he was standing behind me right now he'd be telling me to harden up."
Tributes and messages flooded in when news broke of Fisher from fans and supporters of the race, as well as the other teams competing.
Visitors to the Itajai race village shared their sentiments to the Scallywag crew by writing notes. Photo: Anihoa Sanchez / Volvo Ocean Race
Team Brunel's Bouwe Bekking said when they received the news – which came about 10 days into a 22 day voyage – whenever the sailors were awake, Fisher was in their thoughts.
"That whole leg, you wake up – you think about John. You go on deck – you think about John. It's hitting deep."
After losing Fisher overboard, Scallywag retired from the leg and diverted to Chile and a delivery crew were tasked with getting their boat to Itajai.
The team arrived in Itajai late last week to begin preparations for leg eight, and did not take part in the in-port race – which saw Blair Tuke's MAPFRE strengthen their lead at the top of the table with a good win.
On arrival, members from other teams in the race were on hand to help Scallywag get their equipment in order.
Members of other teams in the race were on hand to help Scallywag with their equipment when they arrived in Itajai. Photo: Anihoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
"The support we've had from within the Volvo family has been amazing," Witt said. "It takes special people to do this race – whether you're the skipper or the crew – and I think the character of the people in this race has been amplified by the way we've been supported.
"When the boat arrived at the dock was pretty moving. That wasn't for publicity or PR, that was just genuine good characters in the race, so I'm sure John would be very proud about that."
When the teams set off for leg eight last night, MAPFRE were looking to re-establish their lead on the overall leaderboard, after losing it to DongFeng Race Team after leg seven.
However, with Team Brunel picking up 16 points on leg seven they've charged right back into contention and would be looking to push on with a first leg win now under their belts.
Volvo Ocean Race leaderboard
1. DongFeng Race Team - 46 points 2. MAPFRE - 45 points 3. Team Brunel - 36 points 4. Team AkzoNobel - 33 points 5. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag - 26 points 6. Vestas 11th Hour Racing - 23 points 7. Turn the Tide on Plastic - 20 points
