Racing resumes for the Volvo on Sunday

by Volvo/Sail-World/GJN on 28 May 2006 The Volvo Ocean race gets back into sailing mode on Sunday off Portsmouth. All the Volvo Open 70s are back in the water - except for race leader, ABN AMRO ONE, which is still on-shore in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard area. The rest of the fleet have moved into the Gunwharf Quay dock area together with the Volvo VX40 catamarans.

All the boats were involved in trialing or corporate sailing Saturday in a gusty 20 to 25 knots. The VX40 cats were speeding up and down a restricted channel area in Portsmouth Harbour, hitting mid twenties, around the considerable pleasure and ferry traffic.

Sunday the racing starts for the VX40 catamarans in the fourth leg of their Grand Prix series. Overall after three stages, Spain, Brazil and the USA, the overall leader is Tommy Hilfiger with 26 points. In second place is the all British team, Basilica, racing out of Hayling Island SC, with 20 points. Third are Holmatro with 19 points, fourth Motorola-CHR with 18 and fifth Volvo Ocean race with 16 points.

All the crews are very experienced sailors from the international sailing world and include multi Olympic and World champions. The close points positions after three stages means that the series is still wide open and likely to go right down to the final stage in Rotterdam, the fifth and final Grand Prix in the VX40 series from 9 to 14 June.

Round the world sailor Brian Thompson will be sailing this Sunday on Conrad Humphreys’ Team Motorola. Joining Thompson on Motorola this Sunday is Duncan McDonald the talented inshore sailor and the brother of Ericsson Racing Team’s skipper Neal McDonald. Third placed team Holmatro also has a guest sailing star with them tomorrow Andreas Hagara. He won the Tornado World Championships in 1987 and is three times European Champion.

Basilica skipper James Grant can’t wait to get racing:

'Basilica is an all British entry, with local British crew members and British sponsors, so we really have been looking forward to sailing in Portsmouth for some time. In Baltimore Tommy Hilfiger (Randy Smyth) gave us a great run for our money in the gusty bay but here it should be different as we are sailing in both our home waters and in more open waters. The breeze should be more constant out there for us so hopefully we will beat the Americans. Which will give us a good head start going into the final series in Rotterdam.'

Racing for the VX40 will start at 14:00 hrs off Southsea, Sunday, in the area betwen the Southsea and Clarence piers. This should provide a fine view of these high speed machines as they compete in three races each day through to Thursday, 1 June.

Monday, 29 May, is a lay-day for the catamarans while the Volvo Open 70 teams will take to the water for their In-Port Race - in fact the will be sailing in the Solent between Southsea and Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. This should attract even more spectators to watch the yachts go head to head in an exciting and competitive battle.

Points from the in-port race are all important as they count towards the overall points total for the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 and no inch will be given by the skippers or crews of the Volvo Open 70s as they race round the cans.

The Volvo Open 70s, the fastest monohulls in the world, will leave their berths at Gunwharf Quays at 10:30 on Monday 29 May to their team songs and head out to the start line for a 13:00 start.

Among the celebrities will be Pirates of the Caribbean actor Mackenzie Crook who will be racing on the boat of the same name. Olympic rowing gold medallists James Cracknell and Sir Matthew Pinsent are also signed up to take part, as is round the world yachtswoman Dee Caffari, who has just returned from her record breaking voyage. Also sailing on board Pirates of the Caribbean will be the yacht’s godmother, Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of HRH Prince Michael of Kent.

Live commentary on the race will be available on Express FM 93.7FM and at Gunwharf Quays the Jumbotron big screen will be showing live coverage of the race with regular commentary updates. You can also listen to the race commentary live at www.volvooceanrace.org

The yachts are due to return from the In-Port race to Gunwharf Quays at about 17:00 and the crews from the first three yachts will be escorted from the berths through the Volvo Ocean Race Village to the stage for the prize giving at around 18:00. That is the time to see these world class professional sailors up close and to celebrate their success.

During the day there will be live musical entertainment both on the Gunwharf Quays stage and also from 19:30 at the Southsea Seafront bandstand.

Visitors are encouraged to use public transport where possible coming to Portsmouth for any aspect of the Volvo Ocean Race. A park and rail facility will be in operation from Hilsea station between 27 May and 2 June from 9am-9pm daily. There is also additional car parking on Duisburg South on 29 May and 2 June.

Volvo Extreme 40 - Crew List

Team Hilfiger

Skipper: Randy Smyth, USA
Crew: Stan Schreyer
Crew: Jonathan Farrar
Crew: Jonny Hutchcroft

Team Basilica

Skipper: James Grant, UK
Crew: Alistair Richardson
Crew: Peter Greenhalgh
Crew: Jonathan Taylor

Team Holmatro

Skipper: Mitch Booth, NED
Sunday’s Crew: Andreas Hagara
Sunday’s Crew: Taylor Booth
Sunday’s Crew: Andreas Hagara’s Tornado crew
Sunday’s Crew: TBC

Crew: Taylor Booth
Crew: Herbert Dercksen
Crew: TBC

Team Motorola

Skipper: Conrad Humphreys, UK
Sunday’s Crew: Brian Thompson
Sunday’s Crew: Duncan McDonald
Sunday’s Crew: Hamish Oliphant

Helm: Leigh McMillan
Crew: Will Howden
Crew: Hamish Oliphant

Team Volvo Ocean Race

Skipper: Yves Loday FR
Crew: Greg Homann
Crew: Fraser Brown
Crew: TBC