Neal McDonald contacted Trafalgar Sailing as the Volvo Ocean Race Team all needed to be RYA qualified before the Race started in October. With an average of 44,000-124,000 sea miles and several Volvo Ocean Races under their belts the sea miles were not a problem. The challenge was to find a time without one of the team racing on the Americas Cup or training for the Olympics.  In June 2017 we made it happen, Neal McDonald, Xabier Fernandez, Robert Greenhalgh, Sophie Ciszek, Juan Vila and Miles Seddon all worked like Trojans and did their Yachtmaster theory and practical courses and exams. Pablo Arrarte, Antonio Cuervas-Mons and Guillermo Altadill did their Ocean Yachtmaster.  They went on to do the Fastnet and then the 2017 Volvo Ocean Race. Probably the toughest race in the World.