Pablo Arrarte joins MAPFRE as watch captain<\/p>\n
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Pablo Arrarte will be back for his fourth Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18, joining Spanish team MAPFRE as watch captain. (full story below)<\/p>\n
Pablo Arrarte will be back for his fourth Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18, joining Spanish team MAPFRE as watch captain.<\/p>\n
Arrarte, who raced onboard Brunel in 2014-15, will also assume the role of deputy to Olympic gold medallist Xabi Fern\u00e1ndez, who was named as skipper on Friday.<\/p>\n
With just 242 days to go until the start of the 2017-18 edition on October 22, preparations are already well underway \u2013 and with the 1 million euro re-fit of the Spanish boat almost complete, it won\u2019t be long before MAPFRE are back on the water.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be one of two watch captains onboard,\u201d explained Arrarte, who raced with Telef\u00f3nica Blue in 2008-09, and Telef\u00f3nica in 2011-12. \u201cI\u2019ll be cover for Xabi, being ultimately responsible for the safety of the crew and making sure that the boat goes as fast as possible whenever I\u2019m on deck.\u201d<\/p>\n
It promises to be a busy start with MAPFRE for Arrarte, who will oversee preparations until his fellow Spaniard Xabi completes his duties with Land Rover BAR in the America\u2019s Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next step is to begin training in March when the boat comes out of the Boatyard\u2019s re-fit process in Lisbon,\u201d he said. \u201cThe aim of this training is to complete squad selection\u00a0\u2013 so we\u2019ll be trying people out, including some new sailors and female sailors. That\u2019s really important for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cWith the new crew selection rules coming into play this edition, it\u2019s really important that when we leave Alicante we have maximum flexibility in terms of numbers, and we know the boat perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n
MAPFRE\u2019s goal will be to become the first Spanish team to win the Volvo Ocean Race trophy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to win,\u201d said Arrarte. \u201cWe know it\u2019s an extremely difficult challenge, and almost all of the teams come here with the same objective, so we have to be a bit conservative and not break too many things over the course of the race. It\u2019s about being consistent, without too many issues, and if you manage that then you\u2019re in with a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cSince the last race, with the addition of one-design boats, you know that you are racing with the same tools and equipment as the other teams, so the only difference is the performance of the crews. Thanks to MAPFRE, we\u2019ll have everything we need to be competitive \u2013 and hopefully win.\u201d<\/p>\n
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