In a race that rewards experience, one of the requirements for every Volvo team is that three of the 11 crew members must be under 30 years of age.
Having the novices on board serves a double purpose - they are there to soak up the knowledge of the weathered veterans and in turn ensure the long-term sustainability of the round-the- world race.
But among Emirates Team New Zealand's trio of youngsters there is a rookie with a higher profile than most - former world match-racing champion Adam Minoprio.
The 26-year-old is the only sailor on board the Camper never to have competed in a Volvo Ocean Race campaign - fellow "under-30s" Mike Pammenter of South Africa and Daryl Wislang have already completed three between them.
Yet despite having no previous ocean-racing experience, Minoprio was one of the first sailors, after skipper Chris Nicholson, whom Team New Zealand signed up for the race.