Today, Saturday 14 May, Groupama 4, the first Volvo 70 built in France, was launched at 1400 GMT, opposite Groupama Sailing Team’s base in Lorient. Groupama’s representatives, the sailors, the members of the shore team and an enthusiastic crowd attended this important stage of the project led by skipper Franck Cammas.

 
      Lined faces betrayed the fatigue amassed over recent days. After nearly 50,000 man hours, the monohull Groupama 4 is now ready to traverse the globe’s seas.
Australian Ben Wright, head of the shore team with five Volvo Open 70 build projects already under his belt, seems particularly satisfied with the work achieved by the team. “It’s a big day… in a long series of big days! We still have a few miles to cover with Groupama Sailing Team. However, at least now we’re done with the sketches: the boat is here in front of us. We’re tired but that’s par for the course after all these man hours. We’ve worked hard but we’re not stopping here! It’s only just begun in fact!”

      The sense of pleasure is palpable and the event brings everyone together. After all the difficulties that have to be surmounted during a project of this scale, Groupama 4 is now floating in the port of Lorient. As such Franck Cammas and his men have taken another step in the history of the Groupama Sailing Team: “In the construction of a yacht, the further you push the thought processes, the better you understand things, but the more difficult it becomes to make choices. You’re always keen to go into things deeply but there’s a deadline where you have to stop thinking and concentrate on making ideas a reality. Today, a new side to the work begins in the form of sail trials. And for the all those involved in the project, now is the moment of truth”.

In sailing, the competition begins well before the warning signals for the race start. It’s in the minds of the men behind the boat’s design, in the gestures of the boat builders and all those taking part in the project, that a victory is built.
When you decide to take part in a project of this size, you’re never sheltered from obstacles. Franck Cammas: “You encounter difficulties everyday. When you have to make choices, you’re bound to have to overcome obstacles. As was the case during construction of the first three Groupama boats, we encountered problems here too: it was inevitable that there were differences to the original schedule… There were a few timings which weren’t adhered to, some adhesion processes which had to be redone and parts that had to be rebuilt… That’s another reason why I’m proud of the work my team has done. Thank you to them, thanks to Juan Koujoumdjian, our architect, and thanks to Groupama, without whom we wouldn’t be here!”

      Jean-Luc Baucherel, President of Groupama, travelled to Lorient with around fifty representatives from Groupama Loire Bretagne: “It’s an important day for Groupama as our first monohull has been launched. Five years of new adventures lay in store. We’ll be able to weigh up our performance against the best Anglo-Saxon crews during the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. This is a whole new concept for Groupama but we are in no doubt about the abilities of Franck Cammas and his crew to be up there with the frontrunners. We’re taking over from a great sailor called Eric Tabarly and we hope we can be worthy of him and carry France’s colours high. We were familiar with the multihull and, today, we’re ready for a new series of competitions aboard a monohull. It is with great enthusiasm and pride that we are competing in this new competition”.

Although the phase in the yard is over for the members of the shore crew, sail trials are set to begin on Tuesday 17 May for the sailing crew. The next major stages which will punctuate the life of Groupama Sailing Team between now and the start of the Volvo Ocean Race will be the christening of Groupama 4 on 11 June in Lorient, then the Fastnet Race in the UK on 14 August. In the latter, Franck Cammas and his crew will, for the very first time, be able to see how Groupama 4 fairs in relation to her future rivals.

 

Technical specifications for Groupama 4:

LOA: 21.50m
Beam: 5.70m
Water draught: 4.50m
Displacement: 14 tonnes
Keel: swing
Material: carbon honeycomb sandwich
Upwind sails: 315m²
Downwind sails: 675m²
Architect: Juan Kouyoumdjian
A communications project to support the group’s internationalisation
For more than 13 years, Groupama has chosen sailing sponsorship as a lever to support its strategy for growth in the service of its clients. One of the France’s leading insurance firms and the 15th largest insurer in Europe, the Group boasts a turnover of 17.6 thousand million Euros (2010). Groupama is accelerating its international development and aims to become one of the top 10 European insurers.
Established in 14 countries, the Group comprises 39,000 employees, including 11,000 overseas, where it achieves 30% of its turnover. The commitment to a more international sporting project through until 2015 has to support the construction of a European insurance group and a bank which is a creator, a humanist and something that lasts.
www.groupama.com
The Volvo Ocean Race
A crewed round the world race with stopovers, the Volvo Ocean Race, formerly known as the Whitbread, will set out from Alicante (Spain) on 5 November 2011 for its eleventh edition. Spanning 9 months and 10 stopovers, the participating crews will cover over 39,270 miles over 4 oceans. The race will conclude in Galway (Ireland) on 7 July 2012 after making a stopover in Lorient, France, Groupama Sailing Team’s base, from 16 June to 1 July 2012. Groupama 4 is the first French boat to compete in the event since 1993.
www.volvooceanrace.com

 

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  According to a rule, which is new for the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race, from 16 March 2011, the teams entered in the race can now only sail their 2011-12 race boats. This now allows other potential syndicates to acquire these second generation Volvo Open 70s, including the winning and second placed boats from 2008-09, to work towards being on the startline in October.

 

To watch the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team’s video update

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A year ago, just days before Groupama 3 was to set sail on her second attempt to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy, Groupama announced its participation in the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race with Franck Cammas. 

“Our commitment to the Volvo Ocean Race until 2015 is an expression of our Group’s approach to development, which has been strongly internationalised over the past 3 years, explained Jean Azéma, managing director of Groupama. We’ve chosen this Round the World race to promote our image and thus write a new page in our shared history, for the wider benefit of Franck Cammas and Groupama. Given its longevity on the circuit, its human dimension and its international course, the Volvo Ocean Race is synonymous with Groupama’s values as a builder, humanist and something that is lasting.”

Since November 2009, the Groupama Sailing Team has continued to become stronger, to work on the design of the future Groupama 4 as well as sail aboard Groupama 70, winner of the last edition of the crewed Round the World with stopovers, which went by the name of Ericsson 4.

For his part, the Groupama skipper has successively won the Jules Verne Trophy and the Route du Rhum aboard Groupama 3. His has been a packed schedule, but one which didn’t prevent him from playing an active role in the selection of the crew, who will participate in the Volvo Ocean Race.

 The first to be named is Irish sailor Damian Foxall, who has already participated in three editions of the Volvo (2001, 2005 and 2008). At 41 years of age, this most French of Anglophones resides in Lorient. Winner of the Barcelona World Race with Jean-Pierre Dick, Damian is very enthusiastic: “From the outset, I was involved in selecting the crew alongside Franck. It was necessary to define the skills set we wanted to gather together. The greatest challenge is to work effectively as a team and to drive Groupama 4 at 100% of her potential at each of the nine stages, with very little time during the stopovers. In the nine months, the fatigue accumulates. At the end, you really feel like you’ve done a circumnavigation of the globe.”

Damian will take up the position of helmsman, trimmer and crew manager.

According to Franck Cammas: “When Damian is on a project, it is often the winning one. As such it’s better to have him with us rather than against us”.

At 31 years of age, the Australian Phil Harmer will participate in his third edition of the Volvo Ocean Race (2005 and 2008). Phil lives in the Hamble in the United Kingdom. “I’m really lucky to be in the Groupama Sailing Team. Since the call from Damian, who I sailed with on Green Dragon, I’ve had other offers, but I don’t want to leave. All the work that has gone into this is fantastic, both in technical and human terms. To date, no other team is in a position do better.”

Phil will take up the role of helmsman, trimmer, pitman and master sailmaker.

According to Franck: “Phil is a specialist in sails and manoeuvres. A very good trimmer, he’s also a master sailmaker, which is an essential skill to have in the crew.”

Swede Magnus Woxen is preparing for his fifth Volvo (1997, 2001, 2005 and 2008). Aged 39 and living in Stockholm, “Baggy” as he is commonly known, doesn’t lack humour: “It may be because Damian found my French to be “très bien” that he contacted me. Groupama draws its strength from over ten years’ experience. Of course competing in the Volvo is something new for them. I’m bringing them the experience I’ve gained from my four successive Volvos. It’s a fusion of skills.”

Magnus will take up the position of helmsman, trimmer and mast consultant.

According to Franck: “Magnus is a Volvo Ocean Race specialist. He really has a good command of what we know least about the Volvo Ocean Race. Any discussions and negotiations with him are interesting as he really has a fresh way of looking at things. That’s what gives this crew its charm and richness”.

The first Frenchman to be selected by Franck, Jean-Luc Nélias is an old acquaintance as they competed together in a double-handed transatlantic aboard a Figaro. A native of Finistère this 48 year old has taken up the position of navigator on numerous boats but solely on one leg of the last edition of the Volvo, aboard Green Dragon: “It’s a race which has had a lot of bearing on my life but was hard to access as there weren’t many French sailors doing it. I’d applied to Anglo-Saxon teams several times, but never with any success. Franck very quickly invited me to join the Groupama Sailing Team in Lorient. It’s a lot of work but also a great pleasure.”

Jean-Luc will take up the position of navigator.

According to Franck: “Jean-Luc Nélias had never raced in the Volvo but, like me, he’d dreamed of doing it. We’ve just won the Route du Rhum, with him as router, so it augurs well”.

At 36, Charles Caudrelier is an old friend of Franck’s. Winner of the Solitaire du Figaro and the Transat Jacques Vabre with Marc Guillemot, he’s well aware of the new challenge which awaits him: “I wouldn’t have sailed with any old team because, to my mind, the Volvo is very difficult on a human level. All alone on a boat going around the world is something that fascinates people, but you only have to take care of yourself in that situation. When there are eleven people going around the world and it lasts a year, it’s very hard”.

Charles will take up the position of helmsman, trimmer, navigator and person in charge of performance.

According to Franck: “I’ve known Charles for a very long time; we even lived in the same house for two years! He’s someone who performs extremely well, as was proven in his victory in the Figaro and he is very involved in our project”.

The only French sailor to have participated in the Volvo Ocean Race since Eric Tabarly in 1993, Sébastien Josse is just 35 years of age. Based in the Morbihan, Brittany, the former skipper of ABN AMRO 2 is plunging back into extreme sailing: “Since my early days in ocean racing, I’ve alternated between crewed races and solo races. It’s a cycle. The hardest thing in a Volvo remains living on top of one another. It’s a bit like living in a travelling caravan of old. For two years, you’re with the same people and a few kit bags in various hotels. 90% of our time is devoted to racing and the team while the rest is kind of on hold”.

Sébastien will take up the position of helmsman, trimmer and head of on-board systems.

According to Franck: “Sébastien Josse is one of the rare Frenchmen to have skippered one of the Volvo Ocean Race boats recently. We’re really lucky to have him in the Groupama Sailing Team”.

Triple winner of the Mini Fastnet, Yann Riou will take up a special position aboard Groupama 4. At 36, this electronics and computer buff will be a Media Crew Member: “The role of Media Man essentially consists of taking video images, making a selection of shots and an initial edit and sending it to the organisation and the communication team so the images can be broadcast. Several minor tasks come on top of that: preparation of the food – as the boat’s official cook, and the small domestic chores – as an extreme cleaning operative”.

As such Yann won’t be allowed to touch a single sheet or a single sail.

According to Franck: “It was necessary to have a very good sailor in the role of media man as you have to be familiar with living and working on this type of boat. Yann’s offshore sessions aboard the Groupama trimarans and in the Mini mean that he has the appropriate profile.”

At 51, Jacques Caraës is the most senior member of the crew. A holder of the Jules Verne Trophy aboard Groupama, he also competed in the Whitbread with Eric Tabarly in 1993. Right now he’s ready to pull on his foulies again: “Having once had the experience, I know that this race makes men physically and mentally exhausted. The teams who retain the same composition throughout the race programme are rare. The replacements bring good humour and freshness, as well as strengthening the harmony and solidarity within the Team. The Volvo boats have become so extreme that I don’t mind distancing myself from the foredeck. Racing is wearing for everyone, including the media man. It’ll be a welcome feature for there to be two of us supporting each other in this role”.

As such Jacques will replace Yann Riou.

According to Franck: “I know Jacques very well through having done several Jules Vernes with him, even though only one got all the way round. He’s someone who is extremely solid, who’s already done several round the worlds and who, added to that, is always pleasant on a boat.”

A special feature of this eleventh edition of the Volvo Ocean Race is that three crew must be under thirty years of age at the moment of the race start.

A Swede who’s just squeezed into the under-thirty category, Martin Krite is a professional navigator. As such, he participated in the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race aboard Ericsson 3. However, he is also a pastor: “Religion is important to me. I have a personal faith and that influences my everyday life, not solely when I’m at sea. However, I’m in the team as a sailor and not as a pastor. If one of the guys wishes to have a discussion with me about this, I’ll be happy to answer any questions they may have. However, I don’t want to impose my belief on them.”

Martin will be bowman and boat captain

According to Franck: “Martin never complains and is very tough. As a Swede, he’s not afraid of the cold or the sea spray. Pleasant, always positive, hard-working and courageous, he forms part of the crew of under-thirty year olds who have experience in this domain”.

It’s rare to see a boat competing in the Volvo Ocean Race which doesn’t have any New Zealanders aboard. The Groupama Sailing Team is no exception to the rule with the arrival of Brad Marsh, aged 27. A member of Ericsson’s shore crew and a sailor aboard the Class America Team New Zealand during the Louis Vuitton Cup, he’s very determined: “I was very enthusiastic at the idea of discovering the French aspect of ocean racing as well as the French culture. The way a project is managed is so different. The French concentrate a great deal on the detail; they’re extremely focused. It’s very interesting to be able to witness it from the inside and to learn alongside people like Franck Cammas.”

Brad will be a bowman and in charge of the rigging.

According to Franck: “Brad has recently arrived in the team. He was a member of Ericsson 3′s shore crew so he hasn’t sailed in the race. However, he’s an enthusiastic sailor who will work in a complicated and at times dangerous position, where he’ll need courage. I think he has that.”

Martin Strömberg will be the third Swede on the boat. At 28, he’s already got one Volvo Ocean Race under his belt, aboard Ericsson 3: “We don’t speak French very well but we do speak English. One amusing thing is that when the three of us are together on deck, the others have christened it the “Ikea watch”. We have a real potential for victory, even though the team has never done the Volvo. Some of us have done it several times and there’s also Franck’s multihull experience. Ultimately, we’ve got a fair number of round the worlds on the clock between us. Frank is always there to get the boat and the crew performing at their very best. I find that very agreeable and stimulating”.

Martin will be a trimmer, pitman and sailmaker.

According to Franck: “Martin has a big build and that’s definitely something we need on the boat. He’s someone who is very calm and at the same time very rigorous, who does his job very well”.

Don’t go thinking that you have to be from outside France to have the necessary skills to race around the world at less than thirty years of age. The proof comes in the shape of Erwan Israël who will be competing in his first Volvo Ocean Race. A familiar face on the Figaro circuit, he’s now discovering the VOR 70: “The boats are powerful and constantly pushed to perform at 100%. We mustn’t let ourselves be overwhelmed by the big seas on deck. The sea trials are exhilarating. The participation of a French team will enable young French sailors to be trained up for the Volvo Ocean Race. I’m happy to be one of those.”

Erwan will be a trimmer and helmsman, as well as being in charge of the manoeuvres in the inshore races and also the safety.

According to Franck: “Erwan is an excellent racer. He’s young too and I hope he will race some of the legs. It’s our role to train them in the Volvo Ocean Race.”

Last but not least, Sébastien Marsset is a Mini specialist. Groupama 3′s technician, he’s the youngest member of the team at 25: “It’s a circumnavigation of the globe which in itself is not insignificant. It’s a competition with a compelling human story. Whether it is within the shore team or the sailing team, it’s going to be rich. What’s evident is that I have a lot to learn from the others. I have to try to absorb their experience. Ultimately I’m becoming fairly well integrated and haven’t had to endure any ragging. They say that I’m the sportiest amongst us, but I train like the others”.

Sébastien will be a trimmer, pitman and in charge of the deck hardware and safety.

According to Franck: “Seb came to us with a CV, which was a bit lacking in substance, but his attitude and motivation are excellent for the team. He started out working with the shore crew and during a few sea trials proved that he was motivated, along with performing increasingly well in the manoeuvres and boat management.”

Besides these twelve sailors, the Groupama skipper is relying on the heads of department to bring the Groupama group’s participation in the Volvo Ocean Race to a successful conclusion.

At 57, Luc Gellusseau is the first of them to join the Groupama Sailing Team. In charge of relations with the organisers and, in particular, the special race rules for the Volvo Ocean Race, he keeps an eye on each stage of the project – training, construction of Groupama 4, manufacture of the sails and constitution of the crew – to ensure that the decisions made conform to the race rules.

Watch leader aboard Telefonica during the last edition of the race, Laurent Pagès, 34 years of age, joined the Groupama Sailing Team back in August 2009 and is in charge of the sail programme: “The number of permitted sails has been reduced in relation to the 2008 edition. That means that you have to re-examine things from every angle in terms of strategy, development and design. There’s a whole in-depth study to be carried out with North Sails and our own team in order that we perform as well as possible on the start day, as well as throughout the nine months of racing”.

Loïc Dorez, head of the design office, Pierre Tissier, head of boat construction, Hervé Le Quilliec, in charge of logistics, Australian Ben Wright, head of the shore crew and finally Olivier Mainguy, in charge of the rigging, complete this team led by Stéphane Guilbaud, team manager, who has worked alongside Franck Cammas since 1997, the year when he won the Solitaire du Figaro: “The team has evolved in stages. There has been a steady succession of projects since 1998, which are increasingly ambitious every time. We’ve been lucky to be supported by Groupama, which is also forging ahead. Our aims are now international, which explains why a third of Groupama Sailing Team is from overseas. However, our basic rules have not changed and continue to revolve around humility, common sense and an ability to adapt. The team remains the most important value to be defended and Franck is a leader to us more than ever.”

Indeed Franck Cammas retains the determination and sporting ambition which have been his strength for what has already been a long period of time. After winning virtually all the possible races and records in a multihull (barring The Transat), the Groupama skipper explains this switch of direction: “To participate in the Volvo Ocean Race is a decision we’ve made together with Groupama, who has supported me for the past thirteen years. Together we’ve sought an event which can exert its influence over Groupama’s image internationally and enable us to progress and confront what I imagine to be the best in crewed ocean racing. We know that there’s a lot happening overseas and one way of progressing is to go and do battle with the best. That’s why we’re taking part.”
  

A few words about the Volvo Ocean Race
• 11th edition / 10 ports / 39,270 miles spanning 4 oceans
• First race in Alicante on 30th October 2011
• Start of the first leg between Alicante and Cape Town on 5th November 2011
• Last race in Galway on 7th July 2012
• French stopover in Lorient from 16th June to 1st July 2012
• 11 crew per boat including one media crew
• Ranking in points, 20% of which are awarded for the races during stopovers
• Groupama 4, first French boat to participate since Eric Tabarly, on La Poste, back in 1993.

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Two-time Olympic medallist, Ian Walker of Great Britain, has taken the helm as skipper for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race title pursuit, as the emirate’s newest sporting outfit readies for the ‘Everest of Sailing’.

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

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Camper, the Spanish-based inter-national footwear brand, announced that it will compete in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2011-12. The campaign will be run by Emirates Team New Zealand.
 
The yacht will be called Camper and will carry the burgees of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Real Club Náutico de Palma.

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.”

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PUMA  announced today it will participate in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 after finishing second overall in the 2008-09 race, which ended in June 2009.  The PUMA Ocean Racing team will once again be under the leadership of skipper Ken Read.  

PUMA continues to produce and expand their 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 footwear, clothing and accessories to the Volvo Ocean Race.

“We are proud of PUMA Ocean Racing’s success in the last Volvo Ocean Race and look forward to the adventures this next race will bring,” said Jochen Zeitz, PUMA AG Chairman and CEO.

“Both the team and the company hope to leverage the key lessons from the last Volvo Ocean Race campaign in order to continue spreading the good will of the programme and PUMA worldwide. The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the world’s iconic sporting events. It proved to be an extremely successful marketing tool for us and an important launch pad for the sailing product category.

“We look forward to building the sailing category even more throughout the next race, as well as expanding into other forms of outdoor lifestyle ventures,” Zeitz concluded.
Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO added that PUMA Ocean Racing was a ground breaking team in the last Volvo Ocean Race, not only bringing a very competitive team, but the creativity of a world class fashion brand. Their funky attitude and design spoke to a young audience who engaged with both PUMA and the race.

For the 2011-12 race, PUMA Ocean Racing has proudly partnered with BERG Propulsion, one of the world’s leading designers and producers of Controllable Pitch Propellers for commercial shipping. BERG Propulsion products are designed and engineered with the reduction of environmental impact in mind, striving to bring fuel savings and environmental benefits to every product.  This commitment to sustainability makes them a perfect partner for PUMA.   The team will be known as PUMA Ocean Racing, powered by BERG Propulsion. 

“This is a key new ingredient to our campaign,” stated Antonio Bertone, Chief Marketing Officer, PUMA AG.  “BERG Propulsion’s CEO Hakan Svensson and his entire company are a perfect fit with our operation.  As a life long competitive sailor himself, Hakan understands the sport, the race and how BERG can utilise the race to help build and market their global company.”

 “We appreciate greatly BERG Propulsion, who has decided to join the race again after tasting it in the previous event and now they are playing in the upper league of sponsors,” Frostad said.

Hakan Svensson, Berg Propulsion Chairman and CEO stated: “Our company is very excited to be a part of the Volvo Ocean Race this year and we are especially proud to have the opportunity to partner with PUMA.  We view the race as a perfect symbol for what Berg Propulsion represents: global perspective and reach, an emphasis on quality, reliability and a desire for excellence achieved through a strong TEAM spirit.  Very much like the shipping industry, the Volvo Ocean Race is about performance on a global arena and this is directly applicable to our customer’s situation, who are also out there 24/7 under very tough conditions.  We will do our absolute best to support Ken Read and his talented crew in their efforts to be the fastest around the world.”

Team selection efforts are already underway and will likely include a number of sailors from PUMA’s 2008-09 team, plus a mix of new and veteran talent from the professional racing world.  Training will begin onboard PUMA’s il mostro in spring 2010 at the team’s home base in Newport, Rhode Island.

Skipper Ken Read, considered to be one of the world’s most accomplished racers, 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, was named United States Rolex Yachtsman of the Year twice and has 46 World, North American and National Championships to his credit.

Commenting on the choice of skipper, Frostad said:  “It is great to have Ken Read and his team back, after their outstanding performance in the 2008-09 race and I am sure he is striving to achieve the ultimate goal.”

“This last race was an amazing journey for me personally and for our start-up company PUMA Ocean Racing,” said Ken Read.  “To have the opportunity to continue where we left off is a dream come true.  For PUMA to want to come back to this adventure is a testament to the event itself and to the entire PUMA Ocean Racing team past and present. We look forward to the challenges that lie ahead both organisationally as well as competitively.”

The entry into competitive sailing extends PUMA’s focus into premium lifestyle sports – a category PUMA has forged through its Formula 1 partnerships, motor sports collaborations such as Ducati and Ferrari, and the launch of a sportlifestyle golf collection in 2006.  PUMA will be the Official Supplier of footwear, clothing and accessories to the Volvo Ocean Race.

“We are really looking forward to developing the Volvo Ocean Race PUMA clothing, footwear and accessories line,“ Frostad said, adding that he hopes it will become an even more attractive brand for all the fans of the race.

PUMA is committed to working across the globe in sustainable, creative and innovative ways to lessen the impact on the environment and to give back what it takes from the planet by seeking to reduce its carbon footprint in all areas of business.  The sportlifestyle brand’s entry into the Volvo Ocean Race is compatible with this mission as sailing is considered a ‘clean sport’, using only the wind to harness the power needed to race across the world over the course of nine months. 

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Galway, which staged a hugely successful stopover in 2008-09, is back on the map again – this time as the finish port for the 2011-12 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Galway withstood strong opposition from several rival cities in the official port bidding process to earn the right to host not only the finale but also the overall prize-giving ceremony.

In 2008-09, Galway was the stopover for the end of the transatlantic leg from Boston. This time the fleet will sail from Lorient in France back to the Emerald Isle.

At today’s announcement, Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said that the interest in hosting the event, particularly in Europe, had been “overwhelming”. He added that he was delighted the race was returning to Irish shores.

“I am very proud to confirm Ireland’s participation and Galway will be a magnificent port to stage the finish of the event,” he said.

“We have already experienced the enthusiasm that abounds in Ireland for the race and we are looking forward to bringing the competition to its conclusion in a country that really knows how to celebrate.”

At a press conference to mark the occasion, Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Brian Cowen, said: “The 2009 stopover in Galway made an abiding impression on the sailors, support crews, organisers and media, who were immersed in the warmth of an Irish welcome.

“Their presence, in turn, had an enormous beneficial impact on Galway, the west of Ireland and indeed the entire country. Their arrival here was spectacular and their visit helped generate a massive 55 million Euros for the regional economy, more than one third higher than the original projections

“Given its economic benefits and its importance to Irish tourism, I am more than happy to welcome the return of the Volvo Ocean Race to our shores and pledge our support for the event.”

The Galway stopover, in May 2009, was one of the standout successes of the 2008-09 race. A crowd of 30,000 flocked to the dockside for the arrival of the first boats home in the early hours. It set the tone for what was to follow.

Over 650,000 spectators filed through the race village during the week-long event. The crowd peaked at 62,000 on the in-port race day alone – with the seaside resort of Salthill drawing a further 120,000 visitors.

Green Dragon, the Irish/Chinese entry, grabbed a podium position by finishing third into its ‘home port’ at end of an eventful leg 7, triggering wild celebrations. The reception stunned skipper Ian Walker and his crew. Walker’s entry was the second Irish boat to contest the event after NCB Ireland in the 1989-90 Whitbread.

The balance sheet looked healthy as well with the final economic impact figure put at Euros 55.8 million by Deloitte. That was 30% above initial projections.

Galway completes the list of European cities hosting the 2011-12 race. The remaining ports will be introduced during the remainder of March.

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