“I am very excited that we have an eighth entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, and I am particularly pleased that the latest entry is Dutch. The Netherlands has played a big part in this event since the first race in 1973 and we are very pleased that we continue to attract entries from this country,” said Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive, Knut Frostad.
The team called Delta Lloyd will campaign ABN AMRO ONE, the winning boat from the 2005-06 race. The Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed first generation Volvo Open 70 has been re-fitted to comply with the new race rule.
On leg eight of the Volvo Ocean Race, between Galway and Goteborg-Marstrand, the race course will include a rounding mark outside Rotterdam which will be bring the fleet into Dutch waters, giving the spectators from the Netherlands an opportunity to see something of the fleet as it passes by.
Sailing under a Dutch flag and with the sail number NED 1, the international crew will be skippered by Ireland’s Ger O’Rourke, and the team will comprise a blend of Dutch sailors and O’Rourke’s Chieftain Racing Team, which won the Fastnet Race.
“I am very excited that we have an eighth entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, and I am particularly pleased that the latest entry is Dutch. The Netherlands has played a big part in this event since the first race in 1973 and we are very pleased that we continue to attract entries from this country,” said Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive, Knut Frostad.
Frostad also added that he has long been a fan of boats being capable of doing more than one race. “The spirit of this campaign is one that I admire. The team has a good boat, the winning boat from the 2005-06 race, and I am looking forward to watching their performance throughout the duration of the event,” he said.
The boat is currently completing its 2,000 mile race qualifier and will be in Alicante to join the rest of the fleet at the weekend.
The full crew will be announced once the boat has arrived in Alicante and the team has gone through its full survival training course.