Southampton yachtswomen Emma Richards and Miranda Merron have signed up with women's team Amer Sports Too for the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, starting from Auckland later this month.

The pair, who first sailed together in Tracy Edwards's unsuccessful Royal & SunAlliance bid for the Jules Verne trophy, join Hamble skipper Lisa McDonald - Emma as trimmer/helmsman and Miranda as navigator, taking over from Genevieve White.

Both bring valuable skills to Amer Sports Too, which is currently last overall in the race.

Their most recent experience has been the gruelling short-handed race across the Atlantic in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

With limited experience and resources, both impressed as their talents and determination landed Emma, in the trimaran Pindar, in ninth place in a field of 14 multihulls and Miranda in the Open 60 monohull Un Univers de Service ninth from 12 monos.

"This is one form of ocean racing I haven't yet really touched," said Emma.

"We will get some training in before we leave Auckland on January 27. After a couple of years in shorthanded sailing, I am really looking forward to sailing with a full crew.

I'm coming onboard as a trimmer and helmsman and what I love most is heavy air downwind steering so I can't wait to get going through the Southern Ocean."

Miranda is aware of the pressure on them to deliver good results.

"There's a lot of pressure and expectation. What makes it harder is that I couldn't possibly hope or dream of having the same level of experience as the other navigators in the race. So I would say that I am apprehensive at the moment," she said.