Who is the greatest under-achiever amongst The Volvo Ocean race crews

by Volvo Ocean Race Rob Mundle on 18 Jan 2002 Who is the greatest under-achiever among all the crews competing in the
Volvo Ocean Race?

Clue: He’s seven-years-old, full of mischief, comes from Springfield and
is the best-known face in the race.

Rob Mundle discovers it’s Bart Simpson, of course…the 13th crewman aboard
Team News Corp.

Bart’s famous antics have made his probably the most marketable face on
television. His fame comes via the world’s most watched television
programme, The Simpsons, which is broadcast in more than 60 countries.

Bart finished up more than an honorary member of the Team News Corp crew.
He ended up with his face emblazoned on the hull and the spinnakers – and
it was no mean feat getting it there, especially with a head like that!
Team News Corp’s PR and Communications Director, Ashley Abbott, explained
how Bart came to be on the boat, literally: “We were looking for a paint
design for the boat that would give Team News Corp a lift, an atmosphere
of fun and have appeal to a wide range of people. Conventional designs
were just that, conventional. Before we knew it Bart’s head had bobbed,
and with him being part if the News Corp entertainment family, we decided
he was for us.”

Los Angeles based Julius Preitus, an animator with Fox which is owned by
News Corp, is one of the few people in the world qualified and authorised
to draw Simpsons characters. He was briefed by News Corporation’s Vice
President Marketing, Spencer Moseska and Ashley Abbott on the task and
came up with the image of Bart Simpson urging the boat onwards.

Designing the image was one thing. But getting a 2D drawing effectively
onto a three-dimensional hull shape was more than complex. As well as
remaining in proportion the artists doing the job at Cookson’s boat
building facility in Auckland were restricted to certain lightweight
paints and were required to achieve a glass smooth finish. And the entire
project had to be complete in time for the scheduled launch date.

Michael Brooke, of Sign City in Auckland decided he wouldn’t be beaten by
Bart and took on the job. Brooke and his team of expert signwriters
descended on Cookson’s each night after the boat builders had finished
their work for the day. To maintain accuracy they created large adhesive
templates of the design and positioned them on the hull according to the
plan from Julius Preitus.

Sections of the adhesive pattern were removed according to colour and
paint experts from Cookson’s then sprayed that area. For example, Bart’s
big yellow head shape was pulled off and the white area that remained was
sprayed the appropriate shade of yellow. That was left to dry throughout
the next day and then that night it was time to do Bart’s shoes. The
painting process took hundreds of hours.

Reports back from Team News Corp during the first leg revealed that Bart
was, as always, full of mischief: “Bart is becoming a little restless,”
said Jon Gunderson. “Over the last watch or two we have come to realise
that this is probably not the best environment for a hyperactive
seven-year-old!

He has been trying to play games on the Nav Computer,
messing with the off watch crew as they sleep, skateboarding on deck and
just being a general nuisance.

Also, there is a little matter of the
ever-decreasing meals. Every meal seems to be getting a little smaller
than the last and Bart's' gut is beginning to take on Homer (Simpson)-like
proportions. The rest of the crew are beginning to eye him with
suspicion.”