The second stage of the Volvo Ocean Race marked the second scandal of the season. Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag navigator Steve Hayles left the race in the midst of a high-profile story involving a controversial video shot aboard a Hong Kong boat.
Hayley, along with crew captain David Witt, will appear before the International Jury today for a Rule 69 protest hearing.
The new scandal erupted before we had time to forget the details of the sensational removal and subsequent equally sensational reinstatementof Team AkzoNobel skipper Simeon Tienpont.
In front of the camera, they ask the only woman on board, Annemieke Bes, how to protect her intimate areas from diaper rash in the constant humidity of the race, while demonstrating the use of cream on each other.
The yachtswoman was embarrassed by these actions, and her confusion and silence made the male crew laugh.
The audience had mixed feelings about what they saw. Some considered it simple childishness, while others considered it an outright insult and even sexual harassment.
When a wave of discontent arose on the Internet, the management of the regatta saw to it that the video was removed not only from the official site, but also from all other sources, as well as filed a protest against the jokers under Rule 69, which prohibits unethical conduct for anyone who has anything to do with the race.
Witt had become famous for making sexist remarks before the current regatta even began. In response to the introduction of new rules encouraging teams to include women in their crew, he said:
«There is no room for women in my boat. I've made a decision - we're going with seven guys. The race is hard to win and the last thing we need is to be part of a social experiment».
Meanwhile, the next leg is just around the corner. The regatta fleet is due to move from Cape Town to Melbourne as early as this Sunday, December 10.
The Scallywag crew has therefore already confirmed Antonio Fontes as co-driver, and the «team has lent» for the first leg to the same AkzoNobel crew, when the return of Tienpont caused some competitors to go ashore.
