“Through its everyday products, SCA supports the empowerment of women and their freedom to participate fully in society – socially, educationally and professionally – by giving them access to hygiene products and education about hygiene solutions” 

The days of sailors having a woman in every port are over: these days, the sailors are women, as is evidenced by SCA’s all-female team in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015. And this is not just any race: the Volvo Ocean Race is well known to be the toughest offshore sailing race in the world. 

The Volvo Ocean race began in 1973, as the Whitbread Round the World, and it lasts for nine months. It starts in Alicante, Spain in October 2014 and stops in nine countries around the world – including Cape Town, South Africa – before it finishes in Gothenburg, Sweden in June 2015. Six teams have announced their intention to compete this year. 

Team SCA started running a series of selection trials in February last year from their base at Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, Spain. Different groups of crew candidates took part, and the selection programme included testing for medical and physical fitness as well as sailing ability.  

SCA was looking for the best female offshore sailors in the world to create a strong group of women with the ability to work well together as a high-performing team, and currently has a squad of 13 confirmed sailors, from which 11 will be selected to crew the boat in the different legs of the race. 

The current squad consists of Carolijn Brouwer (NED), Sophie Cizsek (AUS), Sam Davies (GBR), Annie Lush (GBR), Liz Wardley (AUS), Stacey Jackson (AUS), Abby Ehler (GBR), Sally Barkow (USA), Justine Mettraux (SUI), Dee Caffari (GBR), Elodie-Jane Mettraux (SUI) and Sara Hastreiter (USA) and Libby Greenhalgh (GBR).  

In addition, there’s one confirmed onboard reporter (OBR) per term. Team SCA has confirmed Corinna Halloran (USA) as their OBR.  She will share the real story of the race and its sailors via video, audio, text and pictures captured on board. 

Eighty percent of SCA’s consumers are women, which means that through its everyday products SCA supports the empowerment of women and their freedom to participate fully in society – socially, educationally and professionally. In South Africa, SCA manufactures and distributes Cuddlers nappies and Lifestyle sanitary products through a joint venture with Nampak Tissue. Nampak Tissue also imports and distributes TENA, SCA’s range of purpose-designed incontinence products. 

“For SCA the participation in the Volvo Ocean Race is a global communications and marketing activity platform,” said Jana Joeaas, Commercial Manager for TENA South Africa.  “It is aimed at making SCA and our customer and consumer brands even more well-known, well-respected and connected around the world – so that the company can continue to grow. 

“Offshore racing is about the power of teamwork, strategy, endurance, high performance and interacting with the environment and working towards a vision and a common goal. Sailors and non-sailors can easily identify with the human elements and challenges ocean racing presents; courage, passion and innovation.“But SCA also wants to make it possible for women to participate in an arena normally reserved for men. It is about conquering the unexpected and entering the future as a strong team.”   

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For more information, visit www.sca.com