With more than 25 years of experience, FYD-designed racing yachts have won more than 40 world championships and have achieved a multitude of success at international grand prix events including the Volvo Ocean Race. After a five-stage research and design process, the building of the yacht will start in late September.

“Farr Yacht Design was selected because of its ability to tailor to our specific requirements and for its strong commitment to research and design which has been ongoing since the conclusion of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09,” said His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).

 “We anticipate being able to announce the appointment of the yacht builder early next month after finalising the selection of six tender qualifiers from throughout the Middle East, Europe and the Far East,” His Excellency added.

Shortly after announcing Ian Walker as skipper for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team, Jason Carrington from the UK joins as Technical Manager, another knowledgeable addition to the team. Carrington is a professional offshore sailor, and is known for being one of the world’s most experienced boat-builders over the last two decades, having built five Volvo Ocean Race yachts and project-managed three campaigns.

Carrington has competed in more than 30 top-level international regattas, but his first round the world experience was on Fortuna in the 1993-94 Whitbread (formerly the Volvo Ocean Race). After this taste of ocean racing, he continued his sailing career joining Silk Cut for the 1997-98 Whitbread, ASSA ABLOY in the Volvo Ocean Race 2001-02 and finally sailed with Ericsson Racing Team in the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race. 

ADTA and Walker are also currently in the final stages of appointing the team’s other crewmembers, and are committed to including a UAE national on the sailing team and another two on the shore team. An open selection process will begin next month.

For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Sophie Luther, – Communications Manager (Spain)
Tel + 34 966 011 152  Mob +34 606 894 940
Sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.com 

Lizzie Ward – Race Press Officer (UK)
Mob +44 7801 185 320
Lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.com 

Images
High resolution images can be downloaded from http://images.volvooceanrace.com      
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager (in Spain)
Tel +34 966 011 151 Mob +34 606 905 497
tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.com 

Full press information can be read and downloaded from http://press.volvooceanrace.com  

Broadcast
Please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/volvooceanrace

For all other usage please contact Volvo Ocean Race on +34 966 011 156 or television@volvooceanrace.com

Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
•The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012.
•The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).
•The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter.
•The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event.
•The design of the boat is regulated and the boat is built for speed.

About ADTA:
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has wide ranging responsibilities for managing and assisting the development of the emirate’s tourism industry and the marketing and promotion of the emirate as a world-class destination of distinction. Its responsibilities include; destination marketing; infrastructure and product development and regulation and classification. A key role is to create synergy in the international promotion of Abu Dhabi through close co-ordination with the emirate’s hotels, destination management companies, airlines and other public and private sector travel-related organisations.

For more information on ADTA please contact:
Sam Dulka, Senior Marketing Communication Executive, ADTA
Tel: +971 50 5507053
Email: sdulka@adta.ae  
 

Appointed by the team’s backer, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), Walker will lead an 11-strong crew hoping to stake its claim in one of the world’s toughest, most extreme sporting challenges.

ADTA, which was behind the emirate’s successful bid to become a Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 host city, believes Walker’s appointment is a major coup for Abu Dhabi’s inaugural title tilt.

"Ian is the lynchpin in the dream team we are determined to secure,” explained Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director General, ADTA. “His high profile sends a signal of the seriousness of our ambitions in a sport which will help us build international awareness of our long maritime pedigree and exceptional coastline and surrounding waters.”

As design consultant on ADTA’s planned, specially designed Volvo Open 70, Walker will be out to capitalise on years of experience to guide the outfit through nine-months of intense, head-to-head sailing over 39,000 nautical miles comprising four of the world’s most treacherous oceans.

"The Volvo Ocean Race is mentally and physically exhausting. The whole project is quite daunting, but it is easier to comprehend having done the race before. I have huge respect for the yachts and the race and we will be as prepared as we possibly can be," said Walker, one of the world’s leading helmsmen and tacticians.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to build a winning team both on and off the water. It is a huge challenge, yet we are confident we will compete for top honours. We have a unique opportunity to do something special with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

“The emirate’s participation is a huge step forward for sailing. Abu Dhabi is a great venue and the conditions are perfect for a sailing destination. This will certainly encourage other sailing events and championships to come to this part of the world and is already inspiring the local population to get fully behind sailing. The entire emirate, including nationals, is eager to embrace the race and get behind its team. This is going to be a fantastic journey.”

ADTA and Walker, who lives in Southampton, UK, are also currently in the final stages of appointing the team’s other crew members, and are committed to including a UAE national in the sporting team and another two on the shore team.

"I think it is crucial to have the right mix of youth and experience and I also like the idea of an internationally-represented crew. Obviously, you need the right mix of skills such as helming, trimming, bowmen, sailmaking, rigging and engineering, yet it is just as important to select people who will work well as a team. That is what we are aiming for with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing," said the 40-year-old graduate of Cambridge University – one of the UK’s ‘Ivy League’ institutions.

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race commented, “We are very pleased to have Ian Walker back in our race and believe he will be an excellent skipper and leader for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. The host city is an excellent venue for sailing and hopefully this project will encourage and ignite passion for sailing within the region.”

Walker, a father of two, was the skipper and sailing manager of the 2002 British America’s Cup Team. He has accrued a wealth of sailing experience in a two-decade long career, which includes coaching the 2004 British Olympic Gold medal winning women’s keelboat sailing team, winning the TP52 Global Championship, and leading the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race outfit, Green Dragon.

Plans are being progressed with Abu Dhabi stakeholders for the UAE capital’s New Year 2012 hosting of the Volvo Ocean Race, when it sails into the sport’s record books as the first Middle East stopover in the event’s 37-year history.

For more information, please contact:
Sam Dulka
Senior Marketing Communication Executive, ADTA
Telephone: +971 50 5507053
Email: sdulka@adta.ae 

Media contact Volvo Ocean Race
Lizzie (Green) Ward – Press Officer (in UK)
lizzie.ward@VolvoOceanRace.com 
Tel: +44 7801 185 320

Images
High-resolution images can be downloaded from http://images.volvooceanrace.org     
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager (in Spain)
Tel: +34 966 011 151 Mob +34 606 905 497
tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.com

Broadcast
Announcement VNR available, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/volvooceanrace
For any assistance, please contact Irene.corosu@thenewsmarket.com 

Full press information can be read and downloaded from http://press.volvooceanrace.com 

 Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
• The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012
• The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter
• The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event
• This will be the first time the Middle East has formed part of the route for the Volvo Ocean Race
• Abu Dhabi has a rich maritime tradition as a trading port. Throughout its history, the dhow has plied the trade routes between the city and its neighbouring countries 

About ADTA: Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has wide ranging responsibilities for managing and assisting the development of the emirate’s tourism industry and the marketing and promotion of the emirate as a world-class destination of distinction. Its responsibilities include; destination marketing; infrastructure and product development and regulation and classification. A key role is to create synergy in the international promotion of Abu Dhabi through close co-ordination with the emirate’s hotels, destination management companies, airlines and other public and private sector travel-related organisations.

It will be his fifth round-the-world race, most recently as skipper of Team Delta Lloyd in 2008-09. He was a watch captain on Brasil 1 in 2004-05 and raced the Southern Ocean legs on board ASSA ABLOY in 2001-02.

Known throughout the sailing word as ‘Chuny’, his first round-the-world experience was as a watch leader and helmsman on board the Spanish entry in the 1993-94 Whitbread.

Chuny, a member of the Spanish Olympic team at Athens in 2004, has been a regular on the competitive MedCup TP52 circuit and sailed with the Spanish America’s Cup team at San Diego in 1995 and at Auckland in 2000.

The CAMPER campaign hit the ground running when it was announced in April. The design team – led by principal designer Marcelino Botin of Botin Carkeek Yacht Design based at Santander – had already been working on VO70 design.

Emirates Team New Zealand – which will manage the CAMPER project – immediately assigned members of its design team to the project.

The team’s operations manager Kevin Shoebridge said: “We have almost 20 naval architects, structural and mechanical engineers, CFD (computational fluid dynamics) engineers, sail and mast designers and software developers based at Auckland and Santander working on the CAMPER project.

“Multiple hull designs and sail combinations have been run through a CFD computer program which computes air and water flow. The sail design team has already had two sessions in the Auckland University wind tunnel.

“Marcelino Botin and skipper Chris Nicholson have overseen tank-tests on hull models at Southampton, England, and Liege, Belgium.”The scale models, which were built in England, underwent 300 tests over six days at the high-speed tank at Liege to test computer design projections on the quite different hullforms in scale models of the VO70 yacht.

Results from the tanks tests have allowed designers to assess quickly the position of appendages (rudders and keel) and hull shape.

With the yacht build scheduled to start on 9 August  at the Cookson Yard at Auckland, the design team will come together next week to make final decisions.

Boat builders will start building the mould, the first step in a process that will involve more than 30 tradesmen and over 38,000 hours.

The hull and deck will be constructed from carbon fibre over a nomex honeycomb core, to produce a light but very strong hull capable of standing up to the rigours of the 39,000 nautical mile race.

The yacht – with deck hardware, electrical, electronic and hydraulic systems fitted – will be trucked to the Emirates Team New Zealand base in early April. Keel, bulb and rudders will be fitted before the yacht is rigged.

Three months of sea trials off New Zealand will follow. The sailing crew will be looking for strong winds and big seas to test handling and reliability before shipping the yacht to Europe in July.

As part of a rich programme of events, which will include a regatta prizegiving and a host of social events in the week running up to the start of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. The Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta will slot between the Alicante In-Port Race and the Pro-Am Race the previous weekend and the start of leg one on Saturday 5 November and will include races of their own. 

“The Volvo Ocean Race has so much heritage and history and that simply must not be lost.  The history of the event underpins every strategy we have for the modern race,” says CEO Knut Frostad, himself a competitor in two Whitbreads (1993-94 and 1997-98) and two Volvo Races (2001-02 and 2005-06).  “It will be fantastic to see a historic fleet of boats lining up in Alicante alongside the Volvo Open 70s, and we look forward to welcoming the past competitors and hearing the stories they have to tell, ” he adds.

This event will be another exciting addition to the festivals, which the Generalitat Valenciana, City of Alicante, the Alicante Port Authorities and Volvo Ocean Race will be producing over the three-week festival in the start port.

Today, at the official inauguration of the Volvo Ocean Race Headquarters by the President of the Generalitat Valenciana, President Francisco Camps, who unveiled a commemorative plaque, spoke of the excitement around not only the start of the next edition of the race, but the Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta.

“This is another example of how the Volvo Ocean Race will provide entertainment for the local people of Alicante and the Valencian region and will help attract even more Spanish and international tourists,” he said.

Many well-known competitors from the 10 previous races are looking forward to the event next year. “Count me in,” says veteran of four races Skip Novak, whose history includes skippering rock star Simon Le Bon’s entry Drum in the 1985-86 race, and putting together the first Russian entry, Fazisi in 1989-90.

The event promises to be a combination of sailing greats, a concours d’elegance, an opportunity to renew old rivalries, and a party not to be missed.   Magnus Olsson, a six-race veteran is certainly not going to miss it.  “It sounds great,” he says enthusiastically. “Count on me.”

The aim is to have at least one representative boat from every edition of the race since 1973 and to attract as many people as possible who have ever crewed in any of the races. This is a pilgrimage with no penance at the end of it, a round the world club gathering to be enjoyed by the racers, and to give recognition to all that they achieved.

“It sounds exciting. Lovely idea and looking forward to it,” says Kiwi race winner Mike Sanderson.

There will also be the chance for the crews to meet the fans and for the fans to meet people they have only been able to see at the arm’s length of newspapers, radio, television and films. There is a plan to run chat shows from the Volvo Ocean Race Museum right on the dockside in the Alicante race village. There is, as everyone knows, nothing that yachtsmen like more than interviewing each other.

“The stories of the good old days when your fellow sailors were your community on the ocean and on shore are classic and I look forward to recounting them,” says the skipper of Heineken and watch leader of first all-female crew Maiden, Dawn Riley.

Although the Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta is meant to be a celebration, the fact is that the yachts should be ready to assemble on a start line and 80-foot maxis are still brutes to handle.  So a few aching sessions in the gym may also be necessary for bodies, which may not be quite as supple and agile (and that could include brains) as they were 20 years ago.

“Great, I’ll be there,” says former winner Grant Dalton, who will also have his Volvo Open 70 Camper on the start line for the 11th edition of Volvo Ocean Race.  “Thirty years in the race for me. Is that some sort of record?” he asks.

The Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta will conclude with a departure ceremony of its own followed by a parade of sail to escort the Volvo Ocean Race fleet out to the start line on Saturday 5 November. 

Full information on how to take part and a preliminary schedule of events can be found on www.volvooceanrace.com

Check out the cover story of the new issue of Life at the Extreme here:
http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?PBID=d2623da3-09c6-443e-ae19-44f7fd101fec

For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta, please contact:

Lizzie Ward – Race Press Officer (UK)
Mob +44 7801 185 320
Lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.com

Howard Gibbons – Project Manager (UK)
Mob +44 771 4455544
Howard.gibbons@volvooceanrace.com

For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Sophie Luther – International Press Officer (Spain)
Tel + 34 966 011 152  Mob +34 606 894 940
Sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.com

Images

High resolution images from 2001 to present day, can be downloaded from http://images.volvooceanrace.com     

For image requests, including historic images, please contact:
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager (in Spain)
Tel +34 966 011 151 Mob +34 606 905 497
tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.com

Full press information can be read and downloaded from http://press.volvooceanrace.com 

Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race Legend Regatta
• The Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta will be the first ’official’ reunion since 1973
• The event will be held between 1 – 5 November 2011
• The venue will be Alicante, the start port for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12
• 148 boats have crossed the start line in the 37-year history of The Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race
• 2,000 crew competed in the first 10 events
• The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter
• The Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12  will be the 11th edition of the event

During its 37-year history, 148 teams have crossed the starting line of what is now and has been for three events, the Volvo Ocean Race, the most famous of round the world races.  Many sailors return five, six, seven times, to take on a battle not only with Mother Nature, but with the world’s best crews.  Why?

They do it all for the glory of winning, for there is no pot of gold to be had at the end of this, the most epic of adventures and challenging of sporting events, just a stunning trophy. 

And now, ahead of the 11th running of the event, beginning in Alicante in Spain next year, a new trophy will be commissioned and Volvo Ocean Race offers all agencies and designers the chance to be the new designer and creator of what is no ordinary trophy. 

As the world’s best sailors step forward next year in a ’Clash of the Titans’ the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 is shaping up to be one of the hardest fought.  It will be a story of battle and of cut-throat competition, but one also of great beauty and mystery as the teams race day and night, at sometimes 40 knots or more,  across four of world’s greatest and wildest oceans and round the legendary Cape Horn.  Albatross will glide in their wake and whales will sleep in the their paths, but nothing will stop the teams from pushing the limits to earn the right to hold the new Volvo Ocean Race, much coveted, trophy aloft on the winner’s stage at the end of the nine legs and 10 in-port races in July 2012.

Not only will the trophy be awarded to the overall winner of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12,  it will be seen by at least 1.6 billion followers of the event and it will make its own special around the world ’trophy tour’.  Its final resting place will be in the museum at Race Headquarters in Spain, where it will be on permanent display.  

To find out more about the tendering process for this, and other trophies for the Volvo Ocean Race, please email your company profile to newtrophy@volvooceanrace.com BEFORE midnight 11 June 2010.

For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:

Sophie Luther – International Press Officer (Spain)
Tel + 34 966 011 152  Mob +34 606 894 940
Sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.com

Lizzie Ward – Race Press Officer (UK)
Mob +44 7801 185 320
Lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.com

Images
High resolution images can be downloaded from http://images.volvooceanrace.com     
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager (in Spain)
Tel +34 966 011 151 Mob +34 606 905 497
tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.com

Full press information can be read and downloaded from http://press.volvooceanrace.com 

Broadcast
Please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/volvooceanrace
For any assistance please contact Irene.corosu@thenewsmarket.com 

Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
• The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012
• The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).
• The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter
• The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event
• The design of the boat is regulated and the boat is built for speed

Thrane & Thrane’s next generation SAILOR® FleetBroadband and VHF equipment will be onboard every cutting-edge Volvo Open 70 as they race the 39,270 nautical miles around the world. 

“We have once again selected Thrane & Thrane to provide a comprehensive communications package for the teams, based on the support and faultless performance of the SAILOR equipment in the two previous races,” said Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO during the signing of the agreement, which took place in Copenhagen.

“We need the latest technology not only to deliver our vision and commitment to bringing offshore racing to a global television and online audience, but to ensure that the teams have the best safety communication possible as they race through the harshest and most testing conditions imaginable. We are delighted to have Thrane & Thrane back onboard and we are confident that its latest FleetBroadband and VHF solutions will bring unmatched broadband and safety communication“, he said.

Thrane & Thrane will supply new products including the world’s first second generation FleetBroadband antenna.  The SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband will be the central communication hub for each race team and will be used for uploading race footage, reports and interviews, which will be used in the production of television and online content.  This equipment will also be used for downloading the weather data, which will be vital for competitive performance and all teams will benefit from true broadband communication throughout the entire track around the globe.

Every race boat, as well as the umpire fleet will be fully equipped with variants of the newly introduced and advanced SAILOR 6200 VHF series. This series is highly regarded by users due to its replay function and robust waterproof design, which makes it suitable for even the toughest marine environments.

The SAILOR 150 FleetBroadband will be used for crew voice calling and IP data while two SAILOR mini-C systems will be onboard for constant positioning data and global safety communication.

 “The Volvo Ocean Race is not only about high-class performance, but also survival in the most challenging of situations and we relish the opportunity of putting our equipment through its paces once again,” said Walther Thygesen, CEO, Thrane & Thrane.

 “It is the ultimate test platform and we receive invaluable and immediate feedback from the crews, which has led to the Volvo Ocean Race becoming an integral part of our research and development. Our products have performed consistently successfully during our time as a sponsor of the race and if the SAILOR products can withstand such an ultimate test, then their credentials as the toughest most reliable communications equipment for all maritime applications are well earned.”

The race will visit eight stopover ports on five continents and race through four oceans, in under nine months. The Volvo Open 70’s will cover over 39,270 nautical miles racing around the globe. The race will start in October 2011 from Alicante (Spain), followed by stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal), Lorient (France) and finally the race finish in Galway (Ireland) in July 2012.

For further information on Thrane & Thrane, please contact:
John Alexandersen, VP Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +45 39 55 88 35  www.thrane.com

For Thrane & Thrane press materials, please contact:
Saul Trewern, Account Director, Saltwater
Tel: +44 1202 669244
Email: saul.trewern@saltwatercoms.com  www.saltwaterpr.com

About Thrane & Thrane
Thrane & Thrane is the world’s leading manufacturer of equipment and systems for global mobile communication based on sophisticated satellite and radio technology. Since its incorporation in 1981, the company has established a strong position within global mobile communication solutions based on the Inmarsat system, and today Thrane & Thrane provides equipment for maritime, land-based and aeronautical use. The company’s communication products are sold throughout the world under the brands Thrane & Thrane, EXPLORERTM,  SAILOR® and AVIATOR through distributors and partners. Thrane & Thrane is listed on NASDAQ OMX in Copenhagen (THRAN).

For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:

Sophie Luther – International Press Officer (Spain)
Tel + 34 966 011 152  Mob +34 606 894 940
Sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.com

Lizzie Ward – Race Press Officer (UK)
Mob +44 7801 185 320
Lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.com

Images
High resolution images can be downloaded from http://images.volvooceanrace.com     
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager (in Spain)
Tel +34 966 011 151 Mob +34 606 905 497
tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.com

Full press information can be read and downloaded from http://press.volvooceanrace.com 

Broadcast
Please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/volvooceanrace
For any assistance please contact Irene.corosu@thenewsmarket.com 

Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
• The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012
• The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).
• The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter
• The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event
• The design of the boat is regulated and the boat is built for speed

PUMA has named Juan Yacht Design, of Valencia, Spain as the lead boat designer of the new PUMA Ocean Racing yacht.  Juan Kouyoumdjian’s designs have a perfect record in the Volvo Ocean Race since the inception of the Volvo Open 70 Rule. They are credited with designing the 2006 winner, ABN AMRO One and the 2009 winner, Ericsson 4.

“The decision to go with Juan to design PUMA’s new boat was a major step forward for the programme and set in motion a number of key hires that have formed the nucleus of the team,” said skipper Ken Read.

Two new key members of the team include multiple Volvo Ocean Race winners, Brad Jackson and Tony Mutter.  Each sailor was integral to the winning teams in both the 2006 and 2009 races.  Jackson is a three-time winner of the Volvo and will serve as design coordinator for PUMA Ocean Racing, mixing the sailing team’s input with Juan Kouyoumdjian’s creative and technical expertise.  Mutter is a two-time Volvo winner and will run the aero programme, working closely with Steve Calder of North Sails and mast designer, Scott Ferguson.  While sailing, Tony and Brad will also serve as watch captains.

Returning from PUMA’s 2009 campaign is bowman and systems manager Casey Smith.  "When the boat breaks offshore Casey has to fix it, so having him be part of design process with the build team early on will save us a lot with durability down the road," explained Read.  Rob Greenhalgh also rejoins the PUMA crew after being a late, but welcomed addition in the last race.  Returning shoreteam members include: Kimo Worthington, General Manager, and Tim Hacket, who will serve as the Shore Team Manager.

New sailing team members include navigator Tom Addis (Telefónica Blue co-Navigator), Jono Swain (Telefónica Blue watch captain) and Andrew Lewis (Rambler trimmer and ABN AMRO Two tactician).

 “The decisions we make now are the ones that will create success in this race, and having this team of veterans involved early certainly increases our chances to make proper decisions,” said Read of the team assembled so far.  “Not only do we have a team that can sail a boat fast, but we have a team that understands what it takes to compete in a race like the Volvo.  Great attitudes, great skills, which hopefully increases our chances for success.”

Cumulatively, the management and sailing team for PUMA Ocean Racing shares a level of success difficult to match with 20 Volvo Ocean Race entries and 14 America’s Cup editions.  Collectively, the core team holds eight 24-hour mono hull speed records.
The Volvo Ocean Race begins October 2011 in Alicante, Spain and ends in Galway, Ireland in June 2012. The eight stopovers in between include: Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya (China), Auckland, Itajaí (Brazil), Miami, Lisbon and Lorient (France).

PUMA continues to produce and expand its line of sailing performance gear and remains the first sportlifestyle company to participate in a venture of this kind. PUMA will also be the official supplier of all Volvo Ocean Race merchandise.  

PUMA Ocean Racing Sailing Team

Ken Read, 48 (Rhode Island, USA) – Skipper
Considered to be one of the world’s most accomplished racers, Read was in charge of PUMA Ocean Racing and at the helm of PUMA’s il mostro throughout the entire Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09.  The US-born Read has twice helmed America’s Cup programmes in 2000 and 2003 and was named United States Rolex Yachtsman of the Year twice and has 46 World, North American and National Championships to his credit.

Tom Addis, 40 (Sydney, AUS) Navigator
Addis, a trained meteorologist, joins PUMA as a navigator after sailing with Telefónica Blue during the Volvo, taking two leg wins. Tom has sailed thousands of offshore miles onboard Maxi Alfa Romero, winning both Sydney-Hobart and Transpac races.  Addis also sailed with America’s Cup Team New Zealand in 2007.

Rob Greenhalgh, 32 (Hamble, GBR) Helmsman & Trimmer
2009 18’ Skiff World Champion, Greenhalgh is back with PUMA after joining the crew during the 08-09 race.  Greenhalgh was a vital part of PUMA’s last campaign and served as tactician for Ken Read during in port racing and watch captain offshore. Rob has sailed two previous Volvo Ocean Races and was part of the crew, along with Tony Mutter and Brad Jackson, who won the race with ABN AMRO One during the 05-06 edition of the race.

Brad Jackson: 42 (Auckland, NZL) Design Coordinator & Watch Captain
Named New Zealand Sailor of the Year in 2009, Jackson has sailed the Volvo Ocean Race five times, numerous Sydney-Hobarts, Fastnets and Trans-Atlantics. Jackson was a member of the Ericsson 4 boat that won the Volvo 2008-09 and has been part of three 24-hour monohull speed records.  In addition to his role as watch captain, Jackson will serve as design coordinator for the PUMA programme, mixing the sailors’ input with Juan K’s creative and technical expertise.

Andrew ‘Junior” Lewis’: 27 (Honolulu, USA) Trimmer & Driver
Lewis will be one of the three under-30 sailors onboard PUMA’s new boat.  Lewis has logged thousands of offshore miles, sailing onboard ABN AMRO Two during the Volvo Ocean Race 05-06 race and on Rambler during the record-breaking Transatlantic Race and Middle Sea races.  Lewis also has a long list of honours for inshore racing ranging from the Laser Class and America’s Cup.  He was part of the monohull record-breaking crew of ABN AMRO Two during the 05-06 race.

Tony Mutter, 41 (Auckland, NZL) Aerodynamics Coordinator & Watch Captain
Mutter joins PUMA after sailing onboard Volvo Ocean Race 08-09 winner. Mutter has sailed five Volvos, five Fastnet Races and five Maxi Worlds.  He has been part of three Volvo crews where the 24-hour monohull record has been broken.  As aerodynamics coordinator, he will work closely with North Sails to design the next generation of VO70 sails.  Tony will sail onboard for PUMA as watch captain.

Casey Smith, 31 (Brisbane, AUS) Systems Manager & Bowman
Smith joined the crew of PUMA’s il mostro for the Volvo Ocean Race 08-09 as one of the under 30s.  Smith was instrumental in repairing structural damages to il mostro during the last race. And was honoured for the sportsmanship award for his efforts in replacing il mostro’s rudder during the Leg SEVEN Trans-Atlantic crossing. Smith has sailed the 08-09 Volvo Ocean Race and numerous Sydney-Hobart races and Trans-atlantic crossings.

Jonathan ‘Jono’ Swain, 43 (Durban, RSA) Helmsman & Trimmer
Jono Swain comes to PUMA with experience in four Volvo Ocean Races, most recently as watch captain onboard Telefónica Blue.  Swain is considered an ‘all-round sailor’, mixing offshore experience with an impressive inshore resume which includes and America’s Cup campaign, Louis Vuitton Series and trimming on Mean Machine.  

PUMA Ocean Racing Shore Team Management

Kimo Worthington, 50 (California, USA) General Manager
Kimo Worthington has a rare combination of management expertise onshore and leadership on the water.  His professional sailing career includes competing in six America’s Cups, including a win with America3 in 1992, and numerous offshore miles. In the 1997-98 Whitbread Round the World Race, Worthington was watch captain and sailing team manager for the winning EF Language team. In the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 he served as General Manager for second place Pirates of the Caribbean and in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 he was general manager for PUMA Ocean Racing.  

Tim Hacket, 38 (Sydney, AUS) Shore Team Manager
Tim Hacket has been building racing yachts for over 20 years.  A native Australian, Tim is now based in Newport, Rhode Island.  Tim’s experience includes four America’s Cup boat builds and two Volvo Ocean Race shore teams, mostly recently as part of PUMA’s Volvo 2008-09 campaign.

Media Contact:

Bridgid Murphy, PUMA Ocean Racing – + 1 978 996 5155 – bridgid.murphy@puma.com

For more images for editorial use please go to: http://media.pumaoceanracing.com

Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
• The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012
• The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France)
• The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter
• The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event
• The design of the boat is regulated and the boat is built for speed

In 2005-06 he was a watch captain on board Spanish entry movistar and in 200-09 he was co-skipper of PUMA, which finished second.

Nicholson, aged 40, represented Australia at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004. He was 49er world champion in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and world champion in the 505 class in 1992, 1994 and 2002.

Nicholson will be joined by the current world match racing champion, Adam Minoprio, of New Zealand.

Minoprio’s young BlackMatch team has had a meteoric rise up the world match racing standings. After only two years on the professional circuit the team won the season championship and was first in the world match racing standings.

Minoprio has returned to the circuit in 2010, with every intention of defending his hard-won title.

Emirates Team New Zealand operations manager Kevin Shoebridge, who will manage the Camper project, said the appointment of Nicholson and Minoprio brought together veteran ocean racing experience and up-and-coming talent.

“Chris Nicholson is well-known to the team and brings the experience from a long and successful racing career to Camper.

“Adam Minoprio is a young yachtsman with drive, determination and skill who will be an asset to Camper. His BlackMatch racing team already has a close association with Emirates Team Zealand and we have supported him on the match racing circuit.”

Volvo Ocean Race crews number 10 plus a media/camera person who plays no part in sailing the yacht. “We are working with Camper on recruiting other members of the crew,” Shoebridge said.

The Emirates Team New Zealand design team, headed by principal designer Marcelino Botin, is well advanced on the yacht’s design. Building will start in Auckland in August. It will be launched early next year and undergo sea trials before being shipped to Spain.

Camper, the Spanish-based international footwear manufacturer, announced its decision to enter the Volvo Ocean Race on April 12.

Camper is a family-owned company, which started making shoes on the Spanish island of Majorca in 1877. Today Camper operates directly 320 stores and ‘shop-in-shop’ locations in 42 countries and distributes its products through 2800 independent retailers.

The Volvo Ocean Race starts at Alicante, Spain, in October 2011 and will finish at Galway, Ireland, in June 2012.

Stopover ports are Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).  

Media contacts:

CAMPER: Dalia Saliamonas
dsaliamonas@camper.com +34 971 50 7000

Emirates Team New Zealand: Warren Douglas
warren.douglas@emiratesteamnz.com  +64 21 583230

Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
• The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012
• The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France)
• The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter
• The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event
• The design of the boat is regulated and the boat is built for speed

The iconic islands of the Azores in the Atlantic, Fernando de Noronha off the Brazilian coast and the Fastnet Rock, the southern most point of Ireland, all make an appearance on the course.

The new racing schedule for the stopovers will conclude with an action-packed long weekend in the host cities. “We had two aims when changing the stopover programme,” said Knut Frostad, CEO Volvo Ocean Race.

“Firstly we have reduced the time the teams are onshore and the time they have between the In-Port race and the Leg start. Traditionally the teams would change their yachts from an offshore sailing mode to an inshore racing one and back again for the Leg start. By bringing the two events together we lower the costs to them and their sponsors. In fact, we have also achieved more time for the shore crews to work on the yachts and subsequently the sailors get more time off.

“Secondly we can entertain the local public with the spectacle that is the Volvo Ocean Race on the water, for a long weekend of great racing and thrilling viewing. We hope by providing the local spectators with this on-the-water display, we will increase the public’s awareness and passion for the sport of sailing.”

The Pro-Am races will be first on the agenda for the weekend, where the sheer power of the yachts and the onshore glamour of the race are showcased to the public and race guests. These races do not count to the teams’ overall points.

The second day sees the Volvo Ocean Race teams battle it out in two In-Port races, which count to their overall scores. The short course of the In-Port races and the proximity to the stopover harbours and beaches, will allow the public to watch the exciting racing up close, as the teams push the yachts to the limits trying to gain the important extra points.

The finale to the long weekend is the Leg start, where the teams say farewell to the host city and begin the offshore battle to the next destination. 

The start and finish ports also have a new look schedule. Alicante will have a week of festivals between the In-Port and Pro-Am race weekend and the start of Leg ONE to the popular host city of Cape Town, South Africa.

Galway will be the first finish city in the race’s history to hold an inshore race after the final leg. This will not only give the teams a chance to add valuable points to their overall scores but also allow the enthusiastic Irish fans to enjoy the racing on Galway Bay.

There will be no scoring gates in this edition of the race but the fleet will still pass round some famous islands on their course round the world. Leg ONE will see the fleet pass the island of Fernando de Noronha, 200 nautical miles off the Brazilian coast as the first proper rounding mark of the race.

Due to increasing pirate attacks and hijacking off the coast of Somalia, the fleet will sail around an exclusion zone, which will be added to this area nearer race time to help reduce the risk to the yachts.

On Leg EIGHT from Lisbon, Portugal to Lorient, France the fleet heads offshore again for a 1,940 nautical mile leg, rounding the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores before heading back towards the northwest coast of France.

The Fastnet Rock is the last landmark the sailors will sail around before their final sprint up the west coast of Ireland, to the finish in Galway.

The race will visit eight stopover ports on five continents and race through four oceans, in under nine months. The Volvo Open 70’s will cover over 39,270 nautical miles racing around the globe.

Click this link to download a high resolution course graphic from our media library. Please note that if you are not an existing user, you will be prompted to register for access.

http://images.volvooceanrace.org/asset-bank/action/browseItems?categoryId=3420&categoryTypeId=1

Click this link to view the racing schedule on www.volvooceanrace.com/ports/

For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Lizzie (Green) Ward – Press Officer (in UK)
Mob +44 7801 185 320
lizzie.ward@VolvoOceanRace.com 

or

Sophie Luther – International Press Officer (in Spain)
Tel + 34 966 011 152  Mob +34 606 894 940
Sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.com

Images
High resolution images can be downloaded from http://images.volvooceanrace.org     
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager (in Spain)
Tel +34 966 011 151 Mob +34 606 905 497
tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.com

Full press information can be read and downloaded from http://press.volvooceanrace.com 

Broadcast
Please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/volvooceanrace
For any assistance please contact Irene.corosu@thenewsmarket.com 

Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
• The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012
• The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).
• The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter
• The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event
• The design of the boat is regulated and the boat is built for speed
 

Camper is a family-owned company which started making shoes on the Spanish island of Majorca in 1877. Today Camper operates directly 320 stores and “shop-in-shop” locations in 42 countries and distributes its products through 2800 independent retailers.

After 133 years Camper is still a family-owned company where creativity, quality and craftsmanship remain at the heart of the people.

The Volvo Ocean Race starts in Alicante, Spain, in late 2011 and will finish in Galway, Ireland, in mid 2012.

Stopover ports are Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).  

In announcing the Volvo Ocean Race project, Camper said: “Competing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011–12 motivates Camper to continue innovating its products and strengthen its presence around the world”.

“The history and the authenticity of the race, the human adventure, the effort, the desire to improve and the teamwork fully fit the Camper values.

“The Mediterranean as a territory and as a culture has always been at the centre of the Camper image. From Alicante this round-the-world race will be, without a doubt, a strong source of inspiration for the future of a brand that walks with imagination.

“For us it is a privilege to take our first steps in the Volvo Ocean Race together with Emirates Team New Zealand, undoubtedly one of the most prestigious professional sailing teams in the world. Despite New Zealand being in the antipodes of Majorca, we feel very close to them sharing their way of thinking and so ETNZ makes us feel confident when undertaking this project.”

Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton says the team has the capacity to integrate a Volvo Ocean Race campaign with its commitments to the Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas, the Audi MedCup 2010 and the next America’s Cup.

“There is some certainty in the America’s Cup following BMW Oracle Racing’s defeat of Alinghi. It’s apparent that with the timing of the America’s Cup, either 2013 or 2014, ETNZ can comfortably integrate a Volvo campaign into its operations.

Grant Dalton said a Volvo Ocean Race campaign was a natural fit for the team. “Our objective was always to diversify, once the team had re-established its credentials, as a means of keeping our people busy, focused and creative.

“With Louis Vuitton, the team started the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Dean Barker and the team campaigned successfully on the Audi MedCup TP52 circuit last year and now we have a Volvo Ocean Race campaign to organise from scratch.

“The team has no shortage of experience with the Volvo Ocean Race and the Whitbread before it. It’s no secret that I have never lost my enthusiasm for racing around the world.”

Dalton explained: “The Volvo project instantly energises our team, allows our designers and engineers to get going and in Camper we have found a great partner. They are a family company with family values and a culture that fits very well with Emirates Team New Zealand and our family of sponsors.”

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said: “We are delighted to welcome Grant Dalton and Emirates Team New Zealand to the Volvo Ocean Race, which gives us our first proper New Zealand entry for many years.”
 
“Dalton, a former winner of this event, brings with him not only a wealth of experience, but a very charismatic and highly competitive team of sailors.  The people of Auckland will surely be very proud to watch the progress of Emirates Team New Zealand as it takes on some of the world’s best. “

“I would also like to welcome Camper to the Volvo Ocean Race family. We look forward to working with their strong international brand, elevating the profile of their new team and our race.” 

Media contacts:

CAMPER
Dalia Saliamonas
dsaliamonas@camper.com
Tel: +34 971 50 7000

Emirates Team New Zealand
Warren Douglas
warren.douglas@emiratesteamnz.com 
Tel: +64 21 583230

Volvo Ocean Race
Sophie Luther – International Press Officer
Sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.com
Tel: +34 606 894 940

Lizzie (Green) Ward – Press Officer (in UK)
lizzie.ward@VolvoOceanRace.com 
Tel: +44 7801 185 320

Images
High resolution images can be downloaded from http://images.volvooceanrace.org     
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager (in Spain)
Tel: +34 966 011 151 Mob +34 606 905 497
tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.com

Full press information can be read and downloaded from http://press.volvooceanrace.com 

Broadcast
Announcement VNR available, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/volvooceanrace
For any assistance please contact Irene.corosu@thenewsmarket.com 

Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
• The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012.
• The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).
• The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter.
• The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event.
• The design of the boat is regulated and the boat is built for speed.