Turn the Tide on Plastic have added Switzerland’s ex-SCA star Elodie Mettraux to their crew for 2017-18.
The 32-year-old will be trimmer/helmsman onboard the team led by Dee Caffari, and returns to the race for a second consecutive edition after making her debut with the all-female campaign in 2014-15.
Since then, Mettraux has been racing with Team Magenta in the M32 class – and is looking forward to getting back offshore when she jumps onboard for her first leg, the gruelling Southern Ocean stage between Cape Town and Melbourne (Leg 3).
“I think I’ll need a few seasickness tablets – because I’ve probably lost my sea legs by now,” she laughed.
© Jeremie Lecaudey/Volvo Ocean Race
“I could not be happier than to wear the Turn the Tide on Plastic colours, and to help in the fight against plastic pollution – because the task at hand is a huge one.”
Her new skipper Caffari, who knows Mettraux well having raced alongside her on SCA for much of the 2014-15 edition, is happy to be linking up with her ex-team mate once again this race.
“I’m delighted to have Elodie join our team,” she said. “Having done the previous race together, I know that Elodie is performance-focused and she is a reliable driver and trimmer, even in the extreme working conditions, which will add depth and much needed experience to our team.”
For Mettraux, the return to life on the ocean is a welcome one. “Sometimes onboard you just need to switch off and not think anymore,” she explained.
“You wake up, you sail, you eat, and you go back to sleep, and you get used to this rhythm. It’s like being in your own bubble, disconnected from the outside world, and that’s enjoyable.”
Despite being a landlocked country, Switzerland boasts a strong Volvo Ocean Race history. The nation was first involved in the 1977-78 Whitbread Round the World Race, and a total of 80 Swiss sailors, including Mettraux, have competed over the years.
Pierre Fehlmann, a Volvo Ocean Race legend, skippered five boats – all with an entirely Swiss crew – and in 1985-86 he led UBS Switzerland to victory on elapsed time. He also skippered Disque d’Or, Disque d’Or 3, Merit and Merit Cup.
“I’m proud and I hope that I will open the path to other Swiss sailors. I wish other Swiss sailors can take part into the Volvo Ocean Race,” added Elodie.
