Sailing Magazine
Libby Greenhalgh, a British-born meteorologist, has been recruited to join the squad of Team SCA, the only all-female crew in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race.
The 33-year-old from Hamble, UK brings to the team a wealth of knowledge. For the past seven years, Greenhalgh has worked as the meteorologist for the British sailing team across junior and Olympic levels, providing venue forecasting, research support and meteorological education for the athletes.
Alongside this, she is a freelance weather forecaster working for the sailing industry as well as surf, kite-surf, bike and car rally events.
“The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the things I have aspired to do in my life and having played more of a support role in Olympic Sailing, the opportunity with Team SCA, to combine the racing that I do, with the weather knowledge that I have and race around the world, is incredibly exciting and unbelievably challenging,” she comments.
Greenhalgh is no stranger to the racing side of sailing either, and has sailed most of her life. Beginning in dinghy sailing, she competed in the Youth Worlds and 470 class before moving onto bigger boats and match racing, including the 2012 Match Race Worlds with fellow Team SCA squad member, Annie Lush.
“I hope that this effort by SCA opens doors not just for those directly involved but also for female sailors of the future, as this team shows the world that women should have the opportunity to compete on the same level” concluded Greenhalgh
SCA, the global hygiene and forest products company, now has thirteen squad members in its Volvo Ocean Race team. They will spend the next two months training from their base in Lanzarote, before delivering the boat to the UK and then to the start in Alicante, Spain on October 11.
Others in the sailing squad are Sally Barkow (USA), Carolijn Brouwer (NED), Sophie Ciszek (AUS), Sam Davies (GBR), Abby Ehler (GBR), Stacey Jackson (AUS), Annie Lush (GBR), Justine Mettraux (SUI) and Liz Wardley (AUS), Dee Caffari (GBR), Elodie Mettraux (SWI) and Sara Hastreiter (USA).
About Team SCA
80 percent of SCA’s consumers are women, and through its everyday products the company supports women empowerment and freedom to participate fully in society – socially, educationally and professionally – by giving them access to hygiene products and education about hygiene solutions. SCA is ranked as a global sustainability leader both when it comes to people and nature targets. Team SCA Women Ocean Racing is participating in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015 with an all-female crew. SCA is entering the race with the world’s best women offshore-racing sailors, who have the ability to work together as a high-performing team. For more information, visit www.sca.com/teamsca
