[VOR-Idols] Dutchman Eduard van Lierde joins Brunel in Volvo Ocean Race

The Sydney to Southport race, an Australian sailing classic, has been a great success for the future Brunel crew. The team, acting together for the first time, won the race with superior power on the maxi Skandia.

"We are very pleased with the result”, said skipper Grant Wharington: It's been great to get the crew sailing together, pushing hard and working as one unit. I can't wait to get to Baltimore and restart the Volvo with this fantastic crew"

After the Southport finish the crew had to decide on the Dutch crew member (Brunel is a Dutch company - so they wanted some Dutch to be spoken on board? - sailpartner). Watch captain Matt Humpries, who was also involved in the selection program in the Netherlands, announced the decision: “We are happy that Ed will join Brunel in the Volvo Ocean Race. It was a close and tight call. Both Eduard van Lierde and Mark van Gelderen showed world class ability but unfortunately only one could come.”

Humphries’ view was shared by his colleague Jeff Scott: "We looked for many different components in Mark and Ed, from technical ability to being able to gel in the team and both lads did an excellent job".

Eduard van Lierde (30) started his career with Roy Heiner. He will join the Brunel team as one of the two bowmen. A position in which he gained experience on many successful boats including Mean Machine.