Green Dragon announce crew changes for next leg of Volvo Ocean Race

by Lucy Harwood on 7 Jan 2009
Green Dragon have announced crew changes ahead of the forthcoming In Port race this Saturday 10th January. As part of their planned crew rotation, Volvo and America’s Cup sailor Ian Budgen will step onboard in place of watch leader Damian Foxall for the next leg to Qingdao.

Also re-joining Green Dragon for the In Port race will be America’s Cup sailors David Carr and Julian Cressant, both sailed onboard during the In Port racing in Alicante. Regular crew members Ian Moore and Tom Braidwood also return after their break from the previous leg.

Ian Budgen (GBR)
Ian joins Green Dragon with over 13 years of professional sailing to his name. He begun his career by dominating the Laser 5000 circuit. In 1997 Ian moved on to an Olympic 49-er campaign achieving second at the 1998 World Championships in Bandol. In 2000 Ian joined GBR Challenge (The British America’s Cup syndicate) as a trimmer sailing with the campaign throughout the Louis Vuitton series. Ian also has extensive experience on the TP52 circuit, which includes sailing onboard Lexus-Atalanti with America’s Cup skipper Russell Coutts and as tactician onboard l’Oreal CEO Sir Lindsay Owen Jones’ Magic Carpet 2.

In 2006 Ian signed up with Paul Cayard and the crew onboard Pirates of the Caribbean for the 2005/06 Volvo Ocean Race. As a helmsman and trimmer he joined the team in Rio, sailing the remaining legs of the race, including winning the final leg to Gothenburg. This leg win cemented Pirates place on the podium where they finished second overall.

Volvo Ocean Race Experience
2005/06 Pirates of the Caribbean

America’s Cup
2000 – 2003 GBR Challenge

Q&A Ian Budgen
Ian Walker was looking to find someone to replace Damian who was stepping down for this leg, so he got in touch and asked me if I would like to come along! Obviously this isn’t my ideal choice of leg for just popping in, but it will be great to be back and involved and I am looking forward to getting back out and sailing a Volvo 70.

Had you been looking to be part of a campaign this time around?
I have but it has been quite difficult for one reason or another, but I’m really glad to be here now and to be involved. And we will see where it goes from here.

How well do you know the other guys onboard?
I have a lot of good friends on the boat, Anthony Merrington was on Pirates, Justin Slattery is a good friend as is Ian Moore, alongside Ian Walker and Neal McDonald there are maybe only a couple of people on the boat who I haven’t sailed with at some time or another, so it will be great to step in amongst friends.

What have you been doing since the last race, how have you been keeping yourself busy?
I am still sailing professionally; I have been pretty busy since the last race. When the last race finished I stepped straight onto a TP52 that was skippered by Russell Coutts, which was fantastic. Since then I have basically spent the last two years doing tactics on a couple of boats one was a Wally called Magic Carpet 2, and also on the Swan 601 Spirit of Jethou for Sir Peter Ogden.

It is a tough leg ahead from Singapore, but you will be onboard Green Dragon seeing it back to one of their two home ports on this race, are you looking forward to it?
Yeah that will be fantastic. I have looked at the weather and every time I log onto the website it is always upwind. Wherever you are on the course the wind seems to just come from Qingdao. The frightening bit is that for the last few days it is going to be very cold. Ten days ago the weather at Qingdao was -1C during the day and -11C at night, with 20 – 25 knots on the nose, and snow! Boats are a big enough handful when they are warm, but when its cold and you have to wear all the gear it becomes even more complicated and difficult.

Confirmed Green Dragon crew list for Leg 4

Skipper: Ian Walker (GBR)
Watch Leader: Anthony Merrington (AUS)
Watch-leader: Neal McDonald (GBR)
Navigator: Ian Moore (IRL)
Bowman: Justin Slattery (IRL)
Pit/Trimmer: Tom Braidwood (AUS)
Pit/Trim/Helm: Ian Budgen (GBR)
Bowman/Trimer/Pitman: Andrew Mclean (NZ)
Driver/Trimmer/ Sailmaker: Phil Harmer (AUS)
Bowman: Freddy Shanks (GBR)
Media Crew Member: Guo Chuan (CHN)

http://www.greendragonracing.com/