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Laura Liñán: “This really opens your mind. You learn from life itself”

We dive behind the scenes yet again to reveal the workings behind a round the world racing team. The collection of departments each contain vital elements of the team as a whole. Today it's the turn of Laura Liñán from Madrid, who is part of this ocean sailing team, something she admits that she had never imagined herself doing.

Like everyone around here, Laura never stops. Not even between racing, when her job continues back at the offices in Madrid. On the stopovers she can often be seen running from the base towards a car at full speed to shoot off to grab the latest order from x,y or z department. However, before doing that she's filled in all of the forms for the guests taking part in the ProAm and the In-Port races, which she's done after organizing the collection of any laundry items that the crew members have used on board during the leg and that need a wash. Once she's back at the base she'll go to a meeting with the organizers and the other teams to gather all of the details and the schedule info for the ProAm and In Port racing days. It is crucial that everyone has a very clear idea of the key features of those days in order for everything to go without a hitch.

In this way, her job with Team Telefónica moves along two paths. On one hand she supports Jorge Blanco from the purchasing department, and top on the list there is checking out the local area in each new country: “When I reach a stopover location I have to spend some time getting a feel of the place, getting an idea of how things are going at the base and what life is like in the country in question, as well as exploring the city and seeing where we'll be able to buy things. The main thing is the food for the base, that they get everything they need and then anything else that might become necessary for the team”. The other side of Laura's job is working directly with the sponsors and the ProAm and In Port racing guests.

D-days for Laura: ProAm and In Port
If you ask almost any of the team what their 'D-day' is on a stopover they'd almost all say the day of the start of a new leg. However, for Laura that day would be the ProAm racing day: the day when guests of the organizers, sponsors and teams are invited to experience racing on a boat like “Telefónica” for themselves. Up to 24 people, not counting the crew, in different 'shifts' take part in the three races normally organized at each stopover port. Laura is in charge of coordinating and carrying out all of the necessary steps and bureaucratic requirements associated with the guests on the day, which of course also means a lot of work beforehand.

“Our sponsor's guests and the Volvo Ocean Race guests come together. When everyone reaches the meeting point I have to make sure that they are all issued with an id bracelet, that they have signed the disclaimer and that they have a card with the race number that each of them will be taking part in. I also have to check that they are all wearing the right kit and I usually ask ahead for their sizes to save time on the day. It's important that they wear their waterproofs and their lifejackets”, she explains.

“For each of the races”, of which there are three, “I have to keep an eye on when the team rib goes out with a group and be there when it comes back with another group. When one group is on board, I stay with the others so that they don't feel too lost. I always try to be there for them, so that if anyone has any doubts or questions, they know I'm there and can ask me. It's partly a public relations role”.

Sometimes it's also a question of patience: “At first it's all a bit crazy because all of the guests arrive at once at the meeting point, they see where it says 'Team Telefónica' and know that that's where they have to go and they tend to all ask the same questions at once, so it's all a bit mad. I just tell myself that that's the way it is and just deal with it. It's fine and I'm always smiling because I am also the face of the team to them at that point”.

There are guests to tend to the next day, although the numbers are considerably lower, with only three guests on board, although the preparation and organization process is the same.

When the ProAm and the In Port are over everything has to be counted up and organized for the next leg. That's where the different cultures and shopping come back into play: “I've always found people to be very kind with me and they've helped me a lot. The cultural contrast can be considerable at times, but even in Abu Dhabi, for example, where women might not, perhaps, have been taken as seriously, I found that people really responded to a smile and to the way you approach them. With respect and good manners you can get on with anyone from an Arab to an African person”.

Flexibility and adaptability: essential requirements
What characteristics does a person in a role like this need? Laura has the answer: “Above all, you have to be flexible, because plans can change at the drop of a hat and you have to be able to adapt. I've found myself in lots of situations where all of a sudden things changed from one minute to the next. I remember one day when I was at the office in Madrid and it was my lunch break and I was with my colleague Edu and the phone rang, so I picked it up. 'Hello Laura, I see you're in the office?'. 'Yes'. 'Well I need you to go to Pedro's house and Iker will be there and he'll give you the Volvo Ocean Race trophy and you have to bring it to Alicante'. I said 'Is this a joke?'. 'No' they said. 'Today?'. 'Yes, right now'. 'I have to go to Alicante right now?'. 'Yes'. I got in my car and drove 400 km there and back to Madrid. These things happen. You have to be flexible and adapt to everything because anything can happen and you either learn to adapt or have a really rough time”.

Six months of racing, seven countries and four continents so far, and while it can be dizzying to look back, it's been an overwhelmingly positive experience: “Everything speeds past, and if I look back at everything I've done since then; Sanxenxo, Alicante, South Africa, Abu Dhabi, China, New Zealand... If something happened right now and I had to go, from here, I think I'd say that this has been the best experience of my entire life”.

This is, of course, work and not a holiday but that doesn't mean that it doesn't take all of the Team Telefónica members to very different places and cultures and for Laura, that's the best thing about this round the world race: “travelling and being able to experience different cultures. I think that it will take some time to sink in, because right now I'm so focussed on this that I'm not even thinking about it. I'm not really aware of it, but I'm learning so much, and I don't mean just about other cultures, but also in terms of dealing with people and living together... This is a learning experience that you can't quite put into words. I think that anyone who has the slightest interest in self improvement and evolution would learn a lot from this experience on many levels. For example, I came back from Abu Dhabi with a completely different idea about Arab women and their entire culture. More than anything, this opens your mind and you learn so much. You learn from life itself”, she concludes.