Volvo 60 HUGO BOSS II set for Hobart

by Kate Fairclough on 23 Dec 2007 The crew of HUGO BOSS II, the British Volvo 60 racing yacht competing in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, are this weekend making final preparations ahead of the start of the iconic yacht race on Boxing Day and as usual they will be suited in black come race start time, rather than the motley sailing gear they wore in the rolex trophy series, pictured above..

A team of professional sailors, with special guest Nathan Buckley, former Australian rules football player, will be lining up against two almost identical boats in their class.

The British team aims to be the first to reach Hobart, Tasmania, and with the current weather forecast predicting downwind conditions, could cross the finish line within two days.

HUGO BOSS II has a crew of 15, a diverse group of sailors from all over the world. The core crew are joined by several professional sailors, guest Nathan Buckley, Knut Brokelmann from the boat’s fashion house sponsor HUGO BOSS, Grant Pearce from GQ Magazine and two young sailors from the UK’s Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme.

Alex Thomson Racing works with the programme to offer talented young sailors the opportunity to race aboard their high spec racing machines. Britons Nick Cherry and Rachel Howe, one of three young female sailors on the boat, have the honour of racing onboard.

HUGO BOSS II Skipper Ross Daniel commented: 'We have brought together a great dynamic team aboard HUGO BOSS II for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. We’re hoping for strong conditions which will favour us and the other Volvo 60s DHL–The Daily Telegraph and George Gregan Foundation so that we can be competitive within our handicap.

There’s always a great atmosphere surrounding the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, so we’re looking forward to getting out on the Harbour on Boxing Day.'

HUGO BOSS II, Alex Thomson Racing’s Volvo 60 was formerly Assa Abloy, who took line honours in the 2001 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The boat is in Sydney at the end of her world tour, which has taken in visits to USA, Singapore and Hawaii. Hugo Boss and Alex Thomson Racing own HUGO BOSS II in addition to round the world solo sailor Alex Thomson’s Open 60 racing yacht HUGO BOSS.

Alex is currently racing HUGO BOSS in a double-handed round the world race, the Barcelona World Race. Having broken the 24 hour distance world record for sailing 500.01 miles in a 24 hour period two weeks ago, Alex and co-skipper Australian Andrew Cape are currently lying in second place 750 miles from Sydney, south of the Australian coast.