Stu Bannatyne

STUART BANNATYNE

Role: Watch Captain

Nationality: New Zealand

Date of birth: April 20, 1971 in Christchurch, New Zealand

Lives: Auckland, New Zealand

Languages: English

What he said:
“Dongfeng Race Team is certainly a very interesting crew and I must say I’m pretty excited about sailing with this group of people. It’s a very diverse group and has a lot of different cultures with French, Chinese, and of course the girls, and every person brings something unique to the team.”

Volvo Ocean Race experience:
Seven Volvo Ocean Races and three wins with New Zealand Endeavour (1993-94), illbruck Challenge (2001-02) and Ericsson 4 (2008-09).

Sailing experience:
Broken the 24-hour monohull world speed record on five occasions
New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year in 2009
Eight Fastnet races, three Transpacs and 11 Sydney Hobarts

What do you like to do when not sailing?
Spending time with my family.

Who inspires you?
I look to different role models that are great examples of what can be achieved in a wide variety of situations.

If you could wake up tomorrow in the body of someone else, who would you pick and what would you do?
Myself as a youngster - I would live my life better in many ways with the benefit of experience.

What do you want to be remembered or known for?
Being a good father.

What food or drink do you miss most at sea?
Steak and chips.

What item do you always take with you when sailing?
I always take a knife with me. I also take earplugs whenever we go offshore.

What was the best advice you were ever given?
The six P’s - PPPPPP (Proper Preparation Prevents P***-Poor Performance). This applies to life and to sailing.

Charles on Stu:
“In Stu and Daryl we have two of New Zealand’s very best offshore racers who know the Volvo Ocean Race inside out. Stu has so much experience to share – especially with our younger sailors.”