Darren Bundock and Carolinj Brouwer make for a very special crew. The first is a silver medallist at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and is currently in the heart of his Rio Olympics campaign. The latter was a SCA Team crew member on the 2015 Volvo Ocean Race and also an Olympian in Sydney, Athens and Beijing. Together, they form a team in life and on the water.
 

Interview

 

Darren et Carolinj, you have both sailed in the event at different times. Why are you back together this year?

C : So far, Darren and I have each competed in the St Barth Cata Cup once. Jeroen van Leeuwen (NED) is the lucky one who has competed twice as a crew for me, then the next year as a crew for Darren. The St-Barth Cata Cup is the perfect combination of holiday, sailing, competition, friends, paradise and above all FUN! So, our immediate reaction was to say, next time we want to sail the event together. And finally this year we can make our wish come true!

 

What are your expectations?

C : Above all, plain FUN and holiday is the priority! But sometimes Darren has to remind me of that as I am very competitive! So for sure, we will also aim for a good result but we also realise we don’t sail together very often en we are both at the helm in our own teams. Darren will be crewing during the St Barth Cata Cup so I will try and stay out of trouble!

 

What are the next steps for you both?

C : Life after the Volvo Ocean Race is quite strange and takes some time getting used to. I don’t need to set my alarm at 06:30 a.m. everyday to wake up and go to the gym or check my emails just before I go to bed to see what the team schedule is for the next day. But at the same time, I also miss it. I miss the challenge, I miss the team and especially the people who have been my family for the last three years. I am enjoying being a mum again and spending time with my family. Darren and Kyle have supported me in my race around the world and now its my turn to support Darren in his Olympic campaign. For Darren the Olympic trials for Australia continue to May 2016 and he has a good challenge to get selected with good competition from another Australian team. The next selection regatta is the World Championships in Clearwater USA in February 2016 and then followed by Hyeres regatta in France come April.

photo : © Pierrick Contin /ST Barth Cata Cup 2012