Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team Chooses Farr Yacht Design For Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12
Alicante, Spain – 31 August 2010 – Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team has officially appointed US-based Farr Yacht Design (FYD), to design its Volvo Open 70 for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. Alongside this appointment is the announcement that Jason Carrington (UK) has been hired as the team’s Technical Manager.
With more than 25 years of experience, FYD-designed racing yachts have won more than 40 world championships and have achieved a multitude of success at international grand prix events including the Volvo Ocean Race. After a five-stage research and design process, the building of the yacht will start in late September.
“Farr Yacht Design was selected because of its ability to tailor to our specific requirements and for its strong commitment to research and design which has been ongoing since the conclusion of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09,” said His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).
“We anticipate being able to announce the appointment of the yacht builder early next month after finalising the selection of six tender qualifiers from throughout the Middle East, Europe and the Far East,” His Excellency added.
Shortly after announcing Ian Walker as skipper for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team, Jason Carrington from the UK joins as Technical Manager, another knowledgeable addition to the team. Carrington is a professional offshore sailor, and is known for being one of the world’s most experienced boat-builders over the last two decades, having built five Volvo Ocean Race yachts and project-managed three campaigns.
Carrington has competed in more than 30 top-level international regattas, but his first round the world experience was on Fortuna in the 1993-94 Whitbread (formerly the Volvo Ocean Race). After this taste of ocean racing, he continued his sailing career joining Silk Cut for the 1997-98 Whitbread, ASSA ABLOY in the Volvo Ocean Race 2001-02 and finally sailed with Ericsson Racing Team in the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race.
ADTA and Walker are also currently in the final stages of appointing the team’s other crewmembers, and are committed to including a UAE national on the sailing team and another two on the shore team. An open selection process will begin next month.
For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Sophie Luther, – Communications Manager (Spain)
Tel + 34 966 011 152 Mob +34 606 894 940
Sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.com
Lizzie Ward – Race Press Officer (UK)
Mob +44 7801 185 320
Lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.com
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Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager (in Spain)
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tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.com
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Editors’ Notes: The Volvo Ocean Race
•The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway, Ireland during the summer of 2012.
•The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).
•The first 31,250 nautical-mile race first took place over 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter.
•The 2011-12 race will be the 11th edition of the event.
•The design of the boat is regulated and the boat is built for speed.
About ADTA:
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has wide ranging responsibilities for managing and assisting the development of the emirate’s tourism industry and the marketing and promotion of the emirate as a world-class destination of distinction. Its responsibilities include; destination marketing; infrastructure and product development and regulation and classification. A key role is to create synergy in the international promotion of Abu Dhabi through close co-ordination with the emirate’s hotels, destination management companies, airlines and other public and private sector travel-related organisations.
For more information on ADTA please contact:
Sam Dulka, Senior Marketing Communication Executive, ADTA
Tel: +971 50 5507053
Email: sdulka@adta.ae