Volvo Ocean Race - The legend of Andrew 'Capey' Cape

by Stefan Coppers, Team Brunel on 21 Nov 2014 Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15. Stefan Coppers reports from on board Team Brunel.

Everyone remembers his first date. At the end of the date, you would kiss if you were lucky. But if you then had another date with the same lady, carrying on from where you left off was not such a foregone conclusion. To get a kiss, you had to do your best all over again and perhaps bring some flowers. That’s the problem I have now with our navigator Andrew 'Capey' Cape.

Capey is a living legend. 'He’s got so much experience that he’s asked for every Volvo Ocean Race,' says bowman Gerd-Jan Poortman. 'And he doesn’t just completely understand the weather; he’s also an exceptional sailor.' However, part of his legend is also that he’s incredibly difficult to interview. The Australian navigator is down-to-earth and funny, but as soon as he spots the red light on a camera, he clams up completely.

Just to clear up any misunderstanding, I don’t actually want to kiss Capey. He drinks coffee right through the day and you should remember that on board you clean your teeth once a week. And then there are those big rough hands that can spin the handle of a winch as if it were nothing at all. No, I would just like to interview him well for once.

By the end of the first leg, he was like putty in my hands. I felt that I could strike at any moment and turn this closed book into a torrent of words. But the stopover in Cape Town lessened my chances again.

'Why is the start of the leg so difficult here?' I asked, full of enthusiasm just before our departure for Abu Dhabi. 'Big mountain between us and the wind,' muttered Capey, without looking at the camera. 'So what are your tactics for the start of this leg?' 'That’s fucking bookwork, mate.' Capey grins. 'First bring a bunch of flowers with you,' I can see him thinking.

'You know something,' laughs Gerd-Jan Poortman. 'Capey doesn’t like kissing so much – at least not with your tongue. Try it without first.' Still eight months to go and, whatever happens, this date is going to be Team Brunel website